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From: cjdb@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP (Charles Blair)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: rely on a higher power? give me a #$('& break!
Message-ID: <1166@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 7-Oct-85 09:32:30 EDT
Article-I.D.: sphinx.1166
Posted: Mon Oct  7 09:32:30 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 8-Oct-85 04:04:36 EDT
References: <1840@pyuxd.UUCP>
Organization: U. Chicago - Computation Center
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> The world isn't "messed up" because of some innate human nature that is
> characterized as "fallenness", "sinfulness", or any other debasive notion of
> humanity.  It's "messed up" because of these notions and attitudes of hate, 
> of perpetuation of shoddy thinking that leads to easier control of
> people through blind faith and acceptance, of innate racial/ethnic
> superiority, notions that are promulgated by those same people who
> claim we need to "rely on a higher power". 

This is a good example of shoddy thinking. I don't think Hitler had
very much use for reliance on a higher power in the sense meant here,
yet I can't think of a better example of a man who promulgated notions
of innate racial/ethnic superiority, and for whom blind faith and
acceptance--of his followers in him--was an essential "virtue." Indeed,
one of the better-known opponents of this man, who  paid for his
activities with his life, was a parson--Dietrich Bonhoeffer.