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From: aeq@pucc-h (Sargent)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: A disagreement with Tim Maroney
Message-ID: <428@pucc-h>
Date: Tue, 10-Jan-84 02:33:18 EST
Article-I.D.: pucc-h.428
Posted: Tue Jan 10 02:33:18 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 11-Jan-84 03:31:39 EST
References: <6454@unc.UUCP>
Organization: Purdue University Computing Center
Lines: 21

>                                                              (I assume that
> by Western religions you refer to such things as Christianity which are more
> concerned with externals than internals)

Ah, but Christianity is not just concerned with externals!  It does not just
ask you to act in certain specified ways and not in others, no matter whether
you really want to or not.  Rather, "the whole point of being a Christian is
to become a little Christ", i.e. to be changed into a person who just acts
Christlike by nature, because he wants to, not because he has to.  (The
approximate quote is from one of my favorite authors, C.S. Lewis, who wrote
a good bit of well-thought-out stuff wherein Christianity is presented
quite intelligently.)  In other words, Christianity most definitely focuses
on internals.  I won't post my autobiography to the net, but I can certainly
attest to the fact that changes in my behavior have come about because of
changes within me, not because I hewed to some lifeless laws.  I've said
many times that prayer is the ultimate psychotherapy.

(BTW, I was on vacation for 3 weeks, hence did not see the article I am
quoting [dated Dec 21] until just now.)

-- Jeff Sargent/...pur-ee!pucc-h:aeq