Don B********
Dear Darwin,
Thanks for your thoughtful
response. Here's mine for your further
consideration:
1. You make reference to a "universal golden
rule"! Is there such a thing? My reading of history and culture
around the world would indicate otherwise. Two examples - the almost
universal Islamic practice of the oppression of women, and the well nigh
universal practice of wars of conquest for reasons of gold or glory. I see
the universal rule of sinfulness (as described in the Bible)
prevailing.
2. Do I imply anything about the decent
people of British Colombia? Not intentionally. Rather I would suggest that
you engaged in a rather obvious dodge of my point! My contention restated
is this - the lesson of 75 years of unbridled, state sponsored athiestic
and materialistic communism in the Soviet Union is that such a system(ruling
philosophy of life) is totally unsatisfying to the basic (God designed) needs of
the human heart, AND unleashed a reign of terror unparalled in history.
Take a look at North Korea today, the one remaining vestige of that same system,
and we observe the identical failings perpetuated. Is this similarity
accidental, or symptomatic of the same deep systemic failures at work? To
me the answer is abundantly clear. Wherever materialistic humanism has
obtained control of the field, the "game" ends in moral and social
disaster. Name an exception!
3. Where ever I look in history and find a
decent, ethically virtuous society that espouses the nobility of
mankind (including women and children), as well as the related
personal freedoms of thought, political debate, and religious expression - there
I find the hand (often unseen until much later) of the God of the Bible
and usually the overtly proclaimed teachings of Jesus Christ! I have
read a fair amount of evolutionary literature over the last 40 years, and have
yet to find any intelligent, logical explanation for the naturalistic
development of lofty principles for compassionate living like the golden
rule. Rather, what I find is the likes of the Nazi dictum of "survival of
the fittest" - the logical outcome of a view of humanity as "the human
animal" - the product of blind chance in an unfeeling, uncaring universe.
A cold concept with chilling outcomes.
4. I read recently this proverb, which
happens to have roots in the Bible - people become like the gods they
worship! Worth pondering! If this is true, what would be the
expected outcome of (1)worshippers of Jesus Christ, (2)worshippers of
evolutionary naturalism, (3)worshippers of sticks and stones (animism), or
(4)worshippers of the multi-limbed hideous gods of Hinduism. Outcomes as
expected!
So, with good reason I choose to worship and follow
Jesus Christ, hoping and trusting that in the process, I might become more and
more like him. I still have a long way to go, but the journey is worth every bit
of struggle, and the outcome, very satisfying deep within, as well
as in my relationships.
Have a great day. Did I wish you a wonderful
New Year? Please do have.
Sincerely,
Don
----- Original Message -----
To: Don B********
Sent: Wednesday, January 08, 2003 3:48
AM
Subject: Re: [WEB-20030107.ff226f] Message
to Darwin
Dear Don B********,
Let us first differentiate the
good done from following the universally-true golden rule that enables social
animals such as ourselves to form successful communities--from the supernatural
claims of religious "teachings". Whether these people thought they were
acting on behalf, or in alignment with Jesus's wishes is neither here nor
there. People want/need to do good for others. In British
Columbia--and the figure is similar for Washington state, a full one third of
the population claim to be absent of religion and half of these people are in
fact atheists. Are you implying that if these people formed the majority
of the population that there would be a "nightmare of bondage, social and
economic decay and despair"?
The sooner that religion is segregated from
moral upbringing and self-development the more fuller lives people will live and
the more humanity with achieve on the whole.
And besides, all religions
teach that the truth is of utmost importance. I happen to agree with this
and this is why I cannot follow religious beliefs that include
supernatural claims that I have reasoned that cannot be true.
Darwin
Bedford
www.atheists.net
At , you wrote:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date
and Time: Tuesday, January 7, 2003, 07:56 PST
Source URL: http://www.governmentofcanada.ca/index.html
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
From:
Don B********
Message:
Dear Darwin,
I have never seen your website before, nonetheless I feel
constrained to respond to your polemic above.
Your very bald,
unsubstantiated and sweeping dismissal of the good done by religious
organizations causes me to wonder what is the source of all that bias and
bitterness. Certainly there have been abuses that betray the founding principles
taught and practiced by Jesus Christ. But to deny or ignore the benefits
bestowed upon humanity by the decent, true and selfless followers of Jesus
through the centuries - giants of science like Robert Boyle, Newton, Pascale;
caregivers like Florence Nightengale and Mother Teresa, those who brought
gracious social reform like William Booth of the Salvation Army, Wilberforce who
championed the end of slavery; founders of great hospitals, universities - the
list is endless. Our freedom of speech and the concept of the dignity
of the human person and the high value of individual life, where did that
originate? With the humanism of the French Revolution? In the
workers paridise called the Soviet Union? I urge you to rethink the causes
of the demise of the Communist block. In that structure we have a case
study of 75 years of state empowered atheistic teaching enforced by the
unlimited power of totalitarianism. The result? A nightmare of bondage,
social and economic decay and despair.
What other conclusion can be
reached than that athiestic humanism totally fails to satisfy the needs of the
human heart and mind.
I have found that becoming a follower of Jesus
Christ has done all that and more!
I would be interested in your
thoughts by way of response
Have a good New Year.
Sincerely,
Don