18 Jul
2003
18 Jul
'03
8:15 a.m.
All major religions share the same ethical values - of
love, respect for
human life (and to varying degrees, other forms of life), honesty, etc.
And I think all of this can be subscribed to by most of humanity.
Well, for many Christians it does not work that way unfortunately. Their
religion (Christiantity) teaches love and respect, but it also teaches that
the one true path is narrow and that it is not just enough to adhere to the
Christian ethos. It is necessary for them not to worship 'false' gods,
including those of the other major religions. It is not about Christian
values, it is about the Christian deity.
The problem with this whole discussion being of course one's perspective.
From the believer-perspective, Paul's request is
very reasonable, because
for him the existence of God is essentially an established
fact and those
who do not worship him are in effect against him. From the non-believer
perspective however, it is downright insulting (in an intellectual and
personal way) to be called a Satanist. This is because to the non-believer
the non-existence of God or god-like creatures is essentially an established
fact and worshipping Satan is as unthinkable and rediculous as worshipping
any god. Even more so, it is insulting because Christians have no right to
call atheists with perfectly good moral standards 'evil' people.
So, to wrap it all up: Paul, while you have every right to make any request
regarding the usage of your software, please be aware of the fact that, to
atheists (incidentally, that is my camp) your choice of words is rather
offensive. If you want people to respect your ideas it might be a good idea
to start respecting other people's ideas as well and to stop calling Heavy
Meta l fans Satanists.
Regards,
Denis
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