Re: Old Norse (was Re: New to the list)

"Thomas R. Wier" wrote:

> Oh yes.  If people think politics is bad now, just read newspapers
> from the 1800 election.  The most serious allegations made
> by the Adams campaign against Thomas Jefferson, a deist, were that
> he was an atheist (which is tantamount to saying:  "you don't believe
> exactly as I do"),
It was only in the later 19th century that "atheist" came to mean anything
but "inherently dishonorable".  An atheist could not swear an oath, not
out of scruple but because the oath would be meaningless: consequently,
he had no public or private credit whatever.

--

Schlingt dreifach einen Kreis um dies! || John Cowan <jcowan@...>
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Denn er genoss vom Honig-Tau,           || http://www.ccil.org/~cowan
Und trank die Milch vom Paradies.            -- Coleridge (tr. Politzer)