X-Message-Number: 20145
Date: Mon, 23 Sep 2002 07:20:45 -0400
From: Francois <>
Subject: Re: Mr. Dee's Challenge Round 4

I will not repeat all the quotes and counterquotes of this interesting
debate. In my opinion, they all miss the point of this religion vs
secularism conflict, because there really is no conflict. We are dealing
with human behavior here, and ANY sufficiently elaborate world view can be
used by humans to justify ANY sort of behavior. Religious and secular
systems have both produced magnificent achievements and spawned the worst
atrocities, not because of their fundamental natures but because humans
found in them the inspiration or justifications for their actions. People
use the world system they were raised into to guide their actions, simply
because it is the one they know best. Which people will become well adjusted
members of their societies, saints or monsters depends on their system's
pressures and influences upon them, the effects these pressures have on the
individual's genetic makup and the interpretations they come up with.
Therefore, civilizations based on secular ideas are, on the whole, no better
and no worst than civilizations based on religious ones. I know this does
not directly answers the initial challenge, but it does show that the
challege's point is rather moot.

Francois
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