From: riggs@descartes.tec.army.mil (Bill Riggs)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc,sci.skeptic
Subject: Re: Fundamentalist Nightmare
Date: 19 Nov 92 03:15:33 GMT
Followup-To: talk.religion.misc
Organization: LNK Corporation, Riverdale, MD

In article <1992Nov18.131433.1905@umr.edu> ckincy@mcs213f.cs.umr.edu (Charles Kincy) writes:
>In article <1ecn4cINN217@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu> bx461@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Leo J. Mauler) writes:
>>
>>What really bugs me about Fundamentalists bashing Gays is that
>>they claim to have a deep personal relationship with Jesus,
>>yet use Old Testament teachings to justify gay-bashing.
>>
>>As I recall from my days as a Catholic robot, Jesus came along
>>and started saying, "Hey guys, wouldn't it be a neat idea if
>>we were nice to people for a change?  Like "Love your neighbor
>>as yourself"!  Like "If you have to bend a rule to help
>>someone, DO IT! (Sabbath)" ".  
>
>I have an interesting theory:  It was fundamentalists that
>nailed Jesus to the tree to BEGIN WITH!
> 
>Suck on that one for a few thousand years.
>
>Now, imagine a world without these people.  Nice place, isn't it?

	Hold on a millenium, here:

	1. IS Fundi-bashing essentially more in line with
	Christianity than gay-bashing ?

	2. The bottom line in this debate really boils down to
	the following question, "What's it to YOU ?"

	3. God WILL judge us all in the end, but in the meantime,
	our task on earth is to keep as much in harmony with
	others as possible.

	4. SO, do you REALLY think you're helping this problem
	in human relations by insulting a group of people who
	just don't think the same way you do ? How WOULD Jesus
	handle this situation, anyway (the Crucifixion gives you
	a clue) ?

	5. Not that we're asking anyone out there to be a robot, now...

> 
>>Those guys who followed the Old Testament LIKE THE FUNDIES 
>>had Jesus killed for saying things like that.  Makes you
>>wonder about those televangelists...
>
>Oh, shit, you know I honestly didn't see this in your post before
>I followed up.  So, I guess we agree on our theories.
>
>Now, I give you another one:  The unrighteous shall perish as a
>consequence of their own iniquities.  No, not in heaven or in hell.
>Right here on earth.  Just a matter of time, see.
>
>This presents two interesting points:
>
>[1] Suppose it is non-heterosexuals that are not righteous.  Well,
>a real follower of Jesus would remember the above paragraph and sigh
>a sad sigh.  And that would be sad that people had to be unrighteous,
>but (s)he would not act to oppress them.
>
>[2] From what *I* see, it is the fundies that are unrighteous.  You know
>what this means. . . . 

	Either way (or maybe both ways), if you are a follower of
Jesus, do you have any responsibility at all, as far as the spiritual
well-being of your fellow man is concerned ? If you don't care about
that, what DO you care about ?

>
>>Finally, this bit about "love your neighbor as yourself".  I
>>live in Lawrence, KS, which is just a few dozen miles from
>>Topeka, KS, the home of the infamous Reverend Fred Phelps.
>>On nearly every week you can find him organizing some anti-gay
>>protest, with people carrying lots of signs encouraging people
>>to hate gays.
>>
>>If Rev. Phelps is truly a follower of Jesus' teachings, and he
>>truly "loves his neighbor as himself," the Reverend Fred
>>Phelps must hate himself a LOT!

	Perhaps I'm uninformed, but I've never heard of
Fred Phelps. How much of a danger IS he to the wellbeing of
his neighbors ? There are quacks and charlatans everywhere you
go. But there are not that many quacks and charlatans of world wide
significance. (At least not outside the Internet :)


	Bill R.


	"My opinions do not represent those of my employer or any
government agency."
-- 
Bill R.
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc