Prime
by Doug Hawley
4
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Julie Collins – We are
back with our fourth interview with Dook, who
represents the Angwins, or what we had called
Yetis or abominable snowmen. Today, we’d
like to talk about a controversial area, the
beliefs or religion of the Angwin. Welcome back
Dook.
Dook – Same to you Julie.
Julie Collins – So what is your religion or
beliefs?
Dook – We don’t subscribe to anything
which might be called a religion, but some of our
mutant retrogrades have adopted some of the
beliefs of the lands in which they live.
Julie Collins – Some might think that you
would be Buddhists given your proximity to Tibet.
Dook – We have absolutely learned from our
neighbors. There emphasis on leading good lives
in general resonates with us, and we learned yoga
and meditation from them, but for practical
rather than spiritual reasons. The idea of
Nirvana does not appeal much to us. We like
having a good time.
Julie Collins – And what have you taken from
the Hindus?
Dook – Again, I would say their belief in
ethical living, as is emphasized in most
religions. The same is true of the lesser known
Zoroastrianism.
Julie Collins – And their many gods and
belief in reincarnation?
Dook – First, I think that the emphasis on
the multitude of “gods” is overdone.
Secondly, we think that when we die, we are gone.
Julie Collins – Islam?
Dook – We do not disparage any belief as
long as it does not condone violence. We have not
had much contact with Muslims despite them living
close by.
Julie Collins – No eternal life, no supreme
being?
Dook – No. Chuckles. We don’t imagine a
giant bearded patriarch in the sky. The universe
may be the ultimate intelligence, but there is no
way that we would know.
Julie Collins – What of Western Religions
like Christianity, or smaller faiths like Latter
Day Saints or Scientology?
Dook – We have studied them and adapted
anything that we find helpful. We like most of
the teachings of Jesus, but suspect that he was
misquoted on occasion.
Julie Collins – So much for what you don’t
believe. What do you believe?
Dook – As I mentioned, we simply believe in
leading good lives. As isolated and few as we are,
we must rely on mutual support. We have our
mythology, parables and allegories which we don’t
necessarily take literally, but use as learning
devices.
Julie Collins – Could you give us some
examples?
Dook – Our legends say that early Angwin
witnessed the extinct Harrapan civilization of
the Indus River and learned ecological lessons
from its demise. They cut down the forest and
their land became desiccated. Lesson – don’t
destroy your home by overbuilding. It has been
passed down that earlier lowland Angwin were
there during the Vedic period of early Hinduism
when the battles were fought and destruction was
wrought. Lesson – avoid conflict. We wish
that lesson was used more often, especially now
in the Middle East.
There is Angwin folk wisdom. “I don’t
need any more snow or oxygen.” “Try
some condiments on your fungus.” As you can
imagine, these are particularly suitable for us.
Julie Collins – Many religions, ethnic
groups or nationalities believe that they have a
founder. How about you?
Dook – The elders tell a story about Angwine,
a person of ambiguous sexuality who lived
thousands of years ago in what was pre-civilization
Iraq. He/she is supposed to resemble current
Angwin and lived for hundreds of years with many
husbands and wives in a rich kingdom. The story
may be as real as Santa Claus, or it may be a
concatenation of a number of real progenitors of
the Angwin today.
Julie Collins – I’m sure that I could
ask a million more questions, or at least twenty,
but that is all that I have prepared. Do you have
any final comments?
Dook – A couple. Our scholars ran across an
account of a religion which died out, but in its
early history it developed along with Judaism.
Its beliefs speak to us more than other organized
religions. Oddly, a description of it was
published in the online journal Potluck –
Elrod (http://potluckmag.com/april-2015/2015/4/24/lrd).
On a completely unrelated note, the major country
that had spurned us recognizes us now that its
leader has quit in disgrace.
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