MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 2331

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) Some on the list may think this a waste of space but ...
	by Nicole Fletcher <fletchn-+AT+-telusplanet.net>
  2) RE: MERCEDES-LACKEY digest 2330
	by "Hill, Susan" <susan.hill-+AT+-weyerhaeuser.com>

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Sun, 18 Jun 2000 21:26:24 -0600
From: Nicole Fletcher <fletchn-+AT+-telusplanet.net>
To: mercedes lackey <mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk>
Subject: Some on the list may think this a waste of space but ...
Message-ID: <394D92E0.B75FD86D-+AT+-telusplanet.net>

"Well.  Heyla Listsibs!"

"OK, so I'm a sentimental daughter, shoot me!  I just want to say 'Happy
Father's Day' to all the Dads out there!  I think it's great that we
have a day set aside for all of our great-and-hardworking fathers!"

-Nicole (Her Daddy's little girl!)


P.S.  Save the sheep!  Eat a vegitarian!




------------------------------

Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2000 10:39:55 -0700
From: "Hill, Susan" <susan.hill-+AT+-weyerhaeuser.com>
To: "'mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk'" <mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk>
Subject: RE: MERCEDES-LACKEY digest 2330
Message-ID: <872A9D7CC09CD11188CE00805FBB042E05BFFD0E-+AT+-emswwc7.weyer.com>

> From: "Barbara Martin" <Barbara-+AT+-joymartin.freeserve.co.uk>
		From: "Hill, Susan" <susan.hill-+AT+-weyerhaeuser.com>
		>you get the same "the reason clergy are
		forbidden to pray for victory" scenario there too
> Call me daft and shallow if you wish (it's happened before) but I never
> really understood this...
> 
Okay, I agree - it took me a while to figure that one out too, and here's my
take, and as always, my opinion so take with big ole peice of rock salt. :)

I think its a cause/effect kind of thing - By praying for victory and then
if victory ensues, you could have sects claiming that THEIR deity was
responsible, and it was divine will that the Valdemarians (is that the right
term?) whomped on some Karsite butt. <grin> It also may lend some "validity"
to one sect over another - say a militant religion vs. a peaceful one - and
the "There is no one true way" thing may get skewed by saying "We prayed and
then we won the battle. Our god is better than your god."  Or, "We prayed
for victory, we lost. Our god has abandoned us! We better join the church of
the winning side or we'll burn in hell. " Basically, it comes down to
creating some value judgements on a significant peice of society - lending
that type of validity to one peice creates tension between all the peices. 

Religion is a very icky sticky thing, and people react to it very strongly.
Trying to keep a level playing field like they have in Valdemar is probably
impossible.  Closest I think we've got in our world is something like the US
with the separation of religion and state, with freedom of religion a major
component in that. But we still have our problems - especially since we tend
to immediately work from a Judeo-Christian perspective and look twice at
anyone who isn't coming from there. 

I'll quit pontificating my theories now - if anyone else has different
insight, please share!
-Susan


------------------------------

End of MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 2331
**********************************