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Pastimes : Ask God -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Dwight E. Karlsen who wrote (13470)	4/6/1998 8:40:00 PM
From: Grainne	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 39621

Well, I for one have never said that Christians were necessarily bad for society. I do believe that people who call themselves Christian but hate Jews, blacks and other minorities, and homosexuals are spreading hate and hurting people, and that does not seem to fit in with a Christian value system. I also think all the religious wars throughout history, which have killed millions of people, do not reflect a Christian value system, and do harm to the universe. I think Jesus would be horrified and appalled by the evils that have been committed in His name. Frankly, after your latest remarks, Dwight, I am beginning to think my value system is more Christian than yours.I certainly don't stereotype people the way you do, or suddenly conclude that people are not who they say they are. Now THAT could be construed as contemptible, if I were not in a mellow and relaxed mood after my walk, and attempting to give you the benefit of the doubt, as a true Christian would.

To: Dwight E. Karlsen who wrote (13470)	4/7/1998 9:08:00 AM
From: Janice Shell	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 39621

The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. The rain falls on the just and the unjust. Are you suggesting that Christians are by and large richer than non-Christians? Then you take your assumption that, if Christians are richer, then they don't feel they have a privileged life. Dwight, I'm talking perfectly normal Calvinist theology. Predestination and all taht. Remember, I was raised a Presbyterian. And Calvinists do NOT (or aren't supposed to) believe in free will. If you're rich, that's what God wanted for you; if not, tough. You may not find this sort of thing appealing--I certainly don't--but that's how it is. True, most modern Calvinists downplay it a great deal; when I was a teenager I asked our minister if Presbyterians really ought to believe in predestination, and he was rather embarrassed that he had to say yes. But we see these concepts revived by many of the televangelists--remember Jimmy Bakker?--who encourage their followers to believe that if they've got money it's because God approves of 'em. Oh Lord, woncha buy me a Mercedes Benz?