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To: Hank Kerchief
I apologize. I misread your post. Why would you be willing to base your life philosophy on Ayn Rand (or Locke) and not Christ?
379 posted on 11/20/2003 10:50:00 AM PST by Tribune7 (It's not like he let his secretary drown in his car or something.)
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To: Tribune7
I apologize. I misread your post.,p> I write too long and too complex posts. No need to apologize.

Why would you be willing to base your life philosophy on Ayn Rand (or Locke) and not Christ?

I do not base my life on the teaching of any man (or woman). I have learned a great deal from many, including some philosophers (with the exception of Aristotle, Peter Abelard, Occam, Bacon, Locke, and Rand and a few minor others, most are worthless, however), and theologians (only two worth reading. No I won't say which.)

I do prefer both Rand and Locke to Christ. Neither of them said anything as absurd as, "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets." (Mat. 7:12)

As a practical rule, it is useless, since usually what we want others to "do unto us" is leave us alone, or if we really do want something from them, it is some service we don't care to do for ouselves. To follow this rule, if I want my garage mechanic to change my oil, I have to change his oil.

Morally it is worse. If I am a masochist I want people to hurt me. If I am suicidal, I might want someone to shoot me. If I am a husband, I cannot do unto my wife what I want her to do unto me, and she cannot do unto me what she wants me to do unto her; and if I am a child I cannot do unto my parents what I want them to do unto me.

Besides, I have not met one Christian who knows what his Bible teaches, even those who have studied it as long as I have, and I'm no youngster. They think they know, but most of what the believe are corruptions introduced by Augustine that Christianity has never shaken off. (Not that it makes any difference, one set of superstitions is as good as another.)

So when a Christian asks me why I don't believe what Christ taught, I usually answer, "why should I, you don't?"

The response is seldom cordial or Christian.

Hank

408 posted on 11/20/2003 6:17:59 PM PST by Hank Kerchief
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