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From: bandy@lll-crg.ARPA (++Andrew Scott Beals)
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: Re: Cults and Christians
Message-ID: <381@lll-crg.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 31-Jan-85 09:23:17 EST
Article-I.D.: lll-crg.381
Posted: Thu Jan 31 09:23:17 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 4-Feb-85 05:32:46 EST
References: <232@abnji.UUCP>
Organization: Lawrence Livermore Labs, CRG group
Lines: 45

> >>I think the term cult in general terminology today means:
> >>
> >>1. Any religion that teaches that man can become God.
> >>2. Any religion that teaches that Jesus was not God.
> >>
> >>These two beliefs are opposed to christianity which is what uses the
> >>term cult.
> >
> >I really would like to know how karen aka larry came on to this definition.
> >If we really follow it we find the world is divided into christians and
> >cultists exclusively and exhaustively...interesting.
> 
> I don't believe that that definition includes atheists or agnostics.  Atheism,
> as often "practiced" is not a religion, in fact is a denial of all religion.

Unfortunately, Christians tend to classify Atheism as a religion and do
whatever they can to prevent "athiestic philosophy" from being taught to
their children.  These people can't tell the difference between a belief
in something and a lack of belief in anything - something like not being
able to tell the difference between someone who would prefer to eat split
pea soup (with ham hocks please) and someone who just doesn't eat soup
at all.

I have to flame about the new education bill that just got passed
(Thank you Sen Hatch and friends!) that prevents schools from spending
federal money on things that they deem are "Secular Humanism", WITHOUT,
I say WITHOUT defining the #$^% term so that our FAVORITE RIGHT WING
ASSHOLES and IDEOLOGUES can cause lots of trouble in a school district
merely by strongly asserting that the program in question is "secular
humanist" in its bent - and we all know how easily school officials are
cowed when their funding is threatened.  Thus the Honorable Mister Hatch
has opened up a whole new can of worms for our already troubled school
system, as if things weren't bad enough already.

Oh well. I left my references at home and I refuse to flame anymore without
more facts (what??! that man is using /facts/ in his flames!? THROW HIM OFF
OF THE NET!).

I bid you all adieu and will hopefully not meet any 'Christians' in a dark
alley today.

---- -----
andy beals
arpa: bandy@lll-crg
uucp: {sun!lll-crg,decvax!genrad!mit-eddie}!bandy