Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!julius.cs.uiuc.edu!apple!sun-barr!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: oracle@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (Brian T. Coughlin) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Recalling a Farewell to Arms Message-ID: Date: 26 Jan 91 04:34:41 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH Lines: 36 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu Hello, everyone. This is going to be a rather atypical post from me; no logic, no apologetics, no theology... just a few thoughts that I need to share. Yesterday, a friend of mine died at Dartmouth; a friend I hardly knew at all. It happened right when I was in the middle of some "exciting" debates on talk.religion.misc, alt.atheism, and so on. Needless to say, it affected me. I'd expect one or two people to ask, "Doesn't this shake your faith in God?" No, it doesn't. My faith in God is, for all practical purposes, constant. But it DID shake my resolve as far as debating religious, logical, and philosophical issues on these nets. Is that strange? Am I just overreacting to an emotional shock? Maybe. But I can't help thinking that friends/loved ones are far more important than any theological debate will EVER be... that a person's willingness to love someone else... FORGET about religious/philosophical worldviews... is more important than any debate about omnipotence, cosmology, or any of those things. I forget that from time to time. My friend kicked my butt and reminded me... I'm just ashamed that he had to die to do it. Everyone: I beg you... *please* remember the important things like this, no matter WHAT the "thread" or "discussion" or situation might be. Most of you probably do... that puts you a step ahead of me. Remember that loved ones are more important than anything else this mortal life has to offer. For my part... I love you all. Maybe *this* time, I can remember that. ---- Take care! Sincerely, Brian Coughlin oracle@eleazar.dartmouth.edu