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From: aeq@pucc-h (Jeff Sargent)
Newsgroups: net.singles
Subject: Re:  thoughts on religion
Message-ID: <726@pucc-h>
Date: Fri, 25-May-84 14:00:40 EDT
Article-I.D.: pucc-h.726
Posted: Fri May 25 14:00:40 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 1-Jun-84 02:38:44 EDT
References: <1968@nlm-mcs.ARPA>
Organization: Purdue University Computing Center
Lines: 34

In one way I hate to keep harping on the topic, but I have to respond to some
inaccuracies (or at least, in my opinion, mistaken opinions, perhaps arising
partially from incomplete understanding) in a couple of anti-religious
articles seen here in the last couple of days.

Rsk the Wombat thinks "religion" (which is not what I'm promoting) has "no
help to offer" in the area of human relationships.  I thought my articles
indicated that the continued process of getting straightened out inside via
prayer WAS helping my human relationships; in fact, anyone reading the New
Testament will see that one of the main emphases of Christ and Christianity
is removing discord between people.  'Tis a shame that many, believers as well
as non-believers, have forgotten that.

Nancy Miller objected to "criminals who use religion to justify their illegal
activities".  So do I.  That's not what I am.  She also objected to people
who think that anything other than their own beliefs is a bunch of feces.  I
will not get into Christianity vs. other religions here, but my comparisons
of the Christian believers I have known with the non-believers shows a higher
mean level of joy among the Christians (not to mention a higher mean level of
joy in myself than there was several years ago).  It is my hope that someone
without joy will find it, hence my continued plugs.

It's curious, and ought to be a little disturbing to civil libertarians, that
in this day and age, it's the Christians who seem to be denied the right to
speak their beliefs.  The pendulum has swung a bit too far from the medieval
Catholic Church's ruthless suppression of "heresy"; while admittedly I have so
far not had to face actual, physical flames, I ought not to have to face any
opposition -- especially not on an anarchic network like Usenet!  I'm not
doing any arm-twisting, so why not just not let it bother you?

-- 
-- Jeff Sargent
{allegra|decvax|harpo|ihnp4|seismo|ucbvax}!pur-ee!pucc-h:aeq
"...I've got to be where my spirit can run free..."