"Craig Chilton -- Countdown to 1/20/09: 1,468 days to BYE-BYE Bushie!
Forever!!"  wrote in message
news:41f5c9df.57496549{at}netnews.mchsi.com...
> On Thu, 13 Jan 2005 23:36:56 -0000, "Philip Lewis"
>  wrote:
>
>>
>>"Yez"  wrote in message
>>news:Xns95DCA086B21CEyezelel{at}127.0.0.1...
>>> Philip Lewis wrote on alt.california:
>>>
>>> [...]
>>>
>>>> I think I grasped the issue - i.e. you were trying to seperate the
>>>> 'wheat from the chaff' but my point is what if the 'wheat' in
>>>> reality represents nothing more than a psychic crutch based on
>>>> superstition.
>>>
>>> [...]
>>>
>>> With all due respect, I think you are missing the trees for the
>>> forest. It really doesn't matter if we think Xianity is a crutch. The
>>> point is a very hateful, will killing bunch of people are advancing
>>> their agenda under the Christian banner though they don't represent
>>> the majority of Christians. Craig was right, most Xians are not the
>>> hateful control monsters typical of the 'religious right' and
>>> mainstream Christians shouldn't sit by and let them strangle free
>>> will in this country.
>>
>>This problem is endemic to all mainstream religions and even more so
>>within
>>those where the 'congregation' has on average a 'strong belief' or 'faith'
>>(thereby much human passion and motivation available for 'harvesting').
>>Such
>>captive audiences are open to exploitation by those who have whatever axes
>>to grind (often totally unrelated in essence to the actual religion they
>>claim to represent). That is why I am positing a form of enlightened
>>secularism. My point is that attempts to cleanse influential religions of
>>such exploitative extremists is ultimately futile - the purge may 'hold'
>>for
>>a while but as long as there is a potentially exploitable audience there -
>>it will once more be exploited.
>>
>>Phil
>
>    The gullible ones may be, Phil, but MOST of the congregants will
> reject the attempt.  I'm a PK (preacher's kid) and I know from
> first-hand observation that extremists are pretty much ignored by the
> others, and if they get too extreme, they are openly criticized.

I am happy to hear that but then Christianity went through it's darkest
period centuries ago (the inquistion, burning of 'heretics' etc) - the same
cannot be said of Islam just yet though.!

Phil


>
>
>
>          -- Craig Chilton        
>
> ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
> Every time a person supports bigotry in public, and presents NO
> relevant FACTS to back his/her stance in behalf of a loathsome
> agenda against individual liberties and human rights, that person
> has -- ironically -- further **damaged** the cause he/she supports.
>
> And every time a fair-minded  and  sensible egalitarian opposes
> such a bigot, publicly, and **presents** relevant FACTS that are
> damaging to the bigot's agenda, that TOO is an additional nail in
> the coffin lid of the agenda, and a push of that casket CLOSER
> to the Drain of Extinction -- its well-deserved ultimate destination.
> ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
>
>    (E-Mail address is valid when removing _ from it.)



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