XPost: rec.arts.books.tolkien, alt.books.cs-lewis   
   From: hayesstw@telkomsa.net   
      
   On Fri, 13 Aug 2010 08:44:55 +0200, Dirk Thierbach   
    wrote:   
      
   >Steve Hayes  wrote:   
   >> The historian Ronald Hutton, in his book "Pagan religions of the ancient   
   >> British Isles", seems to be making a similar point to Lewis when he wrote:   
   >   
   >> "The pagan Romans, like most ancient peoples and modern tribal   
   >> societies, prescribed the death penalty for those who killed or who   
   >> harmed property by witchcraft: in a system which believes in magic   
   >> and has capital punishment for normal murder and arson, there is no   
   >> other logical situation."   
   >   
   >And not so long ago Hitler prescribed death penalty for Jews because he   
   >believed them being a "inferior race" would justify this. Guilt by   
   >accusation.   
      
   Unrelated, as I'm sure you realise, since you yourself pointed it out. The   
   punishment if for the killing, not possessing the means.   
      
   The anecdote is told of a man who was charged with brewing and selling illicit   
   liquor. He argued in court that the police had not caught him in the act of   
   selling it. The judge said, "But you had the apparatus".   
      
   He was found guilty, and the judge asked, before he was sentenced, if there   
   were any other offences he wanted to take into consideration.   
      
   "Yes, Your Honour, rape."   
      
   "Rape? When did you commit this crime?"   
      
   "I haven't yet, but I've got the apparatus."   
      
      
      
   --   
   Steve Hayes   
   Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/litmain.htm   
        http://www.goodreads.com/hayesstw   
        http://www.bookcrossing.com/mybookshelf/Methodius   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)