Subj : [1/7] FYI Fwed advice
To   : Sean Dennis
From : Rachel L. Akers
Date : Fri Mar 23 2001 10:17 pm

Gidday Sean,

SD> ... You must be in a different "circle" than I am here....

Honestly I don't know what circle he takes part in. He's critising my comments 
about X-ians being attack by others from their own faith (eg the Catholics by 
some X-ain non-catholic sects) & yet he's done the same thing in a earlier 
post... & just so I can't be accused of misquoting... 

        TWIT> Various CATHOLIC traditions have their roots in
        TWIT> paganism, but not those of Christianity.          

I fail to understand why all the X-ian faiths who can be historically conected 
with the Catholics (acknowledging some non Western-european ones don't) waste 
so much energy attacking the faith.

SD> ... it's a human trait, perhaps, but it's heavily influenced by 
SD> one's belief system, whatever it may be.  But, in my experience, 
SD> it's a majority of the Judeo-Christian followers that exhibit 
SD> this rotten trait.

I think part of the "problem" is that the majority of faiths originating in the 
middle east have been strongly influenced by the babalonian dualist approach. 
The concept of either "good" or "evil" is the prime example. In an "Us or Them" 
situation, the "Us" must be "good" therefore the "Them" must be "evil". It's a 
problem cultures experimenting in open multiculturalism have to deal with. & 
Unfortunately even though I know many pagans who are able to step outside this 
culturally imposed dualist approach, other's are unable <sigh>

One of my lecturers is currently talking about theories about power & is 
esentually talking about the European's "If I'm right then you must be wrong" 
approach compared to the Orient's (_very_ briefly) "Lets see why we see things 
differently". & Just for argument sake she's tossed in what she's ID as a 
Buddhist based eclectic "what ever" approach... 

It just supports my long term belief that the contempory (in this case I mean 
of the past 500 years) European dualism (either based on X-ian beliefs or from 
older origins) can be blamed for many current historically based (can you say 
"White man's burden"??) problems. It's also a main reason why I'm looking for 
my pre-X-ian ethnic roots.

  Rai

--- Msged/2 4.00
 * Origin: Elfwhere - The POINTy eared POINT (3:640/531.2379)

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