अस्पृश्यता – 9 जारी
‘’जानते हो, पॉचवीं शताब्दी के अन्त तक क्या कुछ घटित हो चुका था? मेरी बात तो मानोगे नहीं खुद अपनी आँखों देख लो। मैंने वाकर द्वारा संपादित ‘The women’s Encyclopedia of myths and Secrets’ के एक पन्ने की फोटो उसके सामने कर दी:
Christians said one of the diabolic symptoms of the oncoming end
of the world was “the spread of knowledge,” which they endeavoured
to check with wholesale book-burnings, destruction of libraries and
schools, and opposition to education for layrnen. By the end of the
5th century, Christian rulers forcibly abolished the study of philosophy,
mathematics, medicine, and geography. Lactantius said no Christian
should study astronomy. Pope Gregory the Great denounced all
education as folly and wickedness, and forbade Christian laymen to
read even the Bible. He burned the library of the Palatine Apollo, as
its secular literature distract the faithful from the contemplation of
heaven.”
In the church’s view, every opinion except its own was heretical
and devilish, likely to raise doubts in the minds of believers. Therefore,
pagan intellectuals and teachers were persecuted and schools were
closed. Christian emperors commanded the burning of all books of
the philosophers, as Theodosius said, “for we would not suffer any of
those things so much as to come to men’s ears, which would tend to
provoke God to wrath and offend the minds of the pious.” After years of
vandalism and destruction, St. John Chrysostom proudly boasted,
“Every trace of the old philosophy and literature of the ancient world
has vanished from the face of the earth.” 4
It was almost true. Christian persecutions left “but few fragments
of a vast liturgy and religious literature of paganism which would have
cast many a ray of light on the origins of our own faith; and demolished
holy places and beautiful temples such as the world shall never rear see
again.” 5 After temples were destroyed, monks and hermits were settle
in the ruins to defile the site with their excrement, and to prevent
reconstruction.s
Rulers melted down bronze, gold, and silver artworks for money.
Peasants broke up marble gods and goddesses and fed their pieces
into limekilns for mortar.” It is recorded that 4th-century Rome had 43
temples, 304 shrines, 80 statues of deities in precious metal, 64
statues of ivory, 3,700 statues in bronze, and thousands in marble.
उसको काटो तो खून नहीं।
‘’तो पादरियों की नजर में यह भाईचारे का, सक्रियता का दौर था। आज जो अंधेर युग को नकारने के लिए किया जा रहा है वह सचाई को दबा कर, अपनी श्रेष्ठता का दावा करने के लिए वे टुकड़ जुटाए जा रहे हैं जिससे शाश्वत श्रेष्ठlता के विश्वास के दावे को कायम रखा जा सके और दूसरों को कायल किया जा सके, परन्तु प्रश्न् है किस की सर्जनात्मकता, किस की खुशहाली, किसकी कीमत पर और विश्व सभ्याता को कितनी क्षति पहुँचा कर।
‘’और जानते हो….’’
‘’बस चुप करो। दिमाग खराब कर दिया।‘’