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From: rlr@pyuxd.UUCP (Rich Rosen)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: rely on a higher power? give me a #$('& break!
Message-ID: <1852@pyuxd.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 8-Oct-85 00:01:15 EDT
Article-I.D.: pyuxd.1852
Posted: Tue Oct  8 00:01:15 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 10-Oct-85 06:44:04 EDT
References: <1840@pyuxd.UUCP> <1166@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP>
Organization: Whatever we're calling ourselves this week
Lines: 28

>>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."

No, my friend, it is your article that offers shoddy thinking.  I never
claimed that religionists represent the SOLE perpetuators of these notions.
Nonetheless, those notions are perpetuated by religion, among other things.
All the modern perpetuators of those notions (Falwell, IC's, Khomeini,
Farrakhan, etc.) are either tied directly to religion (as these examples
show) or take their cues from religion, having learned the manipulative
skills they use (in such movements as Nazism and other violent nationalistic
movements) from religion.
-- 
"I was walking down the street.  A man came up to me and asked me what was the
 capital of Bolivia.  I hesitated.  Three sailors jumped me.  The next thing I
 knew I was making chicken salad."
"I don't believe that for a minute.  Everyone knows the capital of Bolivia is
 La Paz."				Rich Rosen    pyuxd!rlr