[Vision2020] Arrest aftermath

[Bob Hoffmann]

At 09:00 AM 3/3/2003 -0800, Douglas wrote:
>To use Bob's illustration, I can look at an IRA bombing without condemning 
>all Irishmen. But at the same time, if I were charged with trying to find 
>the perpetrators of such a bombing, I WOULD START BY LOOKING AT IRISHMEN. 
>I don't want to be unreasonable here, but can someone out there follow the 
>argument? It would be poor time management to try to solve a Belfast 
>bombing by looking at Peruvians. If we started with the Irishmen, we are 
>not maintaining that all Irishmen are bad, or even that all Peruvians are good.

Douglas,

Good job alluding to my illustration without quoting me or your original 
comment.  It might appear that the discussion was about racial 
profiling.  That was not the case.  Here is your original statement:

"Sunil said the "only conclusion that could be drawn would be that the 
particular person charged was not following the rules he is to follow." 
This is one possible conclusion, but not the only one. Another possibility 
is that the rules are not what they are being represented as being. In 
other words, it is at least a logical possibility that jihad means real 
physical war, and that lying to the infidel is no more reprehensible in 
some Muslim eyes than lying to Nazis would be to me."

Again, my argument is that you point at another group, and claim that the 
problem is not limited to the individual, but the problem is ultimately the 
group's ideology.  I do not condemn this approach if you judge yourself and 
your congregation by the same yardstick.  Speculative example, because I 
presume that you'd agree that there is still temptation and sin in your 
flock:  "My parishioner X embezzled money from the bank.  It is at least a 
logical possibility that our rules are not the rules that he was to follow."

Of course your tacit agreement after the fact is insufficient.  If this is 
your operating principle for Muslims, it should be your operating principle 
for Christians.  If not, I used a few unflattering terms in my original 
posting to describe this attitude.

I extend your example, based on your above statement: "A rotten apple does 
not ruin the barrel, unless they are Muslim apples, with a rotten Muslim 
barrel."  At least that is what you seem to be saying.

Of course, there's no accounting for interpretation....

Bob Hoffmann
820 S. Logan St.
Moscow, ID  83843

Tel: 208 883-0642