Grumpy response
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1. What are the structural similarities that you are referring to?
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Briefly, the notion of unalterable holy texts, from which all wisdom flows; the heterodoxy of those texts (in M/L, historical Determinism "wrote" it, while in mon.rel. like Christ., Yahveh was gravious enough to hand it over to us); the strict interpretation by whichever human has power (i.e. Stalin over Trotsky; or Vatican over Copts, Aryans, and other "heretics"); the inclusionary/exclusionary rules of participation; the interpretation of all human history through the ideology's "analytical tools" (material dialectics in one, enlightnent by the Holy Spirit in the other); anointed and approved messengers and interpreters of the Truth (priests, Politburo); etc.
To borrow a line from Fawlty Towers, "There is enough material there for an entire conference".
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2. Dont you think it is a bit artificial to separate the teachings of the Church away from it for the purposes of comparison? If not, why?
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My religion's teachings are strictly humanitarian. You would not find anything to disagree with in outr teachings! I guarantee that.
We also have a little code of conduct whereby we kill anyone who dares leave the religion. Not to worry. It's just necessary in order to better spread the religion's message. [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]
Like I said, sometimes the means are the end.
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