maxwell@ncrcae.UUCP (Susan Maxwell) (07/17/84)
Reading the articles on aesthism has thoroughly confused me. I always thought that aethism meant not believing in God. Does it also mean not believing in Christ? Or does that assumption come in when Christians who believe that God and Christ are one entity start talking about not believing in God, which to them is God/Christ? Secondly, I believe it was in the aesthism discussions where the statements were made about "forcing others to believe the same" or "condemning people who don't believe the same" or some such statement. It is a real shame that believing in Christ or God is associated with this kind of thinking. One of the basic ideas that attracted me to Quakerism, (where some believe in God, others in God/Christ, others in ???) was that such fascism was deplored. Not all Christians, or believers in God, believe that aesthists or agnostics or whatever are condemned and going to hell. Perhaps that notion is another one of those Biblical notions, which arose from the leaders of the community trying to console victims of crimes committed by people who believed in another god(s). trying to shed some light, Susan Maxwell relocating to Boulder, CO in August.
labelle@hplabsc.UUCP (07/19/84)
1. The reason you are confused is because apparently the Quakers are
not typical of the other "christians" refered to on this net.
Christians to me encompass a.Fundamentalists b.Protestants c.
Catholics.
2. Atheists do not beleive in Christ, because by definition of these
groups He IS God or at least God's son.
3. One of the biggest beefs of Atheists, myself included, is that
the aforementioned groups send missionarys into the field
in an attempt to "convert" others to their belief.
GEORGE