Re: A Scout is Reverent- what that means
Jeff Bogart (jeffbogart@LUCENT.COM)
Thu, 8 Jan 1998 08:37:31 -0600
Kevin McClelland wrote:
>
> I woke up this morning and I decided to say something a little
> controversial. The Boy Scouts of America should not be turning away
> atheists.
...
> Now I am not saying I am or am not an Atheist...
It has always been interesting to me that when I meet someone who
claimes to be Agnostic or Atheist we often discover that that claim is
based on some predefined assumption about who or what "God" is.
The incredible range of theological beliefs allows a lot of leeway in
our understanding of that "other" or "spiritual" side of our existance,
often even difficult to separate from our "physical" nature even though
some would try with considerable fervor.
If we belong to a religious community, that definition of "God" is often
dictated by what we hear in our gatherings. Even within the same broad
religious communities (e.g. Christian) there are so many divergent
definitions that individual atrocities and regional wars have been
fought by those wishing to win the apostate to their own viewpoints,
each side of course having the one true message from and about "God".
"God" is too broad a concept to constrain to a single or range of views
that force someone to say "I don't know" or "I don't believe" in any of
the acceptable range of views where there may yet be further light and
truth that can break forth from this other person's understandings.
Is our litmus test truly the statement that someone makes claiming to be
Agnostic or Athiestic? Perhaps we do ourselves a disservice in our own
search for "God".
~ *******
Jeff Bogart ~ **** **** o
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