XPost: alt.books.cs-lewis   
   From: hayesmstw@hotmail.com   
      
   On 2 Oct 2005 14:20:06 GMT, Siwel Naph  wrote:   
      
   >I was wondering... If there were TWO magic wardrobes, one leading to a   
   >land where everyone practised Mere Christianity, the other leading to a   
   >land where everyone practised Mere Buddhism, WHICH wardrobe would be   
   >better/safer to go thru, and WHICH land would Aslan be likelier to be   
   >better pleased by?   
      
   I once read a book called "The land of Cockayne", or something like. It was a   
   children's cook, bound together with "Emil and the detectives."   
      
   I often saw reprints of "Emil and the detectives" but not of "The land of   
   Cockayne", which to my mind was by far the more interesting book. The hens all   
   ran around with frying pans attached to them, and laid fried eggs. A bit like   
   the "Big rock-candy mountain".   
      
   But the wardriobe that Lewis write about did not lead to a land where   
   everybody practised anything. In that respect it was a world much like ours,   
   where some people paid lip-service to things they didn't practise, and others   
   just did whatever seemed expedient at the time.   
      
   >I think (hope) BOTH lands would be free of lying, theft, murder and rape,   
   >but that doesn't cover the waterfront in terms of harms and evils, and   
   >I'd be VERY apprehensive about going thru wardrobe one, because of what I   
   >might find taking place on the other side...   
   >   
   >If I were a minority denomination, a homosexual, a Jew, a black, a   
   >Muslim, a woman, etc, my apprehension would be even higher. "Mere   
   >Christianity" is ELOQUENT about core theological doctrines, but SILENT   
   >about whether it's right or wrong to use severe forms of   
   >punishment/execution, to wage war against other Christians, to grant   
   >women and minorities equal rights, etc, etc.   
      
   "as you would that others do to you, do so to them."   
      
   If people *practised* that mere Christianity,. it would cover not only the   
   waterfront, but the ocean and the hinterland as well.   
      
   >But... would anyone be AS apprehensive about going thru wardrobe two,   
   >into the land where everyone practised "Mere Buddhism"? Would anyone be   
   >apprehensive at ALL? (Maybe this is my realtive ignorance of Buddhism   
   >speaking here.)   
      
   In *practice* there seems to be little difference between Buddhism and   
   Christianity, though there are some differences in theory (or theology, if you   
   prefer).   
      
   >One could increase the number of the wardrobes to include "Mere Islam"   
   >(I'd be apprehensive, particularly if etc), "Mere Judaism" (ditto), "Mere   
   >Hinduism" (less apprehensive in SOME ways), "Mere Jainism" (less   
   >apprehensive), "Mere Zoroastrianism" (don't know enough to decide), etc.   
      
   How about mere Atheism, mere Wicca, mere ethical humanism, mere objectivism or   
   mere communism?   
      
      
   --   
   Steve Hayes   
   Web: http://www.geocities.com/hayesstw/stevesig.htm   
        http://www.bookcrossing.com/mybookshelf/Methodius   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)