Subject:
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Re: Does God have a monopoly on gods?
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Wed, 8 Mar 2000 17:06:21 GMT
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Viewed:
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1528 times
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Larry Pieniazek wrote:
> > In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Frank Filz writes:
> > >
> > > Larry Pieniazek wrote in message <38C5A25C.6BA832E3@voyager.net>...
> > > > I hold that this is unjust. It is not fair to not give rotters what they
> > > > deserve. Your god is setting a bad example for those of us that are
> > > > strivers by letting them off. And that's one of my major beefs with
> > > > christian theology, it's unjust and unfair. God doesn't like the hard
> > > > workers. So in fact we'd be better off acting like he didn't exist, that
> > > > is, acting like we have to make our own way in the world instead of
> > > > being fished out.
> > >
> > > One objection I'd like to raise is that not all Christians have an unjust
> > > and unfair god. Of course that depends on your definition of Christian, but
> > > I think the only useful general definition of Christian is anyone who
> > > follows the teachings of Jesus as their primary source of religious
> > > inspiration. Most Christian Unitarian Universalists don't believe in this
> > > unjust and unfair god. In fact, that's primarily what the Universalist part
> > > means, though some interpretations of Universalism might offend Libertarians
> > > because of the "everybody gets into heaven" aspect being unfair and unjust
> > > in the opposite direction.
>
> But when I read this I'm not sure WHAT Frank is saying. That is, which
> way UU goes?
Unfortuanately Unitarian Universalism can't be pinned down.
One interpretation of Universalism is that everyone gets into heaven, no
matter how good or bad they are. This doesn't seem a useful
interpretation to me.
Many Unitarian Universalists don't believe in the existence of god or
afterlife (other than the "afterlife" of whatever mark you leave on the
world).
An almost universal Unitarian Universalist mantra is that "deeds not
creeds make a person". In other words, all that really matters is how
you act, not what you believe.
One joke about Unitarian Universalists is that we have the Ten
Suggestions instead of the Ten Comandments. This is not really a fair
statement because while Unitarian Universalism gives people a lot of
wiggle room, it is also life affirming (in the sense Larry uses when
speaking of Libertarianism). We do have seven principles which I'll list
here and discuss:
1. The inherent worth and dignity of every person.
2. Justice, equality, and compassion in human relations.
3. Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in
our congregations.
4. A free and responsible search for truth and meaning.
5. The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within
our congregations and society at large.
6. The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all.
7. Respect for the interdependant web of all existence of which we are a
part.
To my personal thinking, #1 is the basis, and #2-7 are just
derrivations. Note that #1 is also essentially the life affirming
statement of Libertarianism. It basically says everyone has the capacity
for good, and that each person has individual rights.
#2 just details some of what is meant by worth and dignity
#3 does extend beyond basic rights into a statement of how you should
act, in other words, not only should you respect the other person, but
you should encourage him
#4 ultimately says each person is RESPONSIBLE for their own actions
#5 starts to delve into how people interract, basically by saying that
everyone should have a say
#6 just says what's good for us is also good for them
#7 really just extends #1 to include all of nature and not just humans
--
Frank Filz
-----------------------------
Work: mailto:ffilz@us.ibm.com (business only please)
Home: mailto:ffilz@mindspring.com
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: Does God have a monopoly on gods?
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| I'm confused. Rereading what I said, I'm saying that god, by allowing repentance to be enough, is unjustly rewarding those who did not work hard or be virtuous by giving them a pass, (all they have to do is sincerely repent) which is unfair to those (...) (25 years ago, 8-Mar-00, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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