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Cult, Culture, and Cultivation

November 21st, 2012 Leave a comment Go to comments

Irish Scholars

When the Irish scholars
decided to lay the
foundations
of medieval Europe,
they established:
Centers of Thought
in all the cities of Europe
as far as Constantinople,
where people
could look for thought
so they could have light.
Houses of Hospitality
where Christian charity
was exemplified.
Agricultural Centers
where they combined
(a) Cult—
that is to say Liturgy
(b) with Culture—
that is to say Literature
(c) with Cultivation—
that is to say Agriculture.

— Peter Maurin, Catholic Radicalism: Phrased Essays for the Green Revolution

  1. m
    January 2nd, 2013 at 08:39 | #1

    hey no catholic is not a cult it a christian religion go back to school i think u need it

    • January 3rd, 2013 at 13:12 | #2

      “go back to school” … says the commenter with no understanding of capitals or punctuation? That’s funny.

      Assuming you’re serious and not a drive-by spammer, you’re misunderstanding the use of the word “cult” here by Peter Maurin. (Who, by the way, was Catholic and understood quite well that it is a Christian religion.)

      See http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cult – Maurin is using “cult” in sense of the first two definitions – that of a formal system of religious ritual and worship. Also, he is linking it back to the Latin root word cultus. If that looks similar to the English words “culture” and “cultivation,” well – that’s not a coincidence.

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