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Politics : Should God be replaced? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: epicure who wrote (3630)	11/30/2000 11:42:12 AM
From: Daniel Schuh	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 28931

Hi X, I had to drop in after I noticed this religious argument thread temporarily replacing the crypto-religious political flamage thread as SI's #1 off topic. Nice to see a few of the old free-thinking Feelies still around, anyway. Not wanting to really wade in here, I will just recycle my old favorite vision of God from Randy Newman. I guess everybody would be happy to have this particular God replaced, but we'll probably have to live with Him for a while more. God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind) Cain slew Abel, Seth knew not why For if the children of Israel were to multiply Why must any of the children die? So he asked the Lord And the Lord said: Man means nothing, he means less to me Than the lowliest cactus flower Or the humblest Yucca tree He chases round this desert 'Cause he thinks that's where I'll be That's why I love mankind I recoil in horror fro the foulness of thee From the squalor and the filth and the misery How we laugh up here in heaven at the prayers you offer me That's why I love mankind The Christians and the Jews were having a jamboree The Buddhists and the Hindus joined on satellite TV They picked their four greatest priests And they began to speak They said, "Lord, a plague is on the world Lord, no man is free The temples that we built to you Have tumbled into the sea Lord, if you won't take care of us Won't you please, please let us be?" And the Lord said And the Lord said I burn down your cities-how blind you must be I take from you your children and you say how blessed are we You all must be crazy to put your faith in me That's why I love mankind You really need me That's why I love mankind (http://www.randynewman.com/sail_away.html#12) Cheers, Dan.

To: epicure who wrote (3630)	11/30/2000 12:12:07 PM
From: Solon	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 28931

Think of his pain and his fear I do, but I can't let go of the big picture because of that. How I wish he was only stating his views instead of imposing them. But he has attacked and condemned someone with vile name calling--just because her ideas are different. If he was only mocking her ideas, this would not be a problem, but he is trying to POLICE and CONTROL those ideas, thus depriving her of the right to think--ergo, the right to exist as human qua human. If he had power and authority, as the Church used to, I have no doubt he would apply torture until she recanted whatever he imagines her to have said. He genuinely believes that what a person is allowed to say must not go outside of the party line as determined by his own judgement--in consultation with the walking and talking God he has decicded to believe in. He believes this God gives him absolute authority over all laws and civilities. The worse of this is that it deprives him of the ability to experience feedback. He is only doing God's work, and correcting His children, right? What is the harm in that? Obviously, his mental integrity has been so interwoven with his particular canon of God beliefs, that any questioning of his ideas is taken as a personal attack and as a threat to his sanity, rather than a challenge to his reason. I am glad that he illustrates the thread points, but I am sorry that he has to.