Re: science and religion, was Re: Intelligent Design Invading Liberal Classrooms (was: South Park taunting Scientology)


"Chris L Peterson" <clp@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:usk3o1tncokcaj5da8u7nonda6v7kr9l95@xxxxxxxxxx
> On Sun, 20 Nov 2005 22:19:19 -0800 (PST), brian@xxxxxxx (Brian Tung)
> wrote:
>
>>Let's face it, the Golden Rule, as admirable as it is, *is* a bit
>>irrational. It is perfectly rational to say to someone else, "Hey,
>>you hit my left cheek, cut it out." Or to run away, if the odds so
>>dictate. Or to fight back in self-defense. It doesn't make much
>>sense most of the time to say, "Go ahead, here's my right cheek." As
>>I say, admirable, yes, but rational, no.
>
> I don't really see that as a version of the Golden Rule. It is a
> pacifist statement attributed to Jesus by Matthew (and is not only
> irrational, but outright foolish IMO).

The point of the parable is to be forgiving. Elsewhere it says to forgive a
brother, "seventy times seven times" (sort of mathematically ambiguous I
know).

>
> The Golden Rule, a principal philosophical (but not dogmatic) component
> of most religions, is generally something along the lines of "What is
> hateful to you, do not do to your fellow man" (the Talmudic form). This
> strikes me as a supremely rational philosophy for living, and entirely
> non-religious.
>
> The Golden Rule was badly corrupted by Christianity into "All things
> whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye so to them" (again
> from Matthew). A similar corruption is found in Islam. In my view, this
> is a very poor guide for life; indeed, taken literally it is the basis
> for much of the evil that has been created both in the name of
> Christianity and of Islam.

Not sure why you conclude the latter. The "corrputed" Golden Rule as stated
above is no different than the former given that these are all a form of the
underlying precept:

"The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as
yourself." " -Galations 5:14

See also:
Leviticus 19:18
Zechariah 8:17
Mathew 5:43
Mathew 19:19
Mathew 22:39
Mark 12:31
Mark 12:33
Luke 10:27
Romans 13:9

The point of those references being that this concept is repeated over and
over again, and at that, they are rooted in pre-Christianity/Islam. It is
the very core of "true" religion, and the required guiding principle of all
"true" Christians, as well as Moslems and Jews. It is what makes true
followers easy to identify, and it is behind the "deeds" by which they are
admonished to be known.

But, you may have to be both a disciple, and a man of discernment to really
understand that the "evil" that men do is not founded in the heart of a true
disciple of any of the "mud religions".

Regards,
Stephen


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