Such primitive fools! Mutilating one’s genitals under some kind of misguided delusion – that wouldn’t happen today, would it…
J Bryant
2 years ago
That was a very interesting article in Unherd’s “Apocalypse” series. I’d never heard of the Skopts. It’s a timely reminder of just how fanatical people can become when seized by a powerful belief.
William Murphy
2 years ago
Great article. The 17th century schism within the Russian Orthodox church, which gave rise to much of the unholy chaos described, makes fascinating reading. The Old Believers, who cling to the unreformed ways, survived on the fringes of the Russian empire, despite ferocious persecution.
The Hill of Churches in Daugaupils, in eastern Latvia, has an Old Believers’ church across the road from the huge Orthodox cathedral. It is the only Old Believers’ church I have ever entered. While I sat quietly at the rear, listening to the choir rehearsing, a ferocious row broke out. One of the choir ripped off his gown and stormed out. Religious fervour still runs high.
I think my eyes must still have been watering after reading the article. I misread “gown” as “groin”.
Edit Szegedi
2 years ago
The Lipovans who fled Russia in the 18th century and settled in the Danube Delta, which belonged to the Ottoman Empire, used to castrate themselves after the birth of their third child.
Peter Shaw
2 years ago
Don’t let Sage read any of this
Satyam Nagwekar
2 years ago
Bad, radical ideas tend to attract followers!
Chris Scott
2 years ago
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Last edited 2 years ago by Chris Scott
Alan Thorpe
2 years ago
Why didn’t they just kill themselves? They obviously had no confidence int their predictions.
Nicholas Taylor
2 years ago
When a species is capable of such craziness, how can we ever be sure when it is acting sanely?
Galeti Tavas
2 years ago
skimmed it waiting to see if it had anything to say, but it did not, twisted sh*t is not fun reading to me
…are you kidding Sanford? Suggest you take a look at the work of Richard Landes on the varieties of Millennialism. It’s not the specific of the rituals which is relevant.
Such primitive fools! Mutilating one’s genitals under some kind of misguided delusion – that wouldn’t happen today, would it…
That was a very interesting article in Unherd’s “Apocalypse” series. I’d never heard of the Skopts. It’s a timely reminder of just how fanatical people can become when seized by a powerful belief.
Great article. The 17th century schism within the Russian Orthodox church, which gave rise to much of the unholy chaos described, makes fascinating reading. The Old Believers, who cling to the unreformed ways, survived on the fringes of the Russian empire, despite ferocious persecution.
The Hill of Churches in Daugaupils, in eastern Latvia, has an Old Believers’ church across the road from the huge Orthodox cathedral. It is the only Old Believers’ church I have ever entered. While I sat quietly at the rear, listening to the choir rehearsing, a ferocious row broke out. One of the choir ripped off his gown and stormed out. Religious fervour still runs high.
I think my eyes must still have been watering after reading the article. I misread “gown” as “groin”.
The Lipovans who fled Russia in the 18th century and settled in the Danube Delta, which belonged to the Ottoman Empire, used to castrate themselves after the birth of their third child.
Don’t let Sage read any of this
Bad, radical ideas tend to attract followers!
…
Why didn’t they just kill themselves? They obviously had no confidence int their predictions.
When a species is capable of such craziness, how can we ever be sure when it is acting sanely?
skimmed it waiting to see if it had anything to say, but it did not, twisted sh*t is not fun reading to me
Do you have anything to say?
…are you kidding Sanford? Suggest you take a look at the work of Richard Landes on the varieties of Millennialism. It’s not the specific of the rituals which is relevant.