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From: mangoe@umcp-cs.UUCP (Charley Wingate)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: morals, and the low correlation with religion
Message-ID: <405@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 19-Oct-84 12:48:45 EDT
Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.405
Posted: Fri Oct 19 12:48:45 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 20-Oct-84 07:44:58 EDT
References: <453@pucc-k> <248@qantel.UUCP>
Reply-To: mangoe@umcp-cs.UUCP (Charley Wingate)
Distribution: net
Organization: U of Maryland, Computer Science Dept., College Park, MD
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The question of what happens to dead-non-christians is by no means settled.
The NT largely punts on the question of virtuous non-believers, tending to
divide people into believers, "sinners", and the desparate.  I do agree with
the principle that no man is good enough to "deserve" salvation.  On the 
other hand, my moral sense is offended at the idea that a bunch eskimos
are going to get off easy, while someone having the bad luck to be born
in the USA is going to "burn".

I also don't like the mercenary aspect of conversion due to fear of
hell-fire.  As far as I'm concerned, Jesus can do whatever he wants to
save those who choose to turn their backs on what many rightly perceive
as being a hotbed of intolerance and hypocrisy.  I suspect that a man
who condemns christendom for all the evil it has done is more likely to
be saved than the likes of Falwell and the other Elmer Gantrys that
plague us now.  I may disagree with such a man, but that's another story.

And besides, who gave any man the right or ability to discern who is not
going to inherit eternal life?

Charley Wingate  umcp-cs!mangoe

"Jesus Wept."