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The point is that it's the people who are behaving themselves because they think they're being watched by The Invisible Big Brother in The Sky who are the peopel to watch out for. Those who cannot determine right from wrong unless they think that Divine Judgement will b1tch slap 'em are creepy and are at risk of snapping. Those who know right from wrong because they know right from wrong are less of a concern.

Christianity does not call us to act good. Christ saved his harshest words for those who acted well but ignored the spirit of the law. Christians are called to be good. Read the Sermon on the Mount- it is about purification of the self- not acting rightly out of fear.

Read the Sermon on the Mount..

Dear Friend, the Sermon on the Mount is not such a good place to suggest as necessary for DOCTRINAL understanding in 2002. Not many understand the Bible as well as you. You, no doubt, understand that Christian doctrine (for this age), is understood best by a study of epistles to Christians, i.e., the Pauline letters, which of course Matt. is not.

For example, if one who were not quite so learned as you were to go to Matt. 5 (Sermon on the Mount), they may get the mistaken notion that if they were to be "poor in spirit", the "kingdom of Heaven would be theirs", (Matt. 5-3), and it wouldn't.

They may think that if they were to "mourn", that God would "comfort them", and He wouldn't.Matt. (5-4).

They may think that if they were to be "meek", that they would "inherit the earth', and they will inherit nothing. (Matt. 5-5). Etc., etc., etc..

I do not intend to criticize you, only to offer a bit of insight and clarification to those who may not be quite so grounded in "rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Tim 2-15) as you are.

Your friend, LP.