Julian9EHP wrote:
>> From: Michel Boucher
>
>> (1) Accept Christ.
>> Risk: Be assimilated into the Collective.
>
> You mean like Sojourner Truth, J.S. Bach, and St. Francis of Assisi?
>
>> Benefits: Voices in your head, subspace links to the rest of the
>> Borg.
>
> See above. Christians have eternal life. They also have life _now_.
>
>> (2) Reject Christ.
>> Risk: Nothing. No loving deity would ever demand servile behaviour
>> from its creation in a petulant tone...assuming there is such as
>> thingas a loving deity. I'm willing to suspend disbelief for the
>> purpose of this argument.
>
> Risk: Not being attached to the Being who can grant eternal life --
> and, what's more, the only one who can grant life worth enjoying.
>
> Unlike the rest of us, God is enjoyable, any time. "What is the
> chief end of Man? To glorify God *and * enjoy * Him* forever."
>
>> Benefits: You won't be a drone for the rest of your life.
>
> [ . . . ]
>
> Those who truly follow God have good conditions and bad. There are
> Christians facing death now because of their belief. But they have
> much more happiness than those who deny Him. Why not be a hedonist?
>
>
> E. P.
Why not be a realist?
Does a God exist?
Prove it!
I think not.
A god is a natural invention of our specie. It was the easy way out.
Otherwise we would have to answer to our actions in this life.
By extention, we also had to invent an afterlife.
So we invent an external force that explains (in a myriad number of ways -
take your pick - can any one be right?) our faults and the way to overcome
them - all this based on reward/punishment - same as training a dog.
In actual fact this is not a bad idea. It gives those incapable of
independant thought or incapable of behavior acceptable to a close knit
society an anchor - a base line so to speak - of proper conduct, and it
gives the 'proper thinking people' the 'right' to punish transgressors.
Unfortunately mankind is never satisfied by something simple that works or
more correctly something that cannot be used to subjugate those less
fortunate or those who seem to have a natural (and obviously superior) way
of dealing with the naturally occurring restrictions that come with living
in a co-operating society.
Thus we find the correct religious forces of Europe destroying several
amazing civilizations in the Americas (The Conquistadores and the Jesuits to
name two such forces).
Thus we find Islam trying to prove (by whatever means possible - including
total annialation - sound familiar?) that 'their' way is the 'only' way.
Thus we find the Jews wreaking havoc in the middle east.
Until we, as a thinking people, dump this outdated and patently
superstitious idea of god we are doomed to do the exact thing that virtually
all religions tell us we must not!
Any religion that allows for the destruction (through action or inaction) of
anyone is a false religion!
By that definition there are no (mainstream) religions that do not fall into
this catagory.
/> rant.
Ken.
--
http://www.rupert.net/~solar
Return address supplied by 'spammotel'
http://www.spammotel.com