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From: rlr@pyuxd.UUCP (Rich Rosen)
Newsgroups: net.religion.christian
Subject: Re: Evidences for Anthropocentricism
Message-ID: <1530@pyuxd.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 17-Aug-85 09:10:05 EDT
Article-I.D.: pyuxd.1530
Posted: Sat Aug 17 09:10:05 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 23-Aug-85 21:08:59 EDT
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Organization: Whatever we're calling ourselves this week
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> How on earth can anyone scientifically, "rigorously" determine what he or she
> is about?  That is something that can at best only partially be determined
> "objectively" (by aptitude and interest tests, and they don't really answer
> the deeper question "Who am I?").

I thought you said that you had gone through therapy at one point to
help you through some things.  That is a perfect example of this.

>>No, what I'm trying to do is to debunk the notion that the Bible can be used
>>as a basis for impositional morality.  Those who want to do so feel that they
>>can and should because it's the so-called word of god.  Thus, to eradicate
>>and squelch their notions it is necessary to show the Bible for what it is:
>>a nice set of stories, nothing more.

> No, to squelch their notions you should go to the Book they claim as authority
> and point out things like '"Everything is permissible for me" -- but not all
> things are beneficial.  "Everything is permissible for me" -- but I will not
> be mastered by anything.'  (I Cor. 6:12)  Your assertion that the Bible is
> purely stories won't convince anyone; but your pointing out that the Bible
> itself (particularly the New Testament) supports freedom, not imposition, may
> cause a few people to rethink their position.

The fact that ten given people have twelve different positions on the Bible
as supporting freedom vs. imposition makes that not only impossible, but
ridiculous.  Besides, people who love imposition don't listen to the rational
Christian types.

>>The question is:  Are there VALID applications and conclusion drawn by
>>religious believers, and how do we ferret THEM out from the wishful thinking?

> The same way I've suggested before: "Try it!  You'll like it!"  (Sometimes you
> may indeed need the Alka-Seltzer, but that doesn't mean the meal isn't good.)

No, Jeff, that's NOT the way you ferret out wishful thinking, that's the
way you propagate it.  Feed on personal needs of people, tell them to "try
this", see that it works because of the power of self-belief to change them,
and get them believing in your ideas.
-- 
"to be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best night and day
 to make you like everybody else means to fight the hardest battle any human
 being can fight and never stop fighting."  - e. e. cummings
	Rich Rosen	ihnp4!pyuxd!rlr