"Gay clientele" was RE: Erard Wheeeeeee! (Still very OT)

[Bdshull@AOL.COM]

Hi, Kevin,

Interesting that you mention the U.S. Constitution.  Where do we get ideas 
such as the protection of minority rights, or basic human rights (freedom 
from slavery, racial and gender equity, for example?)  You can point to 
Biblical passages which, if you want specifics, give you reason to preserve 
slavery, or keep women shut up in church.  But as for finding a more 
underlying principle about the equal value of all humankind, the Gospel does 
that - even more clearly if you let the Apostle Paul interpret it.  

It took a good dose of deists, athiests and unitarians to arrive at documents 
which helped create a social experiment which seems to have a better handle 
on the idea of human equality than any other state - or church, for that 
matter - I know.  Our churches (most, not all) fought hard to preserve 
slavery, to keep women from having control of their bodies or their lives, 
and to maintain ethnic heirarchy - based on clear statements from Scripture.  
 For as little specific instruction as God gave us in the Bible, I think He 
really wanted us to have to figure a lot of this stuff out - maybe it 
wouldn't stick without our going through the process. The Constitution was 
certainly a great document in that regard, and it still took a couple 
centuries, a Civil War and 80+ years of Jim Crow laws for us to get to the 
place where we began to interpreted it in a way that was helpful for racial 
minorities and women (regardless of women's suffrage). Pretty much the same 
for a number of other evolving democracies around the world.  If that is what 
you mean by "all bets are off, and anything goes; Wheeeeeeeee! Let's go have 
some fun!", then yes, I think we are at least starting to have fun.  

Of course, I'm just one of those libertine Californians, Kevin, who you 
abandoned to endure the rugged Southwest....Glad you are as feisty as ever.  
Should I look forward to the Arizona State Convention in January?!?

Cheers!

Bill

In a message dated 10/4/01 7:02:08 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
ramsey@extremezone.com writes:

<< Bill Schull wrote. 
 
     "Many of today's ethical challenges had not 
 been dreamed of in Biblical times, "
 
     Well, Bill, was the Scripture written by humans, or by Divine 
Inspiration? Do you not think that God could have anticipated our modern 
world? I suppose that, to you, the U.S. Constitution is also a document which 
is subject to modern interpretation as the need arises. In that case, all 
bets are off, and anything goes; Wheeeeeeeee! Let's go have some fun!
 
 
 
 Kevin Ramsey
 ramsey@extremezone.com >>