Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site pyuxd.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!gamma!pyuxww!pyuxd!rlr 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 References: <855@umcp-cs.UUCP> <1226@pyuxd.UUCP> <942@umcp-cs.UUCP> <1298@pyuxd.UUCP> <592@psivax.UUCP> <2200@pucc-h> Organization: Whatever we're calling ourselves this week Lines: 42 > 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