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

To: The Philosopher who wrote (79787)	12/28/2003 9:49:33 PM
From: Lazarus_Long	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 82486

So it's OK if I put a BIG sign on the ferry building that says "God Is Fraud"- -and send the bill to the city gov't? They should pay it, of course, since they paid for that nativity scene on the city hall lawn. If they don't, is it OK to sue them? Or should I sue them for wasting public funds on that nativity scene?

To: The Philosopher who wrote (79787)	12/29/2003 5:34:00 AM
From: Solon	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 82486

"Nor is there any tenet of Christianity that says "go forth and invade the Middle East."" It is generally admitted that Christianity has a doctrinal basis as given in Scripture--scripture which many Christians consider infallible, and which others consider (at the least) to inform right behaviour both personal and public. Over many centuries a recognized body of exegeses of immense proportion has evolved in order to define the duties of Christian witness. The details are unimportant in terms of this discussion. The point is that Christianity is more than a naked belief in a First Cause--More than simple theism: It has a creed developed from extensive dogma. And it has an ever expanding dogma which branches off from the primitive texts which are promoted as "the words of God". It enjoins very definite political and societal beliefs and action. Some Christian sects "minister" and spread the word in foreign countries where they are (sadly) often murdered in response to their social and political interference. It is not just a belief in a Deity. It is a belief in original sin, in eternal judgement, in the wickedness and sinful nature of non-believers (or of believers in other faiths)--in the unequal value God gives to those who worship Him and to those who worship another--and on and on and on in credal expression. So comparing atheism and theism to Absolutist creeds and dogmas such as Communism, Islam, or Christianity is naive, dishonest, or both.