Re: rethinking sin

[Beth Benoit]

Title: Re: rethinking sin

Stephen is absolutely correct.  (DARN! I KNEW I should have spent more time crafting my post.)

What I should have said is that "from the standpoint of the idealist, who doesn't take into consideration how the Golden Rule can be twisted to justify an individual agenda, religion should be a good way to encourage the continuation of the human race."  Without question, unconscionable abuse has taken place in the name of religion.  The difference between ideals (Golden Rule) and reality (Real World) is too huge - and discouraging - to even contemplate.  But I'm glad Stephen pointed out that discrepancy.

Beth Benoit
University System of New Hampshire

on 2/18/02 11:29 PM, Stephen Black at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:

> On Mon, 18 Feb 2002, Beth Benoit wrote:
>
>> So encouraging religious beliefs
>> is, from a practical standpoint, a good way to encourage the continuation of
>> the human race.
>
> Beg to differ. Encouraging religious beliefs is a good way to
> discourage the continuance of the human race (or a subset of it).
> Think the Crusades, the Inquisition, pogroms, Ireland, Israel,
> India/Pakistan, Afghanistan, New York City, September 11. Or that
> wearing a condom to prevent the spread of AIDS (e.g. in Africa)
> is sinful.
>
> Perhaps a little less religion is what the human race really
> needs if we want to encourage it to continue.
>
> -Stephen
> ---
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