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From: david@cvl.UUCP (David Harwood)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: reply to Laura Creighton
Message-ID: <209@cvl.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 24-Mar-85 23:38:51 EST
Article-I.D.: cvl.209
Posted: Sun Mar 24 23:38:51 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 30-Mar-85 06:08:31 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: Computer Vision Lab, U. of Maryland, College Park
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In reply to a comment:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>From: laura@utzoo.UUCP (Laura Creighton)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: again to Lord Firth
Message-ID: <5313@utzoo.UUCP>

Even if it were true that we are largely responsible for other people's
suffering, this does not explain why people suffered and starved in
remote places (such as North America) long before any Christians ever
even thought that they existed...not to mention those that starved
before the time of Abraham.

Laura Creighton
utzoo!laura
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
	I don't save my replies to the Net, so I'm really not sure
what you mean. 
	However, I never could intend that others who are not
Christians are not responsible for what they know to be suffering.
And, of course, there is suffering of which we do not know, but our
racial consciousness is greatly increasing, so much that there should
be so little suffering due to ignorance as there is due to neglect.
The first missionaries find out the unknown suffering so that others
may know to do something. Should we instead meditate about whether
there is no suffering if no one hears a cry? That will not save
anyone; we should go and find out about our brothers. As the Lord
called upon Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?"

The purpose of a moral tradition is to help secure our consciousness
of what causes suffering and of what is our responsibility. There are
many different traditions arising at different times and places, and
their understanding is different. Nevertheless, I believe that the
teaching and example of Jesus, which does not deny responsibility
for others, is the one which we must accept if we are to survive.

Jesus said that we are ultimately judged by what we have done for the
least of those who are suffering, for even he is among them. It is
for this reason, I believe, that he very often identified himself as
the Son of Man, the mankind that should be our judge. If so, then the
last judgment is whether we are in deed our brother's keeper, or 
whether we have betrayed Him.

					David Harwood