"Craig Chilton -- Countdown to 1/20/09: 1,468 days to BYE-BYE Bushie!
Forever!!"  wrote in message
news:41f970bc.37381754{at}netnews.mchsi.com...
> On Mon, 17 Jan 2005 23:04:19 -0000,
> Philip Lewis  wrote:
>>  Craig Chilton  wrote:
>>>  Philip Lewis  wrote:
>>>> "Yez"  wrote:
>>>>>  Philip Lewis wrote:
>
>
> [...]
>
>>>>>>     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.!
>
>     Millions os Muslims -- like the PSEUDO-Christians of the RRR cult
> -- have a LOT of growing up to do.  Both intellectually and socially.
>
All those adhering to traditional religions have some growing up to do - all
these groups running around shouting 'look here in this pond is the REAL
SUN' whilst another group nearby is saying "NO,NO that is not the REAL SUN -
for it is HERE in this pond over here" - sounds absolutley STUPID that
little story doesn't it - for after all don't we already KNOW that there is
only one SUN in this solar system and that those are it's mere reflections
of that ONE SUN in all those different ponds, such is the folly of seeking
that which is within without.

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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