crm@duke.UUCP (10/15/83)
This is a short and unresearched answer to several points made about my 2 Kings flame a few days ago: Note that I said unresearched -- so some of these will not be direct quotes from the senders. I'm just too lazy && || too harried to work up a good paper in response ( re that: Tim, Jon White, et aliae: How do you find TIME to work up these things? ) 1) Several people have accused me of poor scholarship re the quote. Well, I am not too surprized, or too dissapointed; as a Buddhist, I don't study the Bible very extensively. ( accuse me of poor scholarship about the Dhammapada and I might be more hurt.) However, when I was litle my father insisted that I go to Baptist sunday school and bible study, and the minister always insisted that the Bible -- as the Inspired Word of God -- was clear and ewasily understood, and that it was in fact *sinful* to attempt to interpret it in any way. If so, then these people had better look out for their own metaphysical (*ahem*) assets, because they are committing the sin, not me. In any case, I find these arguments unconvincing. The major thread of the arguments I've received seems to be that the word (mumble) in Hebrew doesn't mean children in the sense we mean, but means "youths" or "young people"; one person noted someone who is called by this word but who is 28. Another person noted that these "youths" may have been making fun of the ascent of another Prophet into Heaven in a chariot of fire, and keeping E. from climbing into the city. However, the Bible I am sure says that the "youths" *taunted* and *reviled* the fellow, not harrassed him physically. I am now 28. I am occasionally unthinkingly cruel. I am sure that I would take it very badly if I were killed by bears for calling an old fellow names. I am in fact sure that I would fell very put out about it. A fact: being killed by a bear is messy and painful. Dying of cyanide poisoning is quicker and easier -- as is being machine-gunned (at least sometimes) and several other things done by the Nazis to the Jews at places like Dachau. I expect rather more morally from God than I do from Nazi's. Also, to the people who pointed out that God will prove his judgement to me shortly after I die: I just would point out that if they are not careful, they will accumulate so much Karma that they will be hundreds of thousands of life- times in Maya before they achive Nirvana. Any attempts at telling me how I must Take Christ Into My Life As My Lord And Savior will be answered with Buddhist tracts (ought to be fun trying to write a Fundamentalist Buddhist tract) if not consigned to /dev/null. Charlie Martin ...!duke!crm