Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site cbscc.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!cbsck!cbscc!pmd From: pmd@cbscc.UUCP (Paul Dubuc) Newsgroups: net.religion Subject: Re: Yellow Press in SciFi? Message-ID: <4554@cbscc.UUCP> Date: Tue, 8-Jan-85 09:17:54 EST Article-I.D.: cbscc.4554 Posted: Tue Jan 8 09:17:54 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 9-Jan-85 06:16:14 EST References: <1253@hou4b.UUCP>, <454@mhuxt.UUCP> Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Columbus Lines: 36 >[from Jeff Sonntag:] >I seem to remember reading another story once where the man who discovered the >fact that the earth revolves around the sun was put on trial by the catholic >church for heresy. And another where some religious nuts run something called >the 'Spanish Inquisition', where they tortured lots of innocent people. And >another story where religious people accused each other of being 'witches' >and burned, hung, tortured, crushed beneath stones, etc each other. Those >writers must really have some kind of private grudge against religion! I >guess I'll just have to agree with Mark Terrible on this one. :-) > Wait a minute! I just remembered where I read those stories! My high >school history class. Forgive me for even bothering with this response, but there is still something that bothers me about tounge-in-cheek statements like this. The lop-sided evidence Jeff marshalls against religion only seems to reveal his own private grudge against it. A more balanced approach to history might reveal far greater atrocities in countries where religious belief is routed and atheism is the rule. In those cases it is often claimed that such perfideous actions had nothing to do with the religious belief (or lack thereof) of their perpetrators. It's just a little strange that that it is often inferred that the religious beliefs (especially if they are Christian beliefs) have a direct causual link with things like the Inquisition and Salem Witch Trials. Rather than discuss Mark's question relating to contemporary science fiction works, Jeff seems to be trying to justify the anti-religious bias Mark seems to find there. It's easy to tack a ':-)' onto things and claim you are just fooling around. Nevertheless, I can't help put think that such oft repeated remarks tend to inclucate an attitude of intolerance, the hallmark of which it the impression that there is nothing whatever good about religion. It implies that the Inquisitors were living up to the highest standards of Christian morality. I find such belief to be equally, if not more, dangerous as that of the Inquisitors. -- Paul Dubuc cbscc!pmd