From: "William T Goodall" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > On Monday, June 9, 2003, at 02:29 am, Ronn!Blankenship wrote: > > > At 02:05 AM 6/9/03 +0100, William T Goodall wrote: > > > >> On Monday, June 9, 2003, at 01:45 am, Ronn!Blankenship wrote: > >> > >>> At 01:34 AM 6/9/03 +0100, William T Goodall wrote: > >>> > >>>> On Monday, June 9, 2003, at 12:45 am, Ronn!Blankenship wrote: > >>>> > >>>>> At 08:49 PM 6/8/03 +0100, William T Goodall wrote: > >>>>>> > >>>>>> Religion is extremist by nature. > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>>> No, it's not. > >>>> > >>>> What makes you think that? > >>> > >>> > >>> Because it's not. > >> > >> And what makes you think that it's not? > > > > > > > > Just because it's not. > > One of us is missing the point, and it isn't me :) > I disagree. That might be true of dogmatic religions that require you to have specific beliefs, but there are religions that are not dogmatic, religions based upon common belief, not required dogmatic belief. A couple examples: Hicksite Quaker and Wicca. I can't believe in any religion that requires that you believe what they say blindly without questioning. Both in Hicksite Quakerism and Wicca, participants in the religion are encouraged to form their own individual beliefs. Some other religions do likewise. Religions that say you must hold specific beliefs to be a good person is extremism. People who choose their religion because it is what they believe morally, philosophicaly, etc., is not extremism. Michael Harney [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much... the wheel, New York, wars, and so on, whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely the dolphins believed themselves to be more intelligent than man for precisely the same reasons." - Douglas Adams _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
