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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Larry Pieniazek writes:
> In lugnet.off-topic.debate, David Koudys writes:
>
> > I would want a system where I can live the way I want to, to experience joy,
> > happiness, and keep the burdens of pain and suffering to a minimum. I would
> > want others to respect my personal choices, as long as they don't interfere
> > with others doing what they what to do. I respect your choices and opinions
> > as long as they are not detrimental to others. Heck, if they're detrimental
> > to yourself, I won't like it, but you have that freedom of choice--your bed,
> > you sleep in it.
>
> If every christian really believed this, and acted in accordance with it,
> I'd have no beef with christians and christianity. But they don't. So many
> professed christians in positions of power use that power to enforce their
> morals on others for no good reason.
I would be inclined to rephrase that as "So many people in positions of
power use that power to..." I don't think that Christians, professed or
otherwise are alone in abusing positions of power to set their world view on
people; the Taliban are a fairly repressive recent study - or China, to
provide a non-religious example. I would posit that the Christians
particularly stick out to you because:
a) They're fairly prevalent in western society,
b) The morality they profess runs counter to your expressed ideal, and
c) You have an admitted bias towards them.
Probably more the first than the other two, in that it has a double whammy:
more Christians=more Christians in power (and the equivalently increased
odds of extremists getting there), and more Christians = larger
voting/lobbying block so more it's more beneficial to cater to them than to
offend them.
> It's so endemic a trait, moreover, that I believe it's a flaw in the
> teaching, not a flaw in the student.
I suspect it's more a flaw in the position of power and those who seek such.
I know *many many* more Christians that are not obnoxious and do not
actively impose their world view than the other way around. Admittedly,
very very few of them are in positions of power, because well, they aren't
the power-seeking types.
$0.02
James
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: slight
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| (...) <snip> < Admittedly, (...) It seems to be a fundemental flaw in human nature that the type of personality required to reach a position of power is exactly the type of personality that you do not want that person to have Lester (22 years ago, 16-Jul-02, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: slight
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| (...) If every christian really believed this, and acted in accordance with it, I'd have no beef with christians and christianity. But they don't. So many professed christians in positions of power use that power to enforce their morals on others (...) (22 years ago, 16-Jul-02, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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