From: mike99 (mike99@lascruces.com)
Date: Thu Aug 08 2002 - 14:56:15 MDT
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-sl4@sysopmind.com [mailto:owner-sl4@sysopmind.com]On Behalf
> Of Gordon Worley
......
>
> Depends on the religion. Catholicism got it right in encouraging people
> to do good deeds (even if there is some serious confusion about what's
> good) and be nice to each other if they wanted to get into heaven
> (transcend). Calvanists messed it up by claiming that everything was
> predestined (a more logical conclusion to make from the Bible).
> Catholicism also provides a way for a regular human to transcend regular
> human existence after a lot of time spent being a nun or monk. Of
> course, as it turns out political games are played and the church isn't
> quite as transcendent as they'd like us to think.
>
> At any rate, either way the church is filling the desire to transcend,
> either by making you do it now or promising to do it later.
>
> --
> Gordon Worley `When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty
Since we're dealing here with relative benefits of different religious
beliefs, I would urge not being too hard on the Calvinists. Though Calvin's
theology was rigid and severe, it also had the benefits of commending hard
work, capitalism (including lending money at interest) and most important of
all, the rational and scientific investigation of the natural world.
Catholicism (the religion in which I was raised) got all of these wrong
until recent times.
Michael LaTorra
mike99@lascruces.com
mlatorra@nmsu.edu
Member:
Extropy Institute: www.extropy.org
World Transhumanist Association: www.transhumanism.org
Alcor Life Extension Foundation: www.alcor.org
Society for Technical Communication: www.stc.org
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