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From: dsaker@iuvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: Christian Persecution of Jews
Message-ID: <1700026@iuvax.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 10-Jul-84 15:01:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: iuvax.1700026
Posted: Tue Jul 10 15:01:00 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 11-Jul-84 07:12:52 EDT
References: <145@usfbobo.UUCP>
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Nf-ID: #R:usfbobo:-14500:iuvax:1700026:000:1672
Nf-From: iuvax!dsaker    Jul 10 14:01:00 1984


[]
While it is certainly the case that many "christian" atrocities were 
perpetrated by those who were only nominally christian, it is just as certain
that many were perpetrated by people who were sincere and devout and earnestly
striving to be truly christian.

I just know that many christians are going to leap up and say that the
fact that christians have committed atrocities does not reflect in any way
on the "righteousness" of christianity.  In great part, I must agree.
BUT an important point is raised when we observe that often christians
committed these atrocities believing that they were doing god's will.

Presumably, no-one wants to assert that the atrocities were god's will, so
let us assume that those christians were wrong in their belief that they were 
doing god's will.  Then we are forced to the conclusion that a christian, be 
he ever so devout and earnest in his efforts to follow the Lord, can be
horribly mistaken in his interpretations of what is god's will.  We are
forced to conclude that a devout and earnest christian, having prayed for
god's guidance on an issue and believing god to have answered him, can yet
be hideously in error.  

If a devout christian can be so wrong in his perceptions of god's will and
god's answers to his prayers, then he can also be wrong in his many beliefs 
that rest on such perceptions.  

If once a christian admits that he can be totally wrong in his perceptions of
god's will and god's answers to his prayers, then what is left of his 
religious beliefs?  It seems to me that most, if not all, of the support to
his beliefs has been kicked away.

Replies?

Daryel Akerlind
...ihnp4!inuxc!iuvax!dsaker