From: psc@sei.cmu.edu (Peter Capell)
Newsgroups: rec.martial-arts
Subject: Re: The Christian MA
Date: 13 Aug 92 16:21:17 GMT
Organization: Software Engineering Institute


Here I am trying to get some work done and somebody goes and posts a truly
flameworthy post... sheez.

It's too bad Mr. Northcutt is such a good guy, because otherwise I would
really enjoy a vicious assault.

Let me phrase some questions gently, the answers to which I do not want to
hear from anyone (especially in personal email):

	1) How can Christians believe in a god who would arbitrarily
	   toss people into hell based on what they believed at the moment?
	   This behavior, on the part of a god, would be more "mammon-ish"
	   than godlike--in my view.

	2) What the hell is the Bible but a book written by people?  Yes,
	   is *may* be "God inspired" but even still it is wide open to
	   a multitude of interpretations.  BUG's (Born 'ugain Christians
	   are simply of the belief that their interpretation is correct.
	   I am not of that opinion--to hell with me?  

	3) One of my best friends is totally and completely unrepentantly
	   gay.  In his experience, some of the most promiscuous in the gay
	   community are the born agains and (oddly) Priests.  In fact the
	   word "priest" is used disparagingly in that community.  I also
	   have a friend whose father is a pentacostal minister (at this
	   very time) who sexually abused him throughout his childhood.
	   As a teenager, this same friend grew up screwing older married
	   women in the congregation routinely.  

Okay, so their all forgiven:  I personally cannot abide by the unconscionable
lack of emphasis on self correction within the fundamentalist community in
light of "being saved."  Besides which I cannot abide by the notion that
anyone on this planet can tell me that their interpretation of a
human-produced book is the correct one.  I also don't accept that anyone is
closer to my God than anyone else.  And I believe primarily that the body is
the instrument through which we encounter this presence and that we have an
obligation to harmonize with that power, live a good life, try to be a good
example, and KEEP OUR MOUTH's SHUT!  

Of course I am most in tune with Taoists.  But they, like the Moslems and
Christians share the common flaw of believe that *everyone else* is going to
hell.  

How the fuck do you (or anyone else) know?

(fact is (admit it) you don't)

"But the GOOD BOOK says so...." 

yuck yuck, which one?

I know the Koran says so...  Let's see now, how would I evaluate whether or
not to be a muslim.  Well hmmm, the moslems say I'm going to hell if I don't
become a moslem.  Gee, pretty scarey stuff.  Well now, how many followers does
Islam have...  (that ought to do it, they can't have that ma...) Ooooops!
What's this, 1 billion moslems in the world... Hmmm.  Okay now, they have
hellfire, and they have membership... ah, but do they have a G-O-D?  Shit,
they got a God too.  Oh well, ah!  But is it a singular God?! (hmm there you
go...)  Ah piss, they got a singular God too, in fact they say the Christians
are idolators with 3 Gods, hmmm, I guess they're sort of right on that one...
Okay, Islam has it all, One Big God (and no idolatry), hellfire, and also
a shitload of members.  I'm a moslem.  Oh but, wait, um, what about diversity
of thought...

Hmmm.