Before I start, I'd like to thank you, Reed. Your ideas have provided a
much needed emphasis. Can I saint you?
<grin>
No, but seriously now (for I never intend to saint anyone, *ever*), I'd
like to use your words on my Church web page (currently in development)
Permission?
Reed Konsler wrote:
> A good idea. Go one step deeper. Langauge evolves. The Body of Chirst
> has destroyed and killed millions, raped, pillaged, looted...all in the name
> of a pacifist contry preacher who told his friends to love their neighboor.
>
> It matters not a single iota that yous have replaced the word "sin" with the
> word "responsibility". The lesson of memetics is that THE CONTENT IS
> IRRELEVANT. Langauge is arbitrary. It is the underlying "memetic"
> structure ("the pattern") and the intersubjective community of intentional
> entities ("the medium") which creates.
>
> The point, which Richard has already told you, is that if you make a
> self-propogating engine of the mind it will explode beyond your control.
>
> YOU CANNOT CONTROL THE OUTCOME WITH FANCIER OR
> MORE PRECISE WORDS. THE VIRUS PROPAGATES, MUTATES,
> AND COMPLEXIFIES WITHOUT YOU.
>
> As a result, what you say as the leader of a congregation is, in the long
> run, more or less irrelevant. It is the congregation which is of
> significance, not the ideas.
>
> It is not enough that we have responsible leaders.
> It is not enough that we have "responsible".
> It is not enough that we discuss "responsible".
> It is not enough that we think responsible thoughts.
> Each of us must act responsibly and take responsibility for our actions.
> This is enough.
An important lesson. Perhaps the most important.
The weakness I identified in my analysis of the
<freedom><responsibility> was in fact the link to self propagation.
That is, I can preach responsible freedom, and *not* preach a
responsibility to spread responsible freedom.
To do so, before, looked pointless. The oppourtunity to have the
religion promote itself looked golden.
But you are right. As with all "free" entities, this is *dangerous*.
And so what I shall do it preach responsible freedom *without* the
evangalize responsibility.
That is, we do not preach evangalism to the "marks".
Only after *training*, only after the disciple has demonstrated a
through understand of memetics, and of responsible freedom, to *they*
begin to evangalize. Because as Memetic Vectors (can I use this for my
Church? I believe Tim coined it first), we have a responsibility to
ensure that what happened to Christ's Church doesn't happen to us.
> All the rest is extra...entertaining but inessential.
Of course, it is the entertainment that the Church is here for. While I
build on a circular memetic platform, I intend to make something
*meaningful* out of it, even if I can't make anything "true"...
ERiC