XPost: alt.books.cs-lewis   
   From: toomuchspam@spammer.org   
      
   "AJA" wrote:   
      
   >>>> What if a war is under way between two or more COMPETING versions   
   >>>> of M.C.?   
   >>>   
   >>> Then it's no longer 'mere' is it?   
   >>   
   >> Why? Because it's self-contradictory, in our opinion? But if it   
   >> wasn't in theirs, why are they unable to see that, as Christians have   
   >> been unable to see it in the past?   
   >   
   > Christians are people.  There is no one righteous, not even one.   
   > The problem with attempting to build or even envision a utopia is that   
   > it can't be done.   
      
   Christians, I agree, have always been people. But Christians have not   
   always believed that it is good to refrain from persecuting each other.   
   Why did they not see something that is so clear to us? Are we actually   
   making mistakes as serious in other ways, so that the average of   
   blindness remains constant?   
      
   >> Yes, but that rather seems to evade the point. Followers of all the   
   >> religions I know could find similar passages, but that wouldn't   
   >> answer questions about their bad treatment of those minorities (if   
   >> such had taken place).   
   >   
   > It doesn't evade the point at all.   
   > The above, and passages in other religions of same, point to a painful   
   > realism about the world we live _in_ and are not _of_ as scripture   
   > describes it. As Lewis writes in MC: "If you read history you will   
   > find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just   
   > those who thought most of the next."  (MC, Chapter 10. Hope)   
   >   
   > We have a system of 'good treatment' and have had for as long as   
   > anyone can remember.   
   > One such organization of good behavior/treatment goes like this:   
   > Cardinal Virtues:   
   > Wisdom/Prudence, Justice, Temperance, Fortitude/Courage   
   > Theological Virtues:   
   > Faith, Hope, Charity   
   > (reached with the aid of sanctifying grace)   
   > Capital Virtues:   
   > Humility, Liberality, Brotherly Love, Meekness, Chastity, Temperance,   
   > Diligence   
   >   
   > Everyone knows these things.  Everyone likes the sound of them rolling   
   > off the tongue.   
      
   Yes, and do they require that we refrain from persecuting each other? If   
   they do, why did past believers (of different faiths) not realize this?   
   Are we misapplying them as seriously in different ways?   
      
   > The trick has always been to put them into practice and at the same   
   > time have or protect some sort of society people can actually live in   
   > with (presumably) some modicum of their free will intact.  Plato wrote   
   > much about this, as we know.  We also know that his solutions weren't   
   > all that palatable.   
      
   Whose solutions do you think have been an imperfect best?   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)