*Was* there something just a *bit* more envolved in Hitler's rise to
power than a homocidial sociopath simply opportunistically manipulating pure
historical accident to gain near-absolute power in what was (arguably) the
most "civilized" country on the face of the planet?
The fact--if it is indeed a *fact*--that Hitler had the lance moved
from Vienna (or even if he simply took any cognizance of it
whatsoever) I take to be most interesting.
Dear Christopher,
Your Ravenscroft references sound like the sort of stuff I am
subjected to every time I approach the till at my local supermarket.
You are, I believe, confusing two quite distinct things: namely, the
medieval belief in a divine plan which manifests itself in "signs",
and the contemporary dregs of that tradition. I don't mean to
denigrate either one. In fact, I don't think enough serious effort
has been put into defining their relationship. It is not a
negligible phenomenon that an entire television network is devoted to
"This Week in Bible Prophecy", as if exegesis operated on the same
footing as the Dow Jones. As much as contemporary "superstition"
makes me cringe, I would like to know more about the thaumaturgic
beliefs of the Middle Ages. And if it isn't inappropriate to get a
little bit personal, I must say my attitude towards the distinction
occasionally makes me not a little existentially nervous.
Cheers,
Jim Bugslag
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