Considerably larger than the supply of mystics willing to undergo hideous torture for mystical improvement would suggest.
Actually, I think a bigger potential disagreement between Peter and I on the ITC is that when they are described as 'hell on earth', Peter seems to take this somewhat more literally, whereas I take it as rather more metaphorical. But as that is even on the face of it simply a matter of individual interpretation, there doesn't seem to be much point arguing about it - though Peter might want to further explain his position if he feels I have misrepresented him.
>> Harsh ascetism isn't even restricted to mystics. Ascetic theists
>> are hardly going to meet with mystic approval.
>
>AFAIK, ascetism, or what Greg would call 'Austerities' to be more
>specific, are specifically mystical.
Ascetism is not the same as what Greg calls 'Austerities', which is a somewhat more specific technical use of the term. Compare the way Greg uses terms like 'animism' or 'shamanism', or 'Devotion' or 'Worship'. As Greg has decided that everything has a mystic core at its heart, though, it does make it somewhat difficult to actually prove anything as NOT being mystic.
Cheers David ------------------------------
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