The Urban Butterfly

[Neil Jones]

In article <3A622583.37183691 at gate.net>,
  viceroy at gate.net wrote:
> Dear Neil,
> I think you should know that someone is sending out the most appalling
> guff over your signature.
> You need to change your passwords.
> It is not possible that you would assault someone, publicly or
> privately, because their faith is different from yours, with casual
> indifference to the probability that you are insulting damn near
> everybody on the list, in one way or another, in one message.
> Sincerely,
> Anne Kilmer
> south florida
 
Dear Anne,
 
My password is perfectly secure. However I suffer the handicap of not
having your excellent powers of expression.
I am afraid that you misunderstood what I was saying, and as has
happened recently there is a cultural divide which is showing.
 
Perhaps I should have been a little more direct but I was trying
to avoid a crucial phrase which has caused trouble before,
"Creation Science". I am afraid that certain people are inclined to
believe in this odd set of dogma which masquerades as science.
There is little point in debating wih *this* kind of "blind faith".
If creation "science" is correct then all of modern biology, physics and
geology is wrong.
 
Religion is different in the UK. Most people have little to do with it.
Those that do usually have a very modern approach. We have even had a
Church of England Bishop who didn't believe in the virgin birth.
It is not my intention to challenge the beliefs of reasonable people and
they should not be offended by the *intended* message.
I publicly apologise to you for any offence I may have inadvertantly
caused you.
You don't have to believe every single word of the bible to be true to
be a believer. Many christians see the writings as a message conveyed
to people in a simple way, as they would not have understood the real
complexities. This is because they had not developed modern
technologies or philosophies. So what if they were mystics? - goes this
philosophy. The message they got from it was right.
 
There are many good morals in religion. Some that this newsgroup would
benefit from implementing. Particularly the commandment about bearing
false witness.
 
For me only provable logic works. We are all different, biased and some
of us even opinionated.
 
Myself I wish some people would remember that the guy they revere so
highly threw a bunch of crooks out of a temple because they were
cheating people out of their money.
 
He was persectuted by the conservatives of his day for that.
But of course that is exactly what the science of psychology would
predict. Religious conservatism has always led to a lack of freedom.
Freedom of thought is an esential prerequisite for Freedom of speech.
This is why, I believe, the founding fathers of your country decided to
keep religion out of schools.
--
Neil Jones- Neil at nwjones.demon.co.uk http://www.nwjones.demon.co.uk/
"At some point I had to stand up and be counted. Who speaks for the
butterflies?" Andrew Lees - The quotation on his memorial at Crymlyn Bog
National Nature Reserve
 
 
 
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