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To: Piltdown_Woman; Tribune7
Thank you, PH...and you are quite correct. It is because of life's brevity that I consider all life to be so very precious.

Now that I think about it, a tradition that teaches an eternal afterlife -- one which is vastly better than this life -- sometimes encourages martyrdom. Islam certainly does. The early Christians seemed to be proud of their martyrs. Is it not said that "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church"? I'm not aware of any atheist analog to martyrdom, unless it's just plain old going off to war for one's country, which is something that most religious people engage in, and atheists too, but that's not really martyrdom. One might argue that atheism places a higher value on life, because of its absence of the impulse for martyrdom. I haven't thought this through, so consider it a rough draft of an idea.

1,055 posted on 08/09/2002 6:43:44 PM PDT by PatrickHenry
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To: PatrickHenry
I'm not aware of any atheist analog to martyrdom,

Sure, think of Lenin's tomb and those deceases heroes of socialism bestowed with praise by the Soviets.

1,060 posted on 08/09/2002 7:40:31 PM PDT by Tribune7
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To: PatrickHenry
One might argue that atheism places a higher value on life, because of its absence of the impulse for martyrdom. I haven't thought this through, so consider it a rough draft of an idea.

Start by thinking of those avowedly atheist institutions -- a few have obtained power --and consider their attitude towards human life.

1,061 posted on 08/09/2002 7:42:47 PM PDT by Tribune7
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To: PatrickHenry
The early Christians seemed to be proud of their martyrs. Is it not said that "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church"?

Only peaceful martyrdom, not murderous martyrdom - big difference. You keep blaming Christians for the actions of muslims who I have shown many times hold a totally unChristian view of life.

1,090 posted on 08/10/2002 5:52:00 PM PDT by gore3000
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