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

Fri May 20 17:59:23 UTC 2005

On Fri, 20 May 2005, Robert wrote:

> 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
>
>
>
>
> Discover Yahoo!
> Get on-the-go sports scores, stock quotes, news and more. Check it out!
> http://discover.yahoo.com/mobile.html
> _______________________________________________
> WikiEN-l mailing list
> WikiEN-l at Wikipedia.org
> http://mail.wikipedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikien-l
>

An incorrectly done system of dates oriented around a bias is better than
no dating system or a correctly done system of dates oriented around a
bias, and Dennis the Short's mistakes have bequeathed upon us an
incorrectly done system of dates. We might as well use it, as there are no
unbiased dating systems that I can think of.