Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!apple!sun-barr!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: jdd@db.toronto.edu (John DiMarco) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Church and State Message-ID: Date: 25 Aug 90 01:22:56 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto Lines: 46 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu coatta@cs.ubc.ca (Terry Coatta) writes: >There is a good deal of difference between mathematical errors and >religious ``errors''. An error in mathematics exist because of a >commonly accepted framework of rules for the manipulation of mathematical >formula and symbols. With religion there is no objective reality that >we can point to and say, ``There, this is the right way.'' That's not true for Christians. The objective reality we refer to is the objective reality of God, esp. in Jesus Christ. Concretely, for Christians "God's way" is the "right way". Of course, there is some confusion among Christians as to what, exactly, is "God's way". Catholics like myself have a bit of an advantage here, because we have the teaching authority of the Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, to provide concrete instruction and to defend the truths of the Good News of Jesus Christ. >... You HAVE TO >respect other peoples' religious views because they derive from the same >sorts of desires, motivations, and perceptions as do your own. Respect >does not imply acceptance. It simply means acknowledging that others may >have sincerely held religious beliefs just as strong, yet different from >your own. I respect other people's religious views because they are often heart-felt and fervent. But respect doesn't imply agreement. I recognize the truth that there are grave differences between one religion and another. Insofar as these religious positions contradict each other, only one of these positions (at most) can be correct. And so, where such contradictions occur, I must respectfully and humbly disagree with those holding positions in variance with my own. If I truly believe what I believe, how can I believe contradictions to what I believe? >God does not send us forth to make laws in a secular world. He sends us >forth to spread the Gospel, and to love others as he has loved us. Only >when civil law prevents us from doing this, do we have justification in >challenging civil authority. We cannot legislate righteousness. Love for another may involve fighting for legal protection for that other's life. John -- John DiMarco jdd@db.toronto.edu or jdd@db.utoronto.ca University of Toronto, CSRI BITNET: jdd%db.toronto.edu@relay.cs.net (416) 978-8609 UUCP: uunet!utai!db!jdd