Warren Ockrassa wrote: > It's true for all Abrahamic religions, actually. Buddhism is > a special > case. Not sure how things work for Aryan religions, but if > they teach a > doctrine of sin they probably have a doctrine of compensation > for that > sin. (Or the analogues, anyway.)
The only religion I can honestly claim a small degree of knowledge about is Hinduism. I am by no means an expert and have not read even a fraction of the major original texts, but I still have read some of them, at least the ones which talk about streams that I find interesting. So, to get to the point, there is no concept of absolution. Repentance is advocated, as are attempts to expiate. But nothing washes away the sin itself. All you can do is try to limit the fallout, that too without the hope that any of it would wash the guilt away. > > While I'd agree from a personal point of view [and indeed I tend to > > avoid associating with people who need to be reminded of religious > > strictures to see that hurting someone else is bad], I > definitely do > > not agree from the administrative/political point of view. > I'll gladly > > spout > > as many religious strictures as needed if that would save > someone from > > being hurt or killed. > > That's fine until someone else takes over the pulpit and > begins saying > that the religion *also* allows for Certain Types to be marginalized, > dehumanized . and eventually, of course, killed. Well, that is already happening almost all over the world, isn't it? And people are listening. And telling that audience that they are asinine idiots isn't making them listen to other view-points. But when other religious authorities/people who can quote from the religious texts tell them that this is wrong and hateful, they do listen. And think. And question. At least that is what I have learned over the last 13 years. > > And if religion is the language these people understand than I'd > > rather stop them using that language than tell them that > they are weak > > and emotional cripples for acting that way. > > Think of it as a slap in the face to wake someone up who's been > unconscious for a while. Can't do that. A] Because they aren't unconscious, B] because hiting conscious people just because you want to make the point that they are being Wrong-Headed enough to pass for being unconscious is not likely to render them receptive to your other points. Ritu _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
