John's Commentaries

The Opinion of Charles of the Ducati List regarding 09-11-2001 and the Religious Implications:

Please notice that Simon (a previous poster on the same subject) didn't say God was responsible. Just that Fanatical Christians were. Fanatical Muslims would, and have, done just as badly, don't you think.

My opinion is that it's the Fundamentalists (of all persuasions) that are to be feared.

When you take a good look at any religion, you will find that all of them except our own, (whatever that may be) are pretty weird. Also that in addition to being a force for good, they have all been responsible for much death, atrocity, and evil. Many religions think they have a monopoly on God, and are the WAY. I'm not naming any names, because many think that way. Of course each of us think that our way is the RIGHT way.

I will go on record as saying that for sure MY religion is just as weird as yours or anyone else's, and God blesses me, just as he does you and many others of different faiths. Many religions have created God in the image of man. Not calling any names here, it's just something I have noticed. Other things I have noticed are that God still speaks to us as individuals, and it's up to us to be able, and open, to recognize it and try to understand. Christian and Jewish influences are not the only righteous ideas that shaped civilization. God is not just for Christians, he loves all of humanity, and probably all of Creation, and He will answer your prayers, as well as mine, but with a wisdom we may not recognize for awhile, if ever.

Here is a radical truth that some folks can't even begin to follow. What we believe is not something we can choose, any more than we can choose what we like. We can recognize and proclaim what we like, or sincerely believe. But, we can't just decide to sincerely believe any certain thing, even for great reward, or to avoid punishment.

Part of my religion is that a free exchange of ideas is healthy, and not to be feared, or avoided. And that God is good, but he doesn't especially need us to judge Him to be so, or proclaim it. But it doesn't hurt to notice that fact, or the majesty of His creation.

It turns out that God is better than the Bible lets on, and He has a sense of humor too (also unnoticed in the Bible).

This is only MY truth; your mileage may vary.

Good Will to You,
Charles

My Response to Charles:

Charles,
Your point is well taken. The reference I was making to fanaticism with regard to Christians was intended to be somewhat tongue-in-cheek and to play upon the notion that many have regarding the fanaticism of those who live their lives under the concepts of absolute right and wrong.

As one who grounds his life upon the knowledge of absolute right and wrong as defined in the bible, I am by default labeled by the popular culture as fundamentalist, fanatical, narrow minded, homophobic, racist, bigoted, anti-Semitic; and horror of horrors; intolerant. I try not to take offense at such baseless attacks since I know that from the perspective of a relativist I appear to be all of these things and popular culture is nothing if not relativistic in nature.

I will grant that there are things that I am unable to discern the differences between but that does not make them relative in nature. It only means that I do not possess the means to properly differentiate between them. It's like the concept of microbes before there were microscopes; you cannot perceive that which you do not posses the ability to see. God is able to see farther, deeper, over an infinite time frame to determine good from bad. All actions taken by man as a creature of free will are classifiable by God as good or bad. There are no grays for a holy God.

Boy, that's concept get most people worked up into a lather. The really difficult part for them is that there is no way for them to refute it without using a universal absolute in their own argument. And if you believe in absolutes then you must believe in God, as the former cannot exist without the latter.

This is where my "fanaticism" is established, in the verifiable knowledge that there are absolutes that are foundational to man's very existence and that most persons are blind to them. Even those persons who are aware of the absolute nature of good and evil (that would be fundamentalist Christians and Jews primarily) still commit evil by their own choices. The Bible refers to this as sin and it is at the very nature of every person including every Christian, even Mother Theresa. And this is why we need a savior. This recognition is what differentiates true Christians from all other world views -- everyone else is out there trying to save themselves. Christians realize that this is a futile effort and that they must rely upon God to save them.

Those "Christians" who claim to be holier than thou engage in self-deceit. You will find that the crimes committed in the name of God by self-described "Christians" are always committed in violation to the very tenets that literally, fundamentally define a Christian.

By comparison, the Islamic faith, taken literally, teaches the conversion or physical conquest of all infidels (that'd be you and me and all those thousands of people who were just recently forced to shuck their mortal coils against their collective wills). This is why the Muslims celebrate. This is not some weird, perverted twist of their faith. This is the Islamic faith. Those Muslims who I continually see on the news distancing themselves from the perpetrators of these atrocities are being wholly unfaithful to the tenets of their religion (moderates or liberals if you will) but they are not followers of Islam.

All fundamentalists are not the same. Would you rather have your motorcycle break down in the middle of a little town know for its fundamentalist Christian tendencies or a little town known for its fundamentalist Islamic tendencies?

In reference to Simon's comments and my rebuttal, only two inferences could be drawn from his statement. Either God is absent and thus not God or He is evil for His followers do evil things with His consent thus He is not a worthy God. Trying to pawn off such a statement as altruistic concern for God's good name is a little less than disingenuous.

Where do you derive your concept of God from if not from His own writing? Sentimentalities or individual experiences do not a God make. His existence is quite apart from our ability to experience, yet man constantly tries to redefine God by what makes man most comfortable based on experiences and feelings. You are quite right with regard to God's not needing man to judge Him as though we even could. And by the way, truth is not relative. It simply is. There is no my truth or your truth. Regardless of what either of us believes these is only The Truth, which we each are trying to ascertain for ourselves.

May God bless you with the truth,
John Showalter