[WikiEN-l] Re: Live and Let live? Oh, really?

Fri May 20 16:43:01 UTC 2005

Alphax writes to me:
> At present, there is *no* neutral way to represent dates.
> Let's just call a spade a spade and not try to make
> something sound like something it's not. 

You're very confused.  I am not making any such claim. 

Alphax writes:
> If you feel you are being forced to use Christian
terminology,
> why use the Christian date system at all? CE is still
based
> (albeit incorrectly) on the birthdate of one Jesus of
Nazareth. 

Stop being disingenous.  We all agree that the numeric
dating system currently in use has to be the one that is
used in all articles.  It is just the Jesus-worshipping
honorifics (BC/AD) that some of us object to.  The growing
consensus in the academic community is to use
religion-neutral terms such as BCE/CE.

Alphax, you know this, as we have explained this many times
to you.  So please do not pretend that you are still
unaware of this.

I had written:
>> I already have put up with enough abuse today, as
several
>> of my fellow faculty and staff came - as well as many
>> students - in with T-shirts advertising "Jesus Day" at a
>> public school. It had a motto that said that only
through
>> Jesus will anyone find God, and that all others are
doomed
>> to be without God (i.e. damned to Hell.) Apparently
being
>> in the vast majority is not enough for some right-wing
>> Evangelical Protestant Christians. They have to push
their
>> threats of damnation via religious proselytizing in
public
>> arenas?! 

Alphax replies:
> e-van-gel-i-cal adj., of the Gospel noun, one who is
committed to
> the Gospel of Jesus Christ; the only gospel of salvation;
by grace,
> through faith, under the authority of the Bible,
empowered by
> the Holy Spirit, to the Glory of God. You live in the US?

Again, stop pretending that all members of this list are
illiterate.  We understand fully how Protestant Chrisitan
fundamentalists define this term.

> You have heard of Freedom of Religion? 

Yes, and please stop making such bizarre implications.  No
one is preventing Christians (or Muslims or Jews) from
having their own theology, from having their own beliefs,
from worshipping in their own houses of worship, or from
following their own religious practices.

Freedom of religion, however, prevents people from one
religion from harassing people from another religion. US
law prohibits people from harassing others with this kind
of religious proselytization.  (In fact, I already have
been notified that if I choose to bring a case against the
people I referred to, I will almost certainly win.  I am
trying to find a non-legal way to do deal with them.  They
do think that all Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Hindus,
Buddhists, and agnostics are damned to hell, and they are
making difficult to work where I am an employee.)

You seem to imagine that "Freedom of religion" actually
means "Freedom for religious fundamentalists to create a
hostile workplace environment", and that "Non
fundamentalists have no rights at all."  You worldview is
the same as that of religious dictators.  You also seem
ignorant (in the literal sense of the term) of US law.

> We live in a society that has seen the marginalisation,
> desecration and humilitation of Jesus Christ. 

Are you joking, or trying to start a holy war against all
non-fundamentalist Christians?  It is enraged
fundamentalists like you who start inquisitions, crusades
and jihads.  I hope other Wiki-En editors are keeping a
close eye on your submissions.

Robert

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