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From: bch@unc.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: A public response to Mr. D. Plank
Message-ID: <5430@unc.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 23-Jun-83 02:31:28 EDT
Article-I.D.: unc.5430
Posted: Thu Jun 23 02:31:28 1983
Date-Received: Fri, 24-Jun-83 20:19:27 EDT
References: ihuxi.465
Lines: 15

Ray, I think somehow you missed the point again.  Fanatics and martyrs are
driven by evil as well as good causes.  One's dedication to a cause is
no measure of the correctness of the cause.   Lot's of people in history
have been dedicated to a cause beyond all reasonable expectation.  If
we like what they are doing we call them dedicated.  If we don't understand
what they are doing we call them fanatics.  If we *dislike* what they
are doing we call them psychotics.   The intensity of their belief is
measurably the same irrespective of *what* they believe.  Lots of folks
have written major works under terrible conditions.  Paul is one.
Adolph Hitler and the Marquis de Sade are others.  That they were all
equally dedicated to what they were doint g does not mean I have to
respect all or any of them.

					Byron Howes
					UNC - Chapel Hill