From: emery@tc.fluke.COM (John Emery)
Subject: Re: absolute truth
Organization: John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc., Everett, WA
Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1992 23:31:00 GMT


God bless all of you.  I have been on vacation and have returned.
The issue being discussed is if absolute truth can be based upon
the following statement that I posted earlier:

>> Is there anyone out there that feels it would not be wrong for you
>> to shoot and kill any random person just for the sake of killing?

I'm glad to say that I returned from vacation to see that no one outright
disagreed that it was wrong for *them*.  And I might dare to say that
this is universally true here.  Some good and interesting comments were
made however; one's that deserve a response.  For instance,

kambic@iccgcc.decnet.ab.com (Bonus, Iniquus, Celer - Delegitus Duo) writes:

>> Even if the person is insane, that doesn't justify the act, does it?
>> Are you saying it is right for insane people to kill people?
>
>Please don't apply your own spins to my statements.  Here we go into the
>relative world of right and wrong.  How do you know the context of what 
>goes on in the insane person's mind when they commit an act of murder?  
>What if they do not know, let's say for the sake of argument, your concept 
>of right and wrong and how to respond to it.

Perhaps they don't know what they are doing (they are insane).  Should we,
as people of this earth, allow insane people to kill people because they
don't know what they are doing?  Should we then refrain from stopping this
person from such killings because they don't know it is wrong?  A point
of clarification here: by claiming something as an absolute wrong, I'm
am not proposing that it is something that some do not violate.

 ed_l1@verifone.com writes:

>> Is there anyone out there that feels it would not be wrong for you
>> to shoot and kill any random person just for the sake of killing?

>Well, John, I certainly believe it's wrong, but I can give you a list of
>people, starting with Charles Manson, who (and I don't pretend to speak
>for them) probably do not agree.  The prisons are full of them, and 
>that's only the ones who have been caught. 

Again, I am not saying that there are those who wouldn't violate
and try to justify themselves.  But let's question why they were
put into jail in the first place?  If this is not an absolute wrong,
why should such people be be judged and placed in prison?  Would anyone 
out there support a law that makes killing a matter of personal conscious?
Suppose our planet becomes a world community where national boundaries
dissappear.  Should killing be allowed as matter of personal choice?

>However this has no impact on whether or not there is or isn't an
>"Absolute truth," which is still the title of this line of posting.

But I believe it does.  If this is not an absolute wrong, then it should
not be punished.  I believe it is wrong, how about you?

curry@tc.fluke.COM (John Curry) writes:

>> Is there anyone out there that feels it would not be wrong for you
>> to shoot and kill any random person just for the sake of killing?

>I for one don't know the answer and I personally don't believe in killing 
>as an acceptible action. I also know that it is not my place to judge,
>for what is done is done and it can not be changed.

John, then can *anyone* judge killing?  Should we remove all such laws
that punish killing then?

davidh@cascade.ens.tek.com (David Hatcher) writes:

>>Is there anyone out there that feels it would not be wrong for you
>>to shoot and kill any random person just for the sake of killing?
>
>  Well, I do not feel that it is right to shoot and kill any random person
>just for the sake of killing. 
>
>  Does this make absolute truth something we can absolutely hang on to?

I'm hoping someone here will agree with me.  Or I'm going to be pretty
nervous if the New Age thought become the new world order.

>  Where does one draw a line? Absolutes seem to get pretty fuzzy when ones
>perspective is changed.

I would hope that calling it always wrong would be where the line is
drawn.  Is there anyone out there willing to agree with this one poor
soul?

God bless,
-- 
John Emery		"You say we've risen to a new age of light.
emery@tc.fluke.COM       You're telling me what used to be wrong
			 is now right."