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From: dmcanzi@watdcsu.UUCP (David Canzi)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Meanings of Words
Message-ID: <606@watdcsu.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 4-Nov-84 20:58:55 EST
Article-I.D.: watdcsu.606
Posted: Sun Nov  4 20:58:55 1984
Date-Received: Mon, 5-Nov-84 06:37:09 EST
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 49

A well-known and internationally respected expert (:-)) on language said 
"When *I* use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean -- neither
more nor less."

Humpty Dumpty was right.  The words we use are just verbal noises.  They
only mean what we intend them to mean.  We can communicate with each other
only because we more-or-less agree on what each word means.  The
reason I say "more-or-less" is that the agreement is not perfect.  For
example, you and I will almost always agree whether some object is a chair
or not -- but we may disagree about bean bag chairs or toilet seats.  The
meanings of words, such as you find in a dictionary, are the meanings agreed
upon by the majority of English-speaking people.

In view of this, let's look at some of the things that Christianoids* say:

1) God is just.
	God puts us into a world with "n" different religious belief
	systems ("n+2", if you include atheism and agnosticism), and provides
	us no evidence favouring any one over the others.  One belief system
	is the right one, and those who hold some other set of beliefs,
	however honest their mistake, are punished.  God has rigged the
	game against us, and punishes the losers.  This is *not* just.
2) God is merciful.
	The punishment for losing the aforementioned rigged game is to be
	tortured forever.  The way God treats people for, basically,
	guessing wrong, is *not* merciful.
3) God loves all mankind, including the sinners.
	And he shows his love for the sinners by punishing them forever.
	This doesn't even *resemble* love.

Christianoids frequently counterargue with statements like "God's justice
is not like human concepts of justice."  If God's justice is not like human
concepts of justice, then God's justice *is* *not* *justice*.  The *meaning*
of the word "justice" does not include God's actions, as described above.
PLEASE USE SOME OTHER WORD.  Similar comments apply to "mercy" and "love."

-------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- --------

*Christianoid n., One who believes that anybody who doesn't accept Jesus
	Christ as his saviour is doomed to eternal damnation, and further
	believes that the god who does all this damning is just and merciful.

Yes folks, I'm attempting to invent a new word here.  The words "laser",
"astronaut", and "sexism"  were invented within my own lifetime.  If enough
people adopt my word, it, too,  can become part of the language.  If, in 10
or 20 years, I find "Christianoid" in a dictionary, I will look back on this
day with pride.

	David Canzi