At 06:26 PM 8/8/97 -0400, David D.W. Downey wrote while wearing a big "Kick Me!" sign:
You know, you are just about the biggest idiot I have ever had the displeasure of reading.
You are new here, huh?
For one, the largest religion in the US right now *is* in fact judeo-christian.
Sorry, "Jews for Jesus" is not quite that big. They are about the only faith that quite fits that label. (Unless you count the all-inclusive Bahai or the ALL-IN-ONE faith of Dr. Bronner.) Oh, you mean Christian... Trying to lump all Christian belief together (along with Judaism) is like trying to lump all governments together and claim they have the same laws.
The largest is Roman Catholic
Which some Christian sects argue is not Christian. (For an extreme view of this, read the tract "The Death Cookie" published by Jack T. Chick. It can be obtained from http://www.jackchick.com/ .)
with Pentacostal Protestant following right behind.
With big pointy knives... The biggest growth in the Pentecostal church was during the Reagan administration, when they emptied the mental hospitals. Didn't your mother ever tell you that just because all your friends are speaking in tongues, it doesn't make it any less silly? Just because lots of people believe a stupid thing, it does not make it any less stupid.
Next, this country was founded on christian beliefs, or have you failed to read the words of the constitution of the US.
Sounds like you have been prowling Christian book stores again. Maybe you should read the writings of the Founding Fathers and not just the books your church has authorized for you. A few suggestions: -- The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine <http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/thomas_paine/age_of_reason/part1 .html> This book should be required reading for all Christians. A expose of the difference between what the church tells you and what the Bible actually says. (For a more condensed version take a look at: <http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/thomas_jefferson/virginia_act.ht ml>.) -- The Virginia Act For Establishing Religious Freedom by Thomas Jefferson <http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/thomas_jefferson/virginia_act.ht ml> This law was the basis of the separation of church and state in the constitution. Read this and see if they were basing the country on your faith. There are many others... The founders of this country were of many different belief systems. Many of them were hated and reviled by the clerics of their day. Of course, evangelical Christians gloss over these facts in an effort to continue their ~2,000 years of enslavement of the minds of men.
Considering the apparent ignorance you have displayed thus far about the makeup of the US, I would venture to say that you probably have not read it.
I am willing to bet that you have not either... (Except for the excerpts quoted in the books pushing the idea to the willing flock, written by the Christians who wish to perpetuate the fraud.) What in the Constitution makes you think that it was the Christian God that was being mentioned and not the God of Deists?
Next, you attack christians for trying to control the content made available on the internet.
At last! The plan exposed! Damn right he attacks you! But Christians get pretty touchy when faced with criticism of their agenda. (Or mentioning that their beliefs are NOT the word of God, of exposing the flaws in Christianity, or having any view that conflicts with the "One True God(tm)".)
At least the site ratings plan is better than alot of other plans I have seen.
In other words, you can claim it is voluntary and make it look like you are giving people a choice as you push your morality down their throats. The Bible Beaters try to impose their views of what is right and wrong, but get pretty offended and huffy when others try and do the same thing. (Like when they push School Prayer, but freak out when the pagans want the same options.) How would you react if the ratings groups were stacked with Athiests, Wiccans, Tantrics, and Jainists? Would you be willing to accept their judgements on the acceptability of your beliefs and speech? I didn't think so.
Besides, Oh Godlike TruthMonger, where is *your* surefire plan to halt the spread of trash that *most* humans would want out of of the reach of their children?
*Most* humans want their children to grow up ignorant about sex and the outside world? What about texts that are used as justification to commit mass murder and enslavement? How are you going to rate those? (Books that teach that it is right and proper to go off and kill your neighbors because they do not believe in your God and happen to be on land your deity covets.) Oh wait... That is the current dominant religion. Can't censor that! Children need to be challenged by ideas that are different from their own. If they are not, then they grow up with ideas that they cannot intellectually defend. They grow up intelecually squishy. I have known far too many Christians who never read anything that challenges their basic belief structure. Nothing that could dare shake their faith in God and the Bible. In their isolation, they are taught to believe ideas that have no rational defense. (Like Biblical inerrancy and Creationism.) When challenged, these outcasts from reason have to rely on the "moral authority" of their unseen God or other appeals to authority to try and defend their irrational beliefs. If the rules your faith proposes were enforced impartially, your "holy book" would be amongst the burned and censored.
I have not seen you *once* offer a straightforward clear cut plan to efficiently handle *any* issue placed for discussion on this listserv. I have seen you do nothing but slam, belittle, and degrade others and their beliefs and ideas. You do this under the unimpressive tag of "TruthMonger".
But since "TruthMonger" is an anonymous identity and a nym for someone else, you have no idea that this is true. (Actually it is not. TruthMonger has made a number of suggestions, but they conflict with your worldview.) But I forgot... You believe in Jesus. (The original urban legend...) You have infallible insight into the way things should be. Some to think of it, I have not seen you post any suggestions at all. Just this weeny little screed when your belief structure is threatened.
If anything, you are anything but a TruthMonger. When you can come up with a plan that even *remotely* seems like a logically thought out, planned, and intelligent proposal on how to handle the issues presented everyday on the internet that affect the computing industry balanced with a concern for the children, then I will listen. (And yes, I do agree that the parents of the children have an obligation to monitor the content they are exposed to. It's called responsible parenting which unfortunately is not a well practiced ideology.
"When you can come up with a way to censor the net, then I will believe you." "When you come to accept my priorities and my belief system, then I will listen." "When you come up with a plan that meets MY goals, then we'll talk." Of course "concern for the children" is just another way of saying "eliminating content that offends the parents". If you don't want your children exposed to "information that might harm them", then don't let them on the net. The net was never designed or meant to be a "family friendly" environment. It was meant as a way for ADULTS to exchange information. Of course, your kind would like to reduce the intellectual and emotional content of the net to that of a mythical twelve year old... Nothing to offend or challenge your beliefs... (So you can keep your kids in the same mental gulag that you have imposed on your own minds.) Maybe you need to ask yourself *WHY* this material offends you so much? "Protecting children" is the first refuge of the censor.
And to take the wind out of your sales, I have 2 children and as a parent I limit them to what is appropriate to their ages.)
I guess there is a seeker born every minute... Or at least, what you perceive that to be... I find it sad that you have reproduced at all. Hopefully your children will learn to seek information not filtered through the eyes of the bible-believer.
Until such time as you can fulfill the obligations to us, the adult computing population, and our offspring, the children (just in case your fuddled mind does not know what they are), I suggest you rest those busy little fingers of yours and listen to the underlying theme of the issues before us.
What obligation is that? I have no obligation to you and I SERIOUSLY doubt if you represent the "computing public". (Or at least, I hope not, though that might explain COBOL...) I think you need to reread what you wrote there. We have no obligation to you or your "God". Our tongues shall not praise, nor shall we kneel. We shall oppose your attempted dominion over the minds and bodies of men. We will not bend over for the rod and staff of Jesus. We shall will paragraphs.
Until then, HateMonger, I have one suggestion for you..... Shut Up!
Or what? Will Daddy spank? I think you need to get a better connection to a clue server. Or in the words of Crow T. Robot: "Bite me!" --- | "That'll make it hot for them!" - Guy Grand | |"The moral PGP Diffie taught Zimmermann unites all| Disclaimer: | | mankind free in one-key-steganography-privacy!" | Ignore the man | |`finger -l alano@teleport.com` for PGP 2.6.2 key | behind the keyboard.| | http://www.ctrl-alt-del.com/~alan/ |alan@ctrl-alt-del.com|