From: jfelder@lerc.nasa.gov (James L. Felder)
Subject: Re: THE MIND OF THE BIBLE BELIEVER
Followup-To: alt.atheism,talk.religion.misc
Organization: Sverdrup Technology, Inc.
Distribution: world,public
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 14:03:48 GMT

In article <1993Jan7.000554.5134@ra.royalroads.ca>, mlee@post.RoyalRoads.ca
(Malcolm Lee) wrote:
> 
> 
> In response to what Simon writes here:
> 
> In article <1993Jan6.190706.20382@dcs.warwick.ac.uk>, simon@dcs.warwick.ac.uk (Simon Clippingdale) writes:
> |> 
> |> Or as others of us see it, you become a Christian following the development
> |> of infection by a parasitic memetic virus which uses your mental and vocal
> |> idea-broadcasting facilities to propagate 
> |> 
> |> Incorporation of a meme which expresses the imperative of evangelism ("you
> |> must spread the Word to your fellow man") is one of the great success stories
> |> of memetic viral evolution, because it vastly increases the reproductive
> |> fitness of a religious virus over its non-evangelical counterparts and
> |> enables it to spread like wildfire when the conditions are right, as they
> |> sadly seem to be in particularly the United States and parts of Asia right
> |> now for evangelical Christianity.
> |> 
> Christianity is not a disease.  Only those who willingly accept the Gospel are
> Christians.  No one should be coerced or forced into it.  It is an act of free
> choice.
>

In your case that may be true, I have no idea if someone emotionally close
to you to advantage of your obvious state of unhappyness and "lead" you to
Christianity.  But my three year old daughter will believe everything I
say.  If I said that the moon was green cheese, she would believe that. She
has no critical thinking capability yet.  That parents (and religions) take
advantage of this situation to shove their own belief systems down their
kid's throats, I find appalling. 

Malcom, if you really think that no one should be coerced, then you should
work vigorously to eleminate Sunday School and any other means to foist off
*any* belief system on people who do have the level of mental development
to critically think about what they are being told is fact.  Childhood
should be a time to teach children to think clearly and logically.  When
they have reach an age or stage of mental development that allows them to
make their own choices based on their own reasoning, then let the different
group present their case.  Otherwise, those who through logical thought,
come to the conclusion that they can not believe in what they were steeped
in since infancy often must question not only their beliefs, but their
entire life up to that point.
 
Unforntunately, Christianity feels it can't take that risk.  Parental and
church coercion are mandated. Coercion has to be far and away the most
common method of recruitment for Christianity and any other organized
religion. 

> 
> Reason and logic.  We are not Vulcans.  We have emotions and, yes, sometimes
> feelings are not reasonable and not logical.  My faith is not based solely on
> feelings and flowery passages.  Having been a sinner for 25 years and a believer
> for 6 years, my faith is based on personnal experience.  I have felt God's
> presence and heard His voice.  He is real!  He is real!  Jesus lives!


Who says we have to not have emotions, but reason and logic are the only
way to tell what is likely the truth and which is not.  If you seek the
truth, then logic and reason are the only way to go about it.  I make no
attempt to tell anyone where that logical search might lead, only the
search methods I consider valid.  Emotions can not be trusted.  If you are
happy being a Christian, more power to you, the world needs happy people. 
But don't you or anyone else dare try to preach anything to kids until they
are ready to look the subject in the cold clear light of logic.  Anyone who
takes advantage of the trusting nature of children to further their belief
system is beneath contempt.

James L. Felder            (216)891-4019         -My opinions are MINE-
Sverdrup Technology, Inc.  jfelder@lerc.nasa.gov  I think that should
NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland 44135        cover all bases, 
                                                  don't you.

"Some people drink from the fountain of knowledge -
    other people gargle"
Newsgroups: alt.atheism,talk.religion.misc