Hi Thomas, I hope you don't find this too forward of me to ask but I could use a clarification as to what your religious preferences are. It is my understanding that you are of the Evangelical persuasion. Pardon my ignorance but what remains unclear to me is whether this means you are Christian, Jewish, or perhaps something else.
... From: thomas malloy >> Allah = dictatorships? >> >> Islam means submission, does that answer your question? >> > That's why Allah isn't god? > > My reply > He, the G-d of Israel, has a name, it is spelled yod, hey vav hey, it > means I am what I am. There is no way that the two entities are the > same, there is only room in the universe for one all powerful king. > Or as a pastor I listen to puts it so eloquently, "we can't both of > us be right." A comparison of the two systems that resulted from them > makes that obvious. > Consider the possibility that there are many of the Islamic faith that are as tolerant of others as are many of the Christian and Jewish faith. Consider the possibility that in certain portions of the globe Islam has been hijacked by bigots in order to justify their hatred of outsiders for which they don't understand, and as such, fear. Consider the possibility that the efforts of these bigots who hide under the banner of Islam have twisted the meaning of this religion into convenient interpretations in order to justify their hatred of outsiders - and as a way to sanction acts of violence against outsiders. It is not all that different than what goes on at a good old fashion god-fearing Christian KKK rally. >From where I sit, hatred is an equal opportunity employer that works in >mysterious ways in all religions. So also, IMHO, is love and tolerance an equal opportunity employer. ... > My reply > We have predicted the return of the Jews, the conquest of the land of > Israel, and the rebuilding of the Temple, which is happening now. As > for dates, forget it. > > > Steven Johnson also responded that Carl Sagan never accepted > Christianity. He seems to know more about it than I do. I am by no means an expert on Mr. Sagan. I've only read a couple of books written by Carl. Based on what I've read Mr. Sagan gave me the impression that he must have thought a great deal about the meaning of religion throughout much of his life. It lead me to speculate that Mr. Sagan may have wished there was a way to reconcile his respect for the philosophy of science (which was his bread-and-butter) with what I also suspect was his interest in religion. As to whether Mr. Sagan was ever "saved" or not, perhaps he never felt the need. Mr. Sagan kept many areas of his private life secret from public scrutiny during his life. For example, he used marijuana extensively. I believe Carl supported the notion to get the substance liberalized, particularly as a way to help alleviate the suffering he experienced from bone cancer. But I digress here. It is best to let Mr. Sagan speak for himself such as on the top of THEISM and ATHEISM: "Those who raise questions about the God hypothesis and the soul hypothesis are by no means all atheists. An atheist is someone who is certain that God does not exist, someone who has compelling evidence against the existence of God. I know of no such compelling evidence. Because God can be relegated to remote times and places and to ultimate causes, we would have to know a great deal more about the universe than we do now to be sure that no such God exists. To be certain of the existence of God and to be certain of the nonexistence of God seem to me to be the confident extremes in a subject so riddled with doubt and uncertainty as to inspire very little confidence indeed. A wide range of intermediate positions seems admissible, and considering the enormous emotional energies with which the subject is invested, a questioning, courageous and open mind seems to be the essential tool for narrowing the range of our collective ignorance on the subject of the existence of God." -"The Amniotic Universe," Broca's Brain, p. 311." Hopefully, Mr. Sagan has answers to some of the questions he raised. > This was an interesting discussion. The bottom line is that a group > of religious Jews and Christians are continuing their efforts to > rebuild the Temple. In what is, IMHO, the most under reported story > of 2004, the Sanhedrin, the religious Jewish equivalent of a court, > has been reconvened after 1900 and some years. One of my rabbi's > talks about this issue can be purchased at www.hatikva.org . > And what happens after the temple is rebuilt? Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com
