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To: jennyp
I'll give the Protestants one thing: The idea that each of us has the capability to decide for ourselves what the Bible really means eventually led to political systems where different religions/philosophies have to compete fair & square in a free market of ideas.

Thank you for displaying some graciousness to at least the Protestant part of Christianity. I also don't think it was pure coincidence that the countires that adopted a comprehensive protestant culture were also the ones to develop morally advanced social, political systems, along with economic prosperity and advanced technology.

In evolutionary terms, Christian "fundamentalist" societies were sucessful. Muslim fundamentalist societies, like communist ones, bring poverty and death. It is not by chance IMHO.

57 posted on 09/23/2001 9:17:59 AM PDT by Ahban
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To: Ahban
Just because an idea is useful doesn't make this idea true.
59 posted on 09/23/2001 9:41:44 AM PDT by BMCDA
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To: Ahban
I'll give the Protestants one thing: The idea that each of us has the capability to decide for ourselves what the Bible really means eventually led to political systems where different religions/philosophies have to compete fair & square in a free market of ideas.

 1.  Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.
 2.  He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men.
 3.  And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, `Grant me justice against my adversary.'
 4.  "For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, `Even though I don't fear God or care about men,
 5.  yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!'"
 6.  And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says.
 7.  And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?
 8.  I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

 9.  To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable:
 10.  "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
 11.  The Pharisee stood up and prayed about  himself: `God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector.
 12.  I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'
 13.  "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, `God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'
 14.  "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

 

64 posted on 09/23/2001 11:24:50 AM PDT by Elsie
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