13 NOV 2015 by ideonexus

 A Small Defense of the Star Wars Prequels

***Sigh*** There are lots of problems with TPM, but its failure to be mythic isn’t one of them because that’s, in fact, the point of the entire prequel trilogy — demythologizing what we thought we knew about the Old Republic, the Jedi, and the rise of the Empire. The Old Republic wasn’t a “more civilized age,” it was a corrupt and flawed entity riven with divisions. The Jedi weren’t “guardians of peace and justice,” they were guardians of the status quo to the extent that ...
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24 JAN 2011 by ideonexus

 Introduction to the Jefferson Bible

THE PHILOSOPHY OF JESUS OF NAZARETH Extracted from the account of his life and doctrines as given by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Being an abridgment of the New Testament for the use of the Indians, unembarrassed with matters of fact or faith beyond the level of their comprehensions. [emphasis mine]
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The first title of Jefferson's pairing down of the New Testament gospels states clearly the purpose of the text.