From: pharvey@mipos3.intel.com (Paul Harvey)
Subject: Re: Polytheism
Organization: Intel Corporation, Santa Clara, CA USA
	<Bsy358.CMx@nntp-sc.Intel.COM> <65966@hydra.gatech.EDU>
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 19:24:17 GMT

In article <65966@hydra.gatech.EDU> 
rpitts@emperor.gatech.edu (Richard Pitts) writes:
>Thanks Paul for the insight. :-)

No problem, it is much clearer over here in the light, isn't it? ::B^}

>To which free gift give-away gimick are you referring?

There are quite a few aren't there? I think we've beat this topic to death on
prior posts. The great Christian free gift give-away, it's a kick.

>True, one could be misled.  The Creator God is who can tell us how to judge.

What makes you think the creator god tells any mere mortal how to judge
another mortal? Who is the only ONE who can judge? And who would tell mortals
that they can judge other mortals in the creator's name? Be careful now! Watch
that Christian Devil, he is everywhere always testing what you have learned.

>What kind of insight do you have into the Christian Devil that you know
>his schemes?

I'm not a Christian, so I would not know the Christian Devil as well as a
Christian would. However, a good deal of Christian writing is occupied with
the nature of the Devil, so a student could start there.

[Regarding Luke 14:26, the smoking gun of Christianity:]
>I guess you have missed the discussions on how the word HATE is to be 
>implies to love less, huh?

No I didn't miss it. I just felt that it was a bit MISLEADING to say that one
should stratch out HATE and put in it's place LOVE LESS. That just seems a
bit fishy to me. Don't tell me that you bought that explanation so quickly,
did you? Careful, careful now! You are being tested. Are you in the habit
of scratching out Jesus' words in the Bible?

>Is your Christian Devil the same one that is recorded in the Bible as 
>tempting Jesus in the wilderness experience?

Since I am not a Christian, this Christian Devil is not mine. But the temptation
of Jesus by the Devil is a good one. Why don't you bring up the verses and
we'll discuss them.

>Forcing may be the work of the Devil.

Why do you hesitate? What leads you to say maybe? What is the work of the
Christian Devil as you understand it?

>|Or perhaps searching for converts is the work of the Christian Devil?
>If the sole purpose is pride in the number of converts, maybe so.

Again, why do you hesitate? I'm not saying hesitation is evil, it is good
to think something over, that is why you have a brain. But what are your
thoughts that allow you to say maybe, if you can express them in words? Who
knows, you may be on to something here.

[On conversion as the work of the Christian Devil:]
>I asked for background previously and so have again - that would be 
>sufficient, for now.

What kind of background are you looking for? In the original post I stated
why I believe this to be so, what more are you looking for? Can you express
why it is your belief that conversion is the work of the creator? 

>rpitts@cerl.gatech.edu       |    
>Atlanta, GA                --|-- 
>                        -|-  |  -|-
>                         |   |   |

>|Would that be some type of icon you have there?

>Not for me, if the real questions is this an idol.  It is a symbol, but
>I don't worship it.

And what did Yahweh have to say about using religious symbols? What symbols
did Yahweh say were appropriate to represent Him?

Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc,talk.origins