> Do you fear death? I do. And it wouldn't matter if God came to me and told
> me I would go straight to heaven. I still fear death.
> If I had never been exposed to the Book of Mormon I probably wouldn't
> belong to any religion. Or if I was catholic I probably would never have
> come back since I wouldn't have had the same experiences.
>Joe Dees here.
>To quote "Dune"; Fear is the mind-killer.
>Fear of the annihilation concomittant with death is the root
>inspiration for most religious belief. The terrified mind clings to
>it's opiate-of-choice faith, regardless of its irrationality, as an
>infant clings to its security blanket in the dark.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: sodom <Sodom@ma.ultranet.com>
> To: virus@lucifer.com <virus@lucifer.com>
> Date: Tuesday, June 16, 1998 12:28 PM
> Subject: Re: virus: Virus: Opinions?
>
>
> >That is perfectly typical case. you are most certainly infected with a meme
> >beyond your control. I would say that had you been a Catholic at first,
> then
> >left, you would have gone back to Catholocism. The religion doesn't matter.
> You
> >simply feel the need to belong, the desire for life to have meaning, to
> aleviate
> >the fear of death, to give yourself a sense of purpose.
> >
> >Had you never believed, you would have still had the burning desire, but it
> >would have been aimed differently. you would have aimed this "quest for
> purpose"
> >at knowledge, history, science and art. You would have developed your own
> sense
> >of worth based upon your own actions and dependent upon no-one else. You
> would
> >be content with your real purpose - Be born, live, reproduce, die - and you
> >would have created for yourself your own purpose.
> >
> >Sodom
> >
> >Johnny Rea wrote:
> >
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: sodom <Sodom@ma.ultranet.com>
> >> To: virus@lucifer.com <virus@lucifer.com>
> >> Date: Tuesday, June 16, 1998 11:08 AM
> >> Subject: Re: virus: Virus: Opinions?
> >>
> >> >
> >> > Johnny, you seem like a good guy, but after reading this last
> paragraph I
> >> >understand a lot more about you now. Am I correct in assuming that you
> were
> >> >raised a Mormon? And if so, were you told your entire life about the
> Book
> >> of
> >> >Mormon, and how Joseph Smith was visited by God and found the tablets
> and
> >> such?
> >> >Be careful how you answer this, and be honest to us and yourself.
> >> >
> >> >Also, that saying, there are no Atheists in foxholes, is only uttered by
> >> >believers, all Atheists know how absurd that is. I have seen death first
> >> hand
> >> >and I have been afraid for my life. That statement is a emotional
> security
> >> >blanked for believers, it is a joke to Atheists.
> >> >
> >> >Sodom
> >> >
> >>
> >> I am a good guy! I was raised in the church from 6 until I was 18 at
> which
> >> time I became
> >> inactive. I remained inactive until last year when I decided that there
> was
> >> nothing
> >> else out there that meant anything to me. In all the 10 years I was
> >> inactive I
> >> never once lost my belief in Mormonism. The fact that I came back had
> >> nothing to
> >> do with anything I was told as a child and young man. I came back
> because I
> >> began reading the Book of Mormon again and testimonies of others and felt
> >> the
> >> burning in my 'bosom'. I knew I had to come back.
> >
> >
> >
> >
>