History of Body Modification
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Friday November 2nd, 2007 @ 2:04 PM
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In my Interdisiplinary Studies class, we’re to pick a human rights issue and research it…
I chose to research discrimination against body modification. For the research paper itself, I’m using history as one of the first subtopics. I was wondering if someone could help me with this.
I’d like to know as much as possible about the beginning of body modifcation to present… people like Jim Ward and Fakir Musafar and such. It would be great help if someone would direct me to some links that I could use so I can teach my oppressive catholic school a lesson….
and possibly raise a little hell while I’m at it.
Thank you,
Elizabeth Bathory
That’s a noble cause but body modification FAR predates Fakir and Jim Ward. In fact in a lot of societies throughout history would be more likely to discriminate against people that didn’t have body modifications, which to them, were the norm. To make your paper more legit you need to word it so that you are only referring to the modern western world’s take on body modifications.
Now as far as “teaching your oppressive catholic school a lesson”, IMHO, it’s a lost cause. You (or more likely your family) made the choice for you to be in Catholic school and are paying for the Christian moral system that comes with it. You want to teach them a lesson, stop giving them your money and get your education elsewhere. Bringing up examples of non-Christian and homosexual men performing rituals devised by people with polytheistic beliefs, do you really see that changing there views?
Don’t get me wrong Christianity and modern body modification can work together in unison,. I have seen a HUGE carved silicone cross implant done in the early years of custom implants. I have seen preachers with sleeves and Sunday School teachers with nipple rings. The duality to be involved with both is up to free thinking individuals, not institutions.
Don’t let me discourage you, as I think your heart is in the right place. However, I am a big fan of choosing my battles wisely and going into any potential conflict as prepared as possible. Personally, I think your whole argument needs to be reworked to be more effective against it’s target.
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6 Responses to “History of Body Modification”
Ahh, I like your views and I really appreciate you giving me your opinion… and yes, my parents made me go into the school. I do like it, but there are the certain teachers who should practice river dance in the middle of the Autoban in Germany….
but anyways, I’ve done some research and I realize that body modification fully predates today’s people… but influential people is just one subtopic. History is another and so on.
Just as a little tidbit, I had a job interview today and number three on the list of company “rules” was no apparent piercings…. this was ahead of stealing from the store and treating the customers like shit…
“Sure, go ahead and steal, just don’t have piercings”
I was like f*** you.
Once again, thanks for the help
ElizabethBathory on November 2nd, 2007 at 10:45 pmBeing that you are attending a Catholic school, perhaps biblical history would benefit you? In Exodus 21, it documents the tradition of a slave choosing to stay with his master, but as a servant. He would do this by having his master pierce his ear with an awl.
rzonmrcury on November 4th, 2007 at 9:53 pmthank you for the advice!
I was looking for biblical references but couldn’t find any
ElizabethBathory on November 8th, 2007 at 5:18 pmI did an essay on this for my morals and ethics class last year(12th grade mandatory religion at a good ol’ catholic school) and all I did was google…and I found tons of things that worked for my argument for body modification. Not only logical things, but Biblical as well. try googling “body modification religion” and things like that.
emmacnew on November 9th, 2007 at 5:18 amthanks guys! You’re really helpful…
I’m going to start on the good copy now.
Once again, thanks.
ElizabethBathory on November 11th, 2007 at 4:24 pm– Brittney
Totally agree with Sean, you need to change your strategy. If you’re planning to “educate” people, antagonizing them is kind of a stupid way to go. “Raise a little hell”? If you want to CONVINCE people to agree with something, why are you planning to present it in a negative light (from their point of view)?
One good place to start might be the Religious Tattoos website. It’s dedicated to Judeo-Christian tattoos and has the galleries grouped by subject with history and symbolism explained. They also have a “Bible Support” section.
One reason Christians tend to be suspicious of body modification is because the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, if you’re trying to convince them that it’s ok, you need to present it in the light of “beautifying” or “exploring” the temple, not “desecrating” it.
More on Biblical references - Isaac’s wife Rebecca/Rebekah definitely had her nose pierced. Since Abraham’s servant had brought a nose ring as an engagement present, obviously nose piercings must have been very common for women in that culture. (Genesis 24)
I realize your school assignment is probably over by the time I write this, but hopefully it’ll be useful in the future and to other modified Christians reading this. =)
Xenobiologista on February 23rd, 2008 at 10:51 pmLeave a Comment