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Pastimes : Let's Talk About Our Feelings!!! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Sidney Reilly who wrote (26040)	11/19/1998 7:13:00 PM
From: Dayuhan	Respond to of 108807

Bob, I don't know how you can signal everyone who might offend you about religion in advance not to talk to you except maybe to wear a sign. Why not simply assume that other people have their own beliefs, as inherently valid as yours, and not raise the issue unless others show interest in discussing it? It's very clear to me that the evil done in God's name was not God's will and the people doing it were not Jesus's disciples. They were only deluding themselves. I guess there aren't nearly as many Christians as I thought. I interpret this to mean that the only way we can determine whether those who profess to be Christians really are is to follow them around for a while and see how they behave. Very complicated, that. I'm glad I don't care. It also gives a rather convenient excuse for the misbehaviour of Christians: the ones that misbehaved really weren't Christians, even though they professed to be such, and loudly trumpeted Christ's name as the excuse and motivating force behind their deeds. Reminds me of the Catholic excuses for the repeated mistakes of the supposedly infallible popes: "they're only infallible when we say they are". Pretty lame. Freedom of speech is a concept that was written into our constitution by christians. The same Christians also mandated separation of church and state, mainly because they knew that churches with political power are the first ones to move against freedom of speech. Bertrand Russell contends that the material and social progress of Europe has been in spite of Christianity rather than because of it, and that organized Christianity has violently opposed scientific and social progress at every step. His argument in support of this contention is long, detailed, and convincing; he knew his European history well, and his work deserves to be read by anyone who feels that Christianity provided the motivating spirit behind the moral progress of the west. Steve