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From: aeq@pucc-h (coyote)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: non-evidence for the non-existence of non-god, and other matters
Message-ID: <668@pucc-h>
Date: Fri, 13-Apr-84 03:13:26 EST
Article-I.D.: pucc-h.668
Posted: Fri Apr 13 03:13:26 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 15-Apr-84 07:13:01 EST
References: <643@pucc-h>, <348@opus.UUCP>
Organization: Purdue University Computing Center
Lines: 48

I wish to address Dick Dunn`s remark, "did you really mean 'surrender' as in
'give oneself up to an enemy'?".  (If I can get past all the punctuation,
that is.)

In a nutshell, you bet your life that that`s what "surrender" means.  God
is a terribly powerful enemy, and when we turn against Him we do make Him
an enemy.  Many are sitting complacently in the Rebel`s (i.e., Satan`s)
camp, completely unaware that the war against God cannot be won.  The
battle ended two thousand years ago, when God finally set the terms of
peace.  Our current age is more of a "mopping-up" operation than anything
else.  The terms consist of admitting that you are a rebel and accepting
that Christ has already made reparation for your sins.  

That`s easier said than done.  I can tell you that myself, because I`ve
been through it.  Still, if we don`t let God have His will with us we
let Satan have his will with us.  Even if you view it as a choice between
"the lesser of two evils," bear in mind that Satan hasn`t the slightest
bit of respect for anyone except himself.  In fact, he enjoys your
suffering, if it can be said that he enjoys anything.

Yes, surrender means laying down your will and giving up.  The good part
of it is that God won`t abandon you afterwards.  He has plans for each and
every one of us.  Does that sound unfair, or manipulative, or perhaps
like a violation of free will?  Well, it isn`t.  When you are learning
anything, be it the alphabet or less complicated things like calculus,
it helps to have an instructor who knows the subject cold, or a textbook.
Even with that, you can still ignore the instruction and try to do it
your own way.  Perhaps you`ll be one of those brilliant types who can
intuitively deduce the laws of the subject without any help.  It`s more
than likely, however, that you will run into a wall soon after abandoning
your guides.  

God acts the same way.  He will teach you, but only if you are willing.
Set out on your own, and you won`t go very far without erring.  Listen
to Him, and you will do things that you once thought impossible.  The 
getting of wisdom is never easy, but the rewards far outweigh the work.

Surrender, Mr. Dunn?  You already have.  The trouble is that the enemy
who holds you now holds you in contempt.  He wants to see you squirm.
You are one of God`s creatures, and once you get that straight you will
realize that what you call surrender is really a call for help.  The
rescue holds many dangers, but the cell you`re in now is more dangerous
than anything.

                                 Sincerely,
                                      coyote (Steven Crane)

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