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From: jsdy@hadron.UUCP (Joseph S. D. Yao)
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: American Indians - Persecution of?
Message-ID: <459@hadron.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 7-Jul-86 10:45:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: hadron.459
Posted: Mon Jul  7 10:45:00 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 10-Jul-86 05:01:36 EDT
References: <898@bu-cs.UUCP>
Reply-To: jsdy@hadron.UUCP (Joseph S. D. Yao)
Organization: Hadron, Inc., Fairfax, VA
Lines: 51
Summary: "Moral calculus?  Is that always considered?"

In article <898@bu-cs.UUCP> bzs@bu-cs.UUCP (Barry Shein) writes:
>If anyone out there notices any atrocities I sure hope they feel free
>to scream about it, even if their own house is not perfect (scream
>about your own also.)

Well said.  (See below.)

>...
>the parable "let he who is without sin cast the first stone"?
>Maybe I just don't believe in the wisdom of that statement (although
>the original (biblical) example of the "fallen woman" seemed to
>justify it, the notion extrapolates badly I think into this sort
>of reasoning, how can any of us act on anything we see morally
>reprehensible if we accept that? I am sure there is some resolution
>of this paradox, I'm no biblical scholar, I just suspect people
>take it at face value in their moral calculus.)

*Sigh*  I'm not sure that most people think of a "moral calculus"
at all these days, much less remember the parable.  For those
who don't:  an adulteress is about to be stoned.  Some folk,
either figuring to trap the Rabbi into condoning the killing, or
just wanting Him to approve, asked Him for a judgement.  He bent
down and started writing in the sand; and when asked again, replied
as above.  When He straightened up, everyone else was gone.  He
asked, "Does no one condemn you?"  "No one, Lord."  "Then neither
do I.  Go, and avoid this sin from now on."

The moral that bzs doesn't quite see is to "love the sinner but
hate the sin."  It is not, was never, and never should be to
ignore the world's problems until you're perfect!  I'm not
perfect [don't go into shock]; and if any of you out there is,
I'd be glad to hear about it -- so waiting that long would
ensure doing nothing.  Equally, though we should condemn and
fight/resist Hitlerian actions, we should try not to hate the
Hitlers of the world.  Basic Christian tenet  -- and very hard
to fill.

["Christianity has not been tried and found wanting -- it has
 been found difficult, and not tried at all." -- [I forget] ]

Back to the Hopi:  Now that Crisis Day has arrived, and
demonstrators actually appeared on the Capitol grounds,
the [non-state-controlled, now, y'hear!] media have put
it in print and on the air.  Not having as wide a band-
width as this newsgroup, they did of course omit many of
the [possible] facts and almost all of the speculation
we've been seeing here.
-- 

	Joe Yao		hadron!jsdy@seismo.{CSS.GOV,ARPA,UUCP}
			jsdy@hadron.COM (not yet domainised)