[Vision2020] Re: Religion and morality

[Ralph Nielsen]

I'm not sure what you're trying to imply, but there is absolutely no  
necessary connection between morality and religion.
Ralph


On Sep 28, 2005, at 2:24 PM, lfalen wrote:

> I don't dispute the data that you sited nor do I wish to defend  
> religion, however, I don't think there is necessarily a correlation  
> between religion and a decline in morality. This reminds me of a  
> story that That Dr Christian used to tell about graduate student  
> thinking. " Dr Finglebind is a patent in a mental institution. He  
> decides to do a study on the response of fleas to voice command. He  
> tears of a leg and commands the flea to jump. After all the legs  
> are gone, the fleas no longer jumps. His conclusion is that fleas  
> with no legs cannot hear. All the facts are correct, but the  
> conclusion is wrong"

> -----Original message-----
> From: Ralph Nielsen nielsen at uidaho.edu
> Date: Wed, 28 Sep 2005 13:04:19 -0700
> To: Vision2020 at moscow.com
> Subject: [Vision2020] Re: Religion and morality
>
>
>> If we had less religion and more morality we would have fewer
>> derelicts, winos, wife beaters and thieves among us, which is just
>> what the study demonstrates. Our prisons are filled to overflowing
>> with Christians but have very few atheist inmates. The highest
>> proportion of divorce, murder, etc., is found in the southeastern
>> states, where Christianity is at its strongest.
>>
>> As for individuals, I just finished reading that George Dubya is now
>> hitting the bottle again, even though he was "saved" by none other
>> than Billy Graham, in person.
>>
>> And the other day I received this from a friend over in Great Falls,
>> Montana: "And yes, I am still a faithful follower, and have still the
>> skepticism which I have from meeting you. A gift most graciously
>> acknowledged. I believe, Lord; help mine unbelief. As I embrace both
>> and thank you and anyone else present or otherwise for my deliverance
>> from fundamentalism."
>>
>> We met 10 years ago at a regional meeting of The Society of Biblical
>> Literature (real Bible scholars) in Great Falls. At that time he was
>> was under the influence of both mental and physical drugs. For some
>> years now he has been free of both.
>>
>> Ralph