Lauren! It's Lei. I'm about to leave you the longest comment you've ever received.
Weird, but I totally got this forward months ago from my extremely conservative uncle, and our family had a huge debate about it. Thought you might be interested in reading it. It's gonna be long, so feel free to not. Hehe. There's my Dad, my Dad's brother Jim, and then there's me.
Dad: Hey Jim, Good to hear from you as always. Thanks for the words of wisdom. Can you or anyone on this mailing list clarify something for me in this e-mail? When addressing the radical Muslim issue, Prime Minister Howard commented that "Australia was a secular state" and must be accepted as such. In the same article, however, he recognized Australia as a "Christian nation". My dictionary defines secular as "not pertaining to to religion". Do you know what he means when talking about a secular, Christian nation? I've heard this elsewhere and can't figure it out.
Thanks, Jim. Appreciate hearing from you.
Jim's Response: You are clever Michael. . . . addressing your concerns would best be suited metaphorically. . . .otherwise the objective becomes lost in the subjective. . . . lets say we have a train rolling merrily down the tracks, everyone on it is going along and having a jolly good time. they are heading to point A. the train stops and picks up a new passenger who clearly had an opportunity to take another train that was heading for his destination but his desire was to take this specific train to persuade all of these passengers that his destination was a better one. He wants to go to point B. No one wants to go to point B except the new passenger. Another stop is made and five thousand more passengers board at the behest of the "new" passenger and suddenly a shift occurs. the train is now "forced" to go to point B. Hmmmmm. I believe the Prime Minister is attempting to avoid this shift for the sake of what the majority of his country (point A passengers) currently believes is their destiny. perhaps the use of secularism and Christianity needs the useful poetic license it use to enjoy before it was so vehemently attacked to espouse the broad brush Australia and AMERICA was founded on and once again re-assert itself as a melting pot . . . . instead of a tossed salad.
Weird, but I totally got this forward months ago from my extremely conservative uncle, and our family had a huge debate about it. Thought you might be interested in reading it. It's gonna be long, so feel free to not. Hehe. There's my Dad, my Dad's brother Jim, and then there's me.
Dad: Hey Jim,
Good to hear from you as always. Thanks for the words of wisdom. Can you or anyone on this mailing list clarify something for me in this e-mail?
When addressing the radical Muslim issue, Prime Minister Howard commented
that "Australia was a secular state" and must be accepted as such.
In the same article, however, he recognized Australia as a "Christian
nation". My dictionary defines secular as "not pertaining to to religion".
Do you know what he means when talking about a secular, Christian nation?
I've heard this elsewhere and can't figure it out.
Thanks, Jim. Appreciate hearing from you.
Jim's Response:
You are clever Michael. . . .
addressing your concerns would best be suited metaphorically. . . .otherwise the objective becomes lost in the subjective. . . .
lets say we have a train rolling merrily down the tracks, everyone on it is going along and having a jolly good time. they are heading to point A.
the train stops and picks up a new passenger who clearly had an opportunity to take another train that was heading for his destination but his desire was to take this specific train to persuade all of these passengers that his destination was a better one. He wants to go to point B.
No one wants to go to point B except the new passenger.
Another stop is made and five thousand more passengers board at the behest of the "new" passenger and suddenly a shift occurs. the train is now "forced" to go to point B.
Hmmmmm.
I believe the Prime Minister is attempting to avoid this shift for the sake of what the majority of his country (point A passengers) currently believes is their destiny.
perhaps the use of secularism and Christianity needs the useful poetic license it use to enjoy before it was so vehemently attacked to espouse the broad brush Australia and AMERICA was founded on and once again re-assert itself as a melting pot . . . . instead of a tossed salad.
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