And btw I think that your comment about making a distinction between church and institutions is pretty well taken. Not exactly the way I would have put it, but it approaches part of the problem as I see it.
As to your question about what I would think of various beliefs, I would think that you are entitled to have them. Up unto the point where you start telling me that mine are an abomination unto the lord, or something similar :)
Dana
> I don't want to get this aflame again either, and I certainly don't
> want to insult you or anyone else on their deeply held beliefs, but if
> you would bear with me I truly am confused and curious.
>
> I still don't understand how that is "hate speech".
>
> This is how I see it:
>
> If she said that because you worship idols you are a terrible person
> and should never be allowed to own a dog, that would be hate speech.
> If she said that because you worship idols you are going to hell, that
> is religion.
> If she said that because you are a Catholic you are a lapsed Christian,
> that is sectarianism.
> If she said that because you are a Catholic you worship idols, that
> would either be ignorance or nuanced opinion (her definition of
> "worship" and "idol" may differ from yours).
>
> If I were to believe that Jesus was just a normal mortal guy, born of
> normal parents, who did some nifty things in his life, what would you
> say of my beliefs? What if I believed the Gnostic Gospels? Or the book
> of Mormon? Or followed the gourd (no, the shoe!)?
>
> Saying that someone is hateful because they point out perceived
> differences in religious dogma is hateful. =)
>
> Everyone should also do a better job separating discussion about the
> church and its institutions, the religion and its beliefs, and the
> culture and its practices.
>
> I empathize with the difficulty of rational thinking when your hackles
> are up, but if you could: What specifically do you find hateful (and
> not just a perceived difference in religious dogma?)
>
> Just my thoughts from the outside,
> Jerry Johnson
>
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