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From: bandy@lll-crg.UUCP (Andrew Scott Beals)
Newsgroups: net.flame,net.religion
Subject: rely on a higher power? give me a #$('& break!
Message-ID: <873@lll-crg.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 27-Sep-85 02:36:50 EDT
Article-I.D.: lll-crg.873
Posted: Fri Sep 27 02:36:50 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 1-Oct-85 10:21:50 EDT
References: <502@decwrl.UUCP> <280@ccivax.UUCP>
Reply-To: bandy@lll-crg.UUCP (Andrew Scott Beals)
Organization: Computation Research Group, Lawrence Livermore Labs
Lines: 36
Xref: linus net.flame:11191 net.religion:7390

In article <280@ccivax.UUCP> rb@ccivax.UUCP (rex ballard) writes:
>
>I believe there is room for SPIRITUAL PRINCIPLES in american life.

There is certainly room for "spiritual principles" in some people's
lives. Many of them are probably also americans. However, this does not
meant that all americans would appreciate ANYONE deciding what
principles (if any (freedom of religion == freedom FROM religion) they
should learn. True, there are many sheep who just love being told what
to think (or believe).

>Fortunately, after an episode with an uncontrollable
>situation, they learn that they MUST RELY on a HIGHER POWER.

Really? Just because they rolled the dice and got snake eyes? Well well
well. This seems like a Just Fine And Dandy thing to happen - if life
hands you a really big bad apple, you just get religion and feel better
because you know that "In this, the best of all possible worlds,
everything happens for the best of all possible reasons!" - Prof
Pangloss (paraphrased from memory), _Candide_.

If there was a being that managed somehow to create this whole mess,
what do you think it would care about a smelly little planet out on the
edge of one of millions of galaxies? If anything, if it knew what
monumental fools most of its inhabitants were, it would be "laughing
its head off".

"MUST RELY on a HIGHER POWER", pooh sir, I say "pooh". You must rely on
yourself and if you can't rely on yourself then you might as well go
jump off of the Golden Gate bridge and end it all right now. IF YOU
CAN'T RELY ON YOURSELF THEN HOW CAN OTHERS RELY ON YOU?
-- 
Got a gal in Baltimore, li'l Liza Jane, She's the one that I adore,
li'l Liza Jane.

andy beals, bandy@lll-crg.arpa, {seismo,sun,gymble,mordor,dual}!lll-crg!bandy