Klarinet Archive - Posting 000570.txt from 2001/09

From: Justin Ruckman <whatthemess@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Religous Propaganda
Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2001 01:59:00 -0400

I have a horrible weakness when it comes to expressing
my opinion -- I crave the last word, or at least an
addition in this case, even though the debate seems to
have ceased. I am only 17, therefore I obviously have
a limited perspective on the world and framework of
society ... however I have at least a firm enough
grasp to realize this natural incompetence. I
therefore feel that I should express myself in this
subject, if not merely because it is an issue I feel
strongly about. It has been brought up by several
people that when expressing sympathetic remarks in a
clearly secular forum, one should not include
religious material. On what grounds should we not
express ourselves? I did not read a single post which
referred to the Christian religion any farther than a
simple Bible verse or the request for a prayer. No one
was preaching to the lost souls of the nation or
anything of the sort. They were merely expressing
their sympathy and concerns, and did not exclude the
beliefs they hold which shape the way in which they
express such concerns. The freedom this country
shares, the freedom that has been attacked by these
terrorists, includes the inherent right to express
oneself -- including one's beliefs. No one was
imposing these beliefs, merely expressing them. In
fact, the only posts I read which were imposing their
beliefs on the rest of this list, were those who were
telling us to not share religious "propaganda" in our
remarks. This secular "propaganda" is just as
prominent in today's society as religious
"propaganda", if not more so. Please keep in mind that
just because some people's beliefs are labeled as
religious, and others as a secular world-view, both
have just as much right to be expressed, as long as
those beliefs are not imposed. As for specifically
defining "imposition" -- I'm sure I can leave that you
all. And as for the tragic incident earlier this week,
my prayers go out to all of those affected, and to the
nation as a whole. God bless.

Respectfully,
Justin Ruckman
whatthemess@-----.com

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