Board Thread:Series 5 Discussion/@comment-3239341-20121230112149/@comment-25882086-20150115065711

Hi Again Rhuddem, (or Merlin after),

It is good to know that a lot of Merlin is coming soon. By the way, what is Collin Morgan doing these days? I'm a little out of touch these days.

As promised I just want to report back on the new Merlin book I told you about: Merlin and the Dragon Love by Emile De Emme. I was too busy during my holidays to read, but I managed to finish the book last week end. It is quite an interesting beginning, but this part is just that: it sets out the background for what is to come (and I hope that the rest comes soon), because there is nothing of dragons in this first part, although on the back of the book it promises to tell us about some dangerous dragons!

I had an interesting surprise because this story is not just about the untold amorous affaires of Merlin; it is in fact a topical book. Although it is set in the 6th century, there is much actuality in it as it touches on recent religious trends; and it basically condemns all religions for creating much hatred among people. Here Merlin is a ‘philosopher’ as well as a good friend and a loyal supporter of Arthur. In a passage near the end of the book he muses:

     And what if there is no universal soul, no spirit, and no god, contrary to what     many claim? What if the spiritual world is a product of imagination and wishful thinking? What if people wither and die just as grass and flowers do? What if there is no after life?

And then later on he muses:

     'How can a man kill another and hope that the gates of heaven will be opened to receive him? Is heaven full of assassins? What kind of heaven would that be? All this religious bravado has made this world a worse place to live. They have created the hell they dread right here on this earth. Can I ever dissuade them from their ridiculous superstition? Can I ever convince them that, in actual fact, the apple is still on the tree, untouched and harmless, for otherwise they would not be so foolish and ignorant today?' 

There is also an interesting interpretation of another famous character; he is depicted in a different way; but I will not spoil it for you by revealing his name since you may want to read the book yourself. He is much to my liking especially when he says:

       '  My religion is to defend justice and integrity, and to defeat iniquity, discrimination and wrongdoing. I don’t need some old fools tell me what is right and what is wrong based on what was written hundreds or thousands of years ago by people who had no idea of our modern world and its requirements. We cannot run our lives as did our forefathers. We need to adapt our ways and manners to the demands of the world today. There is little wonder that following the old ways is leading us nowhere. Fortunately I do have a brain and can tell right from wrong today.'

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">I certainly do agree with Merlin and this other man ! … <span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi">

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "TimesNewRoman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi">I had another surprise, (I suppose I should not be surprised because the author is French and they have a different way of looking at sex) since he calls everything by its name and does not feel shame what so ever, and describes certain things about private body parts in an unusual way (I must confess unusual for me because I have not read any porno books and don’t know how they describe things).

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "TimesNewRoman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi">He also hints scornfully at women who find sadist – masochist sex desirable and satisfying. He obviously does not approve of 50 shades of Grey! To be honest I have not read that book, I only heard a televised interview with the authoress and was pretty shocked when she said that:

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "TimesNewRoman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi">           What motivated her to write this story was that she was tired of working at BBC every day as well as doing all the house chores and taking care of her husband and kids; and fantasied a relationship with a man who would support her financially and surround her with riches and comfort even if in exchange he treated her as his slave and expected complete obedience!!

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "TimesNewRoman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi">I was completely horrified on hearing that the book is or was a best seller and that women are going crazy for it etc.! I wonder what type of women would go crazy for this kind of thing. I said to myself this must be Islamist propaganda to re-establish female slavery in the West as it is practiced in Islamist countries. Who bought her book making it a hit? ISIS? Who paid her 5M to turn her book into a film? ISIS? As I said I have not read that book and don’t know what the ending is. I hope the heroin finds sense at the end and realizes what a mistake it is to trust a rich sadist who will get rid of her after a few months, as soon as he finds another pretty doll to toy with and torture! I did read somewhere that such men do exist in Muslim countries and they have harems full of such pretty women. Is that life what modern Western women aspire to?

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "TimesNewRoman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi">I find it really ‘scary’ that Western women can be so easily brain washed into believing that being a rich and powerful man’s puppet is an ideal situation. What happened to a hundred years of women’s lib movements and struggles? Mind you many brave men put themselves forward to support their women so that they could gain their rights and equality. Are British women, like this ghastly authoress, prepared to throw all that away in a fortnight? Personally I prefer independent girls who can stand on their feet and don’t need a man to pay for their food and hairdo.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "TimesNewRoman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi">In summary, I feel that this French author is worried (just as I feel rather scared) about the state of Islamist trends penetrating the European society, in particular France; and is trying to find parallels with what took place in the early centuries of Christianity when religious fanatics influenced and changed the much advanced and educated and open European societies and burnt all the scientific books and established the completely hideous religious states suffocating everybody and ‘enslaving women’ (a term used by the author).

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "TimesNewRoman","serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi">I suppose a similar situation will take place in Europe as it has already taken place in many Muslim countries. I met a middle aged Iranian couple during my vacation. They told us that they had fled Iran after the Iranian revolution, which they believed was brought about by Western powers. Most of their friends who were intellectuals were either killed or managed to run away as they had done.They said that during Shah’s regime the country was striving to become more progressive and that women were enjoying many equal rights with men and they were practically emancipated in the large cities. They said that they cannot believe that in this day and age the Sharia law has been the principle rule that runs the country for more than 30 years and nobody in the West is worried about it. They cut thief’s hands and blind people in Islamic courts, women are practically imprisoned and are under total rule of the head of the household, a fanatic who can marry 4 wives and can divorce them whenever he wants and have as many concubines as he wishes and commit many barbaric acts in the name of religion as in ancient times!! They said that it is unbelievable that we in the West go about our daily life and are not aware of what horrors are awaiting us. Soon we, too, will have to say goodbye to progress, science, quantum mechanics, and the theory of evolution, discovery of space, music, theaters, opera houses, bars and night clubs, pretty girls walking down the street …

<span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">Next I will read your book and report back on my feelings and thoughts, even though you have moved on. I also hope that your new books will appear soon.

<span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"TimesNewRoman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:major-bidi;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">Ma Tigre