"Good" (to Ralph)

David Court (hoover1@NETCOM.CA)
Sun, 13 Apr 1997 18:36:48 -0400 (EDT)

>> (DAVE 4/7) Ian: There you go again. How should one behave Ian? According
>> to what YOU say? You want values? Ok - devotion: Abraham to his God;
>
>(DAVE 4/11) Ian: You never answered my question here: how should one
>behave Ian? Is there some template for behaviour we should all abide by?
>Whose template?
>
>(Ian 4/8) Abraham's devotion to his god? Are you kidding? Do you mean to say
>that if I tied up my son (or grandson considering my age) and placed him
>on an
>altar, raised my knife, ready to plunge it into his heart when someone
>stopped
>me, I could claim that god told me to do it? Oh! Well, I'm not a religious
>person. I'm not a true christian. What if Jerry did it? Do you think he could
>pass for a true christian?
>
>(DAVE 4/11) Ian: You didn't argue his devotion, just an act of his, in a
>culture where this might have been looked at a little differently than here.

RALPH
So morality is just a matter of cultural differences, Dave?

(DAVE 4/13) Ralph: Yes, maybe it is. Or even to different personalities.
Is that what you believe?

Ralph
Maybe you would
like to tell us just who it was that told Abraham to kill his little son
Isaac.

(DAVE 4/13) Ralph: God.

DAVE
> I'm not sure the connection you all of sudden made to Abraham and being a
>Christian - can you explain it?

RALPH
For starters, Dave, read Matthew 1:1; 22:32; Mark 12:26; John 1:1-4;
Galatians 3:6-9; etc. I was always taught that God was the same, yesterday,
today, and forever. Now you come along and tell us that what God says and
does depends on the cultural setting.

(DAVE 4/13) Ralph: I didn't think I was saying this, but I won't argue it
- it could be true. I think God may even treat us as individuals
differently, within the same culture.
I think it is important to know the cultural setting to better understand
the context in which things are said - this goes for any analysis of any
saying or work - you certainly must agree with this.

Regards.

Dave.

"The complexity of life requires an explanation."
- Dan Barker