From: bobbe@vice.ICO.TEK.COM (Robert Beauchaine)
Newsgroups: alt.atheism
Subject: Re: is it necessary to hate?
Date: 17 Dec 92 00:07:20 GMT
Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Beaverton,  OR.

In article <910773f.37.724537200@axe.acadiau.ca> 910773f@axe.acadiau.ca (HEATHER LEE FYFFE) writes:

> In general, you'll find that today's young people are the ones trying to 
>change the church back to the way it is presented in the Gospels.  It is 
>only those so stuck in ritual and tradition and lack of thought who insist 
>on sticking to the old ways, as they cannot see how unbiblical they are.
> A non-control-oriented Christianity is not a perversion, it's biblical and 
>a commandment.  A Christianity that is loving, caring, and supportive of 
>everybody, not just its members.  A Christianity that is friendly, where 
>noone needs to feel offended or pressured, but welcomed.  A Christianity 
>that, through the love of God, seeks to help and care for people in any way 
>it can, whether financially or emotianally or whatever, not just trying to 
>convert them.

  Do we live in the same country?  The fastest growing segment of
  christianity in the US is far right wing fundamentalism, dominated
  by young enthusiastic evangelists, which is anything but tolerant.  
  It is all the Protestants and Catholics can do to keep christianity 
  from appearing to be anything but an exclusive hate cult.  It's this 
  return to the "fundamentals" that brought Oregon the first ballot 
  measure in any state to declare a section of the populace perverse.  
  17 local churches denounced the movement, most of them of the 
  traditional and ritualistic variety you claim to be so anti biblical.  

> What atheists lack, among those who wish to help mankind, is the sense of 
>community and support experienced in Christianity.  A religion (or non-
>religion) that teaches complete individualism, separatism, and me-ism can 
>never have the kind of powerful, loving, selfless bondings of friendships 
>which develop in Christianity, powerful friendships which all people need.
>The modern pop psychology is all based on do-it-yourself, be your own boss, 
>how to get ahead of everyone else.  Chart your own path, make it to the 
>top.  Can you imagine what the world would be like if everybody did that?  
>Take advantage of them before they take advantage of you.  Complete 
>dissappearance of trust, because you know everyone else is out to get ahead 
>of you.  No cooperation, no unity, no true friendships.  Everyone just out 
>to better themself.  End result?  Need I explain?  Not too pretty, is it.
>Unfortunately, that's where we're heading, and none too slowly, either.
>  Well, there's my dollar's worth for today.  Thanks for reading me!

  Well, in one (albeit long) paragraph you went from confused to
  downright insulting.  Humanism, a popular philosophy among
  atheists, is all about bettering the world and the people around
  you.  I could sit here and flame you till I tired of the
  excercise, but I'd rather you went out and educated yourself on
  how atheists, in particular those on this group, view the world
  and their place in it.  It might surprise you.  Otherwise, you may
  continue in your pursuit of looking like a pompouse ignoramus.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ 

Bob Beauchaine bobbe@vice.ICO.TEK.COM 

"Look, I tried the cat experiment.  On the third trial, the cat was
dead.  On each of the subsequent 413 trials, it remained dead.  Am I
doing something wrong?"
			James Nicoll

Q.  How many Heisenbergs does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A.  If you know the number, you don't know where the light bulb is!

Newsgroups: alt.atheism