the Danimal wrote:
> Sharon B wrote:
> > Nice frothy devotional.  How much rent do I owe you, what is the
> going
> > rate for space in your head and is there a surcharge for
> > holiday/weekend occupation?
>
> Sharon, here's a question about morality for you to ponder.
> Suppose all the following are true:
>
> 1. Mark Sobolewski turns out to be a serial killer.
> 2. Against all odds, he has managed to capture you.
> 3. He binds you into submission with duct tape.
> 4. He repeatedly gives you The Gift of His Will,
> for the maximum two minutes at a time.
> 5. He eventually gets bored with you, kills you, dumps your body,
> and starts planning for his next crime.
> 6. You, in the meantime, go to heaven.
> 7. You think back on your last days and realize the police should
> know about Mark Sobolewski.
> 8. In fact you feel morally obligated to try to report what happened
> to the police.
> 9. Unfortunately for your moral obligation, you find yourself unable
> to get in touch with the police.
>
> At this point, also unfortunately, I must introduce a conditional
> branch into the thought question because nobody knows exactly why
> we don't hear from people who have died, especially the ones who were
> so chatty before they died.
>
> 10.a. Suppose we don't hear from the dead because
> God keeps them in a Guantanamo-Bay-style maximum security
> prison, not even allowing them to speak to lawyers.
>
> Do you meekly accept your fate and allow Mark Sobolewski to
> keep on killing?
>
> Or do you try to persuade God to let you send a message back
> to Earth?
>
> And failing that, do you exercise your free moral agency and
> try to find a way to smuggle a message out of your heavenly
> prison and back to the authorities who could apprehend Mark
> and execute justice?
>
> 10.b. Suppose we don't hear from the dead because
> once they get to heaven, they are having so much fun they no
> longer care about the people they cared about when they were
> alive.
>
> Do you see yourself losing all concern for the things that
> matter to you now, once you get to heaven?
>
> Will you be like a rap artist who hits it big and forgets
> about his homies in the hood?
>
> Or will you find a way in heaven to keep it real?
>
> 10.c. Suppose we don't hear from the dead because
> nobody here is listening correctly.
>
> What method do you plan to use to get a message back to us?
>
> If you can still observe the Earth, you must have some way
> to get a message back, because of the quantum physics principle
> that observing a system changes it. Not to mention that you
> somehow got to heaven from Earth, and angels and God and Jesus
> went back to Earth from time to time. Presumably when you get to
> heaven, you will be much smarter than you are now, because you
> won't be limited by your human frailties. Plus you will have lots
> of other believers to network with. Many of them will have been
> trying for a long time to get in touch.
>
> 10.d. Why do you suppose the Bible says it's wrong to even try
> to communicate with the dead? Do you wonder that maybe God
> has something he needs to hide?

Hello Dan,

Even if I hypothetically did toss Sharon out of a lifeboat, it would
(hopefully) be a one time situation not warrenting future
intervention to save lives.

Consider OJ Simpson: Despite it being likely that he killed his former
wife, he
is unlikely to be a future threat to society because the situation
under which it occurred was unique.

Nonetheless, I imagine Sharon would be polite to him if he posted
an opinion she disliked...

regards,
Mark Sobolewski



--- UseNet To RIME Gateway {at} 2/2/05 10:14:51 PM ---