brunson@usfbobo.UUCP (%David Brunson) (07/10/84)
[] You know how modern comics mock Gospel Preachers? My brother does a great Carl Sagan. Once while visiting home a while back, he had me in stitches as he expounded on mathematical equations which supposedly demonstrate the probability of life on other planets. There used to be a show from California called "Couples" (I think that was the name -- I only saw it a few times). Anyway it features some guy with a psychology degree who "counsels" couples either lawfully married or living as such. My brother and I were absolutely holding our sides with pain for the entire half hour one time when the guest counselees were lesbians! It was unbelievable! The "counselor" asked "probing" questions ("You take the *male* role in this relationship, is that right? How does it make you feel when *she* doesn't respond ... " etc.), and very patiently and reassuringly pointed out the counselees' problems in "relating to one another" while they nodded understandingly, as though grateful for his help, and appreciative of his great insight. I have been similarly entertained by "Lou Grant", "Trapper John", the Buckley-Galbraith debates (Galbraith and the Harvard audience supplied the humor), National Geographic Specials, a psych intro course I almost took, "60 minutes", "Time Magazine", and so on. Recently in this newsgroup someone wrote a series of articles with a title something like, "Can a Thinking Man Believe the Bible?" What an odd question! Can someone who does not believe the Bible be said to *think*? It sometimes seems as though Bible believers are on the defensive against the great onslaught of unbelief that characterizes this age. I don't know why. The secularists are unparalleled for absurdity and provide far more material for mockery than Ernest Angeley or Jerry Falwell ever have. Maybe the seeming timidity of believers has something to do with the Christian tradition of *Apologetics*. Am I the only one who looks at it like this? -------------- "The righteous are an abomination David Brunson to the unrighteous; and the un- duke!ucf-cs!usfbobo!brunson righteous are an abomination to the righteous" [Solomon]
cher@ihuxi.UUCP (Mike Musing) (07/10/84)
> > The secularists > are unparalleled for absurdity and provide far more material > for mockery than Ernest Angeley or Jerry Falwell ever have. > Maybe the seeming timidity of believers has something to do > with the Christian tradition of *Apologetics*. > > Am I the only one who looks at it like this? Oh, no. Ernest and Jerry are right there with you. "The secularists" that gave you so many happy moments do not make their living representing atheism ("secularism") - quite unlike these two gentlemen's relation to Christianity. Also, your explanation of the "timidity" would have greatly amused a number of people - from that Jew who got burned during an auto-da-fe, to that Protestant who got shot by some Catholic. "Talk a lot, so that they have enough things to quote 4000 years from now." - God, addressing Solomon. ------------------- Mike Musing