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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Neocon who wrote (40321)	12/4/2001 11:46:52 AM
From: J. C. Dithers	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 82486

A thoughtful, informative post, Neocon ... as usual. I agree with all. Most Christians whom I know can cite verses, parables, and the like that more or less encapsulate what they get out of their religion ... even though they may not be well-armed for deep theological debate. (Myself included!) I'm sure the same is true of Islamics. It is worthwhile, to say the least, to continue discussion of why current Islamic interpretations seem to spawn such negative behaviors. The power of religious beliefs, whether for good or bad, is evident. There was discussion here about "Social Contract" theory. As a creation of humankind, this construct may have logic and reason going for it, but it lacks the passion to inspire in the way that the ancient religious hand-downs are able to do. Take, for example, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." How many acts of pure altruism and bravery has this simple preaching inspired throughout history? Many too many to count, and often under circumstances where there were no witnesses to perform before. It is difficult for me to understand how non-believers can arrive at any human-made value system that has the power to evoke such truly noble and selfless deeds in life. And without these, we are reduced to being simply the most intelligent of the world's animal species, and nothing more. JC