Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: notesfiles
Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!tektronix!hplabs!hp-pcd!hpfcms!bill
From: bill@hpfcms.UUCP (bill)
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: Re: The only capital crime
Message-ID: <43400008@hpfcms.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 10-May-85 14:52:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: hpfcms.43400008
Posted: Fri May 10 14:52:00 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 20-May-85 08:37:35 EDT
References: <1181@opus.UUCP>
Organization: Hewlett-Packard - Fort Collins, CO
Lines: 39
Nf-ID: #R:opus:-118100:hpfcms:43400008:000:2238
Nf-From: hpfcms!bill    May 15 10:52:00 1985

>If people would just live and let live, to coin an old and overused 
>phrase, life would be better for us all!  In other words, KEEP YOUR GODDAMN 
>MORALS, RELIGION, AND BELIEFS TO YOURSELF!  Discuss them with anyone you like,
>but don't impose them on others!  (Gad! what am I saying? I have just 
>denied the entire justification for the existence of organized religion 
>and Jerry Falwell!  I'll burn in hell for sure now!).

Are you through imposing your views on us? :-)

First of all, by forbiding us to share our religious views with you, you
haven't "denied the entire justification for the existence of organized
religion".  Well, maybe you have, in the sense of general "religion" -
believing in SOMETHING.  However, Christianity exists because God said
it will exist, whether we tell everybody on earth or not.

Second, you can't understand this, but we're TOLD (by God) to tell other
people.  Now, there's different ways to do that.  Sharing what we believe
is the truth to another person, in a loving and non-argumentative way,
is harmless to you, because you can choose to ignore it, or you can believe
it, and in neither case has it hurt you any worse than anything else you've
listened to.

Third, what's the difference between discussing and imposing?  I'd almost
bet that you, because of your feelings toward "religion", would equate the
two.  Falwell doesn't impose his beliefs on you - you're free to ignore
him.  And you're guaranteed, in this democracy of ours, that no laws will
be passed that uphold one form of religion over another.  What're you afraid
of?  Falwell isn't taking over the world - he's just fighting to make it more
like he thinks it ought to be (and isn't that what any lobbyist is trying to
do?  Don't single out religion as the ONLY offender here!).  And if you lump
"don't kill or maim or rape or ..." with moral imposition, then you're an
animal!  Laws such as these MUST exist.  Otherwise, your future is in jeopardy.

Finally, think for a moment about how boring net.flame would be if everybody
stopped trying to convince everybody else about everything!  What excitement
or purpose is there in life if we all walk around being sure to say nothing
but non-controversial stuff?

Bill Gates