From: me@nospam.com   
      
   On Thu, 27 Jul 2006 18:35:34 +0100, ralph   
    wrote:   
      
   >In message <8b8gc2t3vqhl9bm4slij4adikg7n8qosl1@4ax.com>, Ray Wesley   
   >Kinserlow Jr.  writes   
   >>On Thu, 29 Dec 2005 17:47:18 +0000, ralph   
   >> wrote:   
   >>   
   >>>There is a strong feeling in the UK that humanism is now the one to   
   >>>beat. Although the pitiful number of organised humanists (max 8,000) has   
   >>>been publicised, many commentators, of all faiths and none, seem to feel   
   >>>that the battle for hearts and minds has actually been won.   
   >>>   
   >>>The religious obviously deplore this, on the basis that those without   
   >>>religion have no morals. So we have nothing to feel smug about there.   
   >>>But the fact that most people have actually rejected religion, probably   
   >>>because of the acknowledgment of scientific truth, leaves this majority   
   >>>as humanists by practice, even if they do not realise it.   
   >>>   
   >>>Of course, in the present state of Bush rejection, this is popularly   
   >>>associated with creationists, and of the hypocrisy of torture denial.   
   >>>Mr. Blair, also in trouble on many fronts, is classed as a near-Bush on   
   >>>the religious issue.   
   >>>   
   >>>A couple of years ago the word humanism hardly appeared on the airwaves:   
   >>>now it is everywhere. How can we exploit this situation, and how can we   
   >>>export it?   
   >>   
   >>   
   >>You don't have to export it.  It's everywhere there are freethinking   
   >>individuals.   
   >>   
   >Thank you for your contribution, Ray.   
   >   
   >But how do we exploit it?   
      
      
   I don't think we should "exploit" it.  Bringing Humanism to the   
   religiously oppressed isn't a part of my agenda.  If you ask me what I   
   believe I will tell you what and how, otherwise, I will let you go   
   your way.  I consider my agnostic humanism a gift from myself to   
   myself, and it is up to each individual to find his or her own path.   
   Since I believe the real strength of a civilization, socially and   
   biologically, is diversity, I am gratified, not threatened, there are   
   people different from myself in my civilization.  I think we should   
   try to win the battles one at a time and not worry about winning the   
   war.  Evil should be opposed in specific instances, not railed against   
   in generalities.   
      
   Ray Wesley Kinserlow Jr.   
   Lubbock, Texas   
   rkinserlow at cox dot net   
   homepage: www.members.cox.net/rkinserlow   
   blog: http://360.yahoo.com/kinserlow   
      
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