From: utzoo!decvax!duke!unc!tim Newsgroups: net.religion Title: Re: some replies to comments Article-I.D.: unc.4823 Posted: Thu Mar 24 12:24:47 1983 Received: Fri Mar 25 20:30:48 1983 References: hogpd.23 Re Avi Gross's letter: Preaching is a duty of the Christian because he (sorry ladies; it's the language that's sexist, not me) believes that he has the right answers to the questions, and his answers are of the sort that affect everyone. I don't happen to believe the Christian viewpoint -- in fact, I think it's pretty silly -- but I do recognize that from a Christian's viewpoint, the only consistent course of action is an attempt to convert everyone, so that they won't go to Hell. A Christian who doesn't preach is showing insensitivity. Do you expect a forum on religion in which no one tries to convince anyone else of anything? Avi is right about how these people over-react to criticism. The TV ministries are excellent examples of this; Jim Bakker and Jerry Falwell make it clear that the modern Christian's idea of persecution is being forced to peacefully coexist with people who believe differently from them. I can just imagine the early Christians hearing about a multi- million dollar TV ministry with gold-plated plumbing in the dressing rooms being "persecuted". Tim Maroney