Re: virus: Personally?

Eric Boyd (6ceb3@qlink.queensu.ca)
Mon, 29 Mar 1999 14:31:58 -0500

Hi,

Snow Leopard <juliet784@hotmail.com> writes: <<
In response to the question I began to answer Thursday, “What does Christianity mean to me”, I have to say:

While the way people react does influence me to make generalized statements, personally, I’m very happy as a Christian. My best friend,
imagiary or not, know everything, and everything about me, but loves me just the same.

I feel like for everything that hurts another, I must make restitution. In any given situation, I usually have guilt (selfdamage), another human who has been the victim of whatever I’ve done wrong this time, and God, who loves the other person, and me and is deeply offended that I’m messing up his creation. It’s easy enough for me to forget or rationalize what I’ve done to myself. I can usually make up for what I’ve done to others, but God has to keep the gears of cosmic justice running smoothly, and must have a reason to forgive. I can’t provide that, but I have a Friend who can, (and did 2000 or so years ago.)
>>

"Must have a reason to forgive"??!!?

Matthew 9:2-8 (English-NIV)

2 Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven."
3 At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, "This fellow is blaspheming!"
4 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, "Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?
5 Which is easier: to say, `Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, `Get up and walk'? 6 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has 

authority on earth to forgive sins...." Then he said to the paralytic,
"Get up, take your mat and go home."
7 And the man got up and went home.

8 When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to men.

Forgivness is the easiest thing to do, and requires no justification or reason, other than basic goodwill and common sense. The past is the past, and cannot be changed. Live life now.

<<
PHAITH?
>>

The purpose of the new word is to divide out a meaning that we (might) like from one which we all abhor... The new term "phaith" refers to non-falsifiable idea's embodied (brought to life) by a person; that persons identity includes the idea in a non-trivial manner. The old term, faith, is sometimes regarded as a term connotating "dogmatic belief in spite of the evidence", which is a Virian sin.

In general, protestant denominations of Christianity have more faith than phaith, although there are (obviously) individual exceptions in every organization. If you can show yourself to be phaithful rather than faithful, you will be much more welcome here on Virus -- and will probably have something positive to contribute which we will all enjoy.

ERiC