SAPPHO@SRI-NIC.ARPA (10/01/86)
I had the impression from the couple of passing references to religion that Keith has made that he doesn't believe, but I haven't heard him say anything that suggests that no one else believes, so this is not directed at him. There was another person who dismissed an argument which referred to Jewish prayers on grounds that no one believes that mumbo jumbo any more than anyone takes seriously the words in the communion service about the bread and wine being the body and blood of Christ. In fact millions of people do believe that the bread and wine are literally the body and blood of Christ, and millions more find it a meaningful symbol. You may be able to get away with treating Mennonites and Amish as a "crank minority" with no real influence in this country (though, since they are my fellow peace churches, I would prefer to consider them an enlightened minority :-)), but if you assume that everyone else is secularly minded and ignore the influence of religion on people's politics, you may be in for a surprise. Incidentally, I don't think that it is anti-Semitic to oppose something for which Jews pray every day. I oppose things for which many people are praying, and other people oppose things for which Quakers pray. (I do however support the existence of Israel.) Lynn Gazis sappho@sri-nic ------- -------