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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!harpo!ihnp4!stolaf!gulley
From: gulley@stolaf.UUCP (William T. Gulley)
Newsgroups: net.flame,net.religion
Subject: Re: lkk's response to anti-religious flame
Message-ID: <1560@stolaf.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 15-Mar-84 11:26:49 EST
Article-I.D.: stolaf.1560
Posted: Thu Mar 15 11:26:49 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 16-Mar-84 02:09:31 EST
Organization: St. Olaf College, Northfield MN
Lines: 61





 >When have christians been harassed in the last 1000 years?  It seems
 >that since the roman empire they have done most of the harassing.
 >
 >Larry Kolodney
   ->>(The Devil's Advocate)<<-

Gee, thanks.  words like that coming from someone with
credentials such as yours leads me to believe that we're
not doing so bad after all.  

		:-))           ((-:

But, to answer your question, (which, whether it was meant so or not, I
took very seriously) Christians have been harassed and harassing con-
stantly for the last 1000 years.  Beyond the examples which are readily
available in any history book, Christians are being persecuted on a less
obvious, more subtly personal level every day- in the form of subtle snubs,
little cut-downs, etc..  

In fact, it seems like anyone these days with a fixed and unswerving 
(others would call it naiive- when it's actually the farthest thing from it)
faith in something, whether they're Christian, Islamic, or Republican,
tend to get a tough time from a lot of other people. I guess it's just more
"in vogue" to still be seeking blindly, than to admit you've actually
found what you've been looking for.

Christians, however, are particularly fair game because of their basic
tenet, "Love your neighbor as yourself".  To love your neighbor means
taking chances, and opening up.  And whenever you do that in this world,
more often than not you open yourself up to the millions and millions of
social opportunists out there that survive (in regards to their self-image)
on cutting down these naiive, trusting souls that survive, on their part,
on counting themselves worthy enough to love someone else in this honest,
unassuming way. 

(And when they fail, because of their humanity, to acheive this,
they're usually harassed even more by these "opportunists" for trying
and failing. Sometimes these "failures" take this seriously and give
up trying, and become  "opportunists" themselves.  When this happens,
whether Christianity itself has any merit at all or not, the world 
grows even a little more colder.) (Christianity has at least THAT much
merit, doesn't it.  Has anyone else done a better job of "trying"?)

If this "argument" is doomed to get out of hand, I suggest it be moved
to net.religion immediately. (i.e., meet you by the swings, kid. .)

FLAME ON THE WORLD!!!!!


 ____

    UM YA YAAA!!
    Man, that felt great. .

    William Gulley - St. Olaf College - Northfield, Minnesota
    . .!inhp4!stolaf!gulley