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From: vonn@wind.UUCP
Newsgroups: talk.religion.newage,alt.flame
Subject: Re: The flat earth
Message-ID: <4084@bellcore.bellcore.com>
Date: Sun, 6-Dec-87 16:47:23 EST
Article-I.D.: bellcore.4084
Posted: Sun Dec  6 16:47:23 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 12-Dec-87 05:02:39 EST
References: <9578@shemp.UCLA.EDU> <590@cos.COM>
Sender: news@bellcore.bellcore.com
Reply-To: vonn@wind.UUCP (Vonn Marsch)
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Organization: Bellcore, Morristown, NJ
Lines: 56
Xref: utgpu talk.religion.newage:1230 alt.flame:714

In article <590@cos.COM> smith@cos.UUCP (Steve Smith) writes:
>In article <9578@shemp.UCLA.EDU> troly@CS.UCLA.EDU (Bret Jolly) writes:
>
>[Flat Earth stuff]
>
>This article has found its ideal home in alt.flame.  It contains no
>facts, no experimental results, no logical arguments.  It DOES contain
>innuendos, delusions of persecution, claims of Divine Right, and all the
>other Good Stuff that we've come to expect here.
>
>The only purposes that I can find for this entire point of view are 
>
>1.  Mr. Jolly has been bitten with the bug that "if I can come up with a
>    logical argument, then it must be right".  Note that this is the
>    same thing that he is complaining about.
>
>2.  Mr. Jolly likes to start arguments, and doesn't really care what
>    they're about.
>
>I suspect the second.  -- 
>                           __
You've made a stronger case for Bret than he possibly could have *dreamed*.

You "scientific" types don't even follow your own rules in defeating an
idea based on its own merits or weaknesses. Instead you censure its
origin and unfairly question the sanitiy and intelligence of your
opponent. 

After all, this is supposed to be the most open-minded network group; 
where anyone is supposed to be able to present their beliefs for the
purpose of discussion amongst equals, and you resort to the same tactics
that I'm sure even you are quick to condemn. Remember, when Columbus
thought the earth was round THEY THOUGHT HE WAS CRAZY. I bet you'de
flame him as well.

O.K., so the earth is round. All this stuff about a flat earth is bull.
You win. We, who gave the theory a try, who went around for a day or so
thinking "what if it was flat?" wasted our time and aren't you smart
for dismissing the idea out of hand. Yup, I musta' been *crazy* to 
challenge modern scientific thought; I'll never do it again. As well,
I might as well not even think about whether the ideas of Astology, ESP,
Atlantis, Crystals, Witchcraft are valid; that's the kind of stuff
that only little kids and crazy people think about. And just because
Christianity, with its sado-masochistic schema, has done more harm than
any other single concept in the history of the Earth; it is, after all,
the presently accepted religion in the U.S. and this "paganism" stuff is
just conjured up by power-mongers to control people and schiesters
to profit from the gullible. Besides, if I question the accepted beliefs
of my society, people might think I'm as crazy as Mr. Jolly (obviously)
is; or worse that I'm trying to start an argument(!).

---------------------------------------------
"In a sane world, an insane man *seems* insane."

vonn