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From: dsr@uvacs.UUCP (Dana S. Richards)
Newsgroups: net.origins
Subject: Re: After the collection, comes the sermon . . .
Message-ID: <2061@uvacs.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 2-May-85 17:29:27 EDT
Article-I.D.: uvacs.2061
Posted: Thu May  2 17:29:27 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 6-May-85 00:11:36 EDT
References: <1928@decwrl.UUCP>
Organization: U.Va. CS dept.  Charlottesville, VA
Lines: 42

> 
>                                                     
> Colin Rafferty says, "What the main problem of most Creationists have is
> that they are afraid of, not their own, but mankind's mortality."
> 
> It is precisely the 'creationist' believer in a God who has given meaning
> to the dance who can bridge the existential gap created by the thought of
> the collective as well as the individual death.  My word, what ever
> is the whole message of Christianity?  "Death where is thy sting?  Death is
> swallowed up in victory!" Etc, etc, etc.
>
What follows here is an inexcusably long sermon on the evangelical (only
it seems) christian view that death is not to be feared, etc etc ...

Arndt is I fear really not aware of the objection since he is so 
wrapped up in his rhetoric.    The point is that christians, myself
included, believe this because of their inability to face death.
If Arndt denies this I would say he is sufficiently indoctrinated
that he is truly unaware of it.   (I would rank the beliefs of 
someone you respect as an even more impelling reason to subscribe
to a religious belief, by the way.)  What the dogma says about death
is a secondary issue.   Arndt also feels it is peurile to remark
that death is natural!

> But he gets sillier sad to say.  
>    
>          Colin says: "By believing that they were placed here, they don't 
> have to worry about what could destroy mankind, but Evolutionists do.  The
> political forces that lean toward Nuclear War are invariably Creationists:
> Reagan, Faldwell (who he?), etc. Those against are invariably Evolutionists"
>             
>          Again, the major thrust of Christianity is to RESCUE mankind from
> death and the results of the 'fall'.  What utter twattle you spout! 
>          My word Colin.  You've got to be seven years old, in which case get
> off your father's terminal before I tell him, or you are still in Public 
> High School and I don't hold you opinions too much against you, poor guy.
>                   
> Preachin' ?  You bet.
> 
Obviously he is not saying christians advocate war; only that they are
(marginally we hope) more predisposed to not fear the worst.
But Arndt's double use of RESCUE is inexcusable.