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personal responsibiility (was Re: 19 personal notes on the 'christian v. secular' debate)

our dear marky mark made a very interesting connection
b/w propensities/weakness and musical stimuli.  i've
never heard that before.  tres interesant.

i'm not sure where i stand on this one, but i'll throw
out what seeps in and out my brain about it...

first, i read something on this related to bono at the
cornerstone magazine site.  interesting link the guy
made with personal responsibility not being separable
from personal holiness/purity/attach-virtue-here. 
basically that it's not bono's platform or fame that
makes him sooooo responsible: we all have those
responsibilities.  so i'm stewing.

what i'm thinking about is: what is it that actually
leads people to "stumble," for lack of a
non-christianese term?--and what is the definining
issue in our conviction about not doing that to
others?  this prolly goes back to arminianism vs.
calvinism.

mark's comment caught my attention especially:

"This is why 
I
think there are universal absolutes.  It is
universally irresponsible 
of
Eminem, because there are people out there who will be
affected--he may
not be aware of this on a conscious level, but it
still exists."

-->but you're a scholar aren't you?  in scholarship,
you deal with ideas and concepts...linked to world
views.  maybe even maps for reality, like
writers/artists (hi, steve!).  ideas can be very
dangerous.  certain ones can indulge all sorts of
sin...who we think we are in the universe is a big
deal.

you talked later about ideas and what if you're wrong
etc...that not being arrogant is enough to dim the
possibility of tripping up someone else...but is it?  

how much of this is in our hands?  'cause it's
important: i'm tempted to think that philosophy and
ideas are more dangerous than lyrics to a rap song or
images from a movie...b/c they're the source.

and even if you or i am "right"...we won't have it
_all_ perfectly right since we're human etc.  my
question might be: for which things is god's
provisional grace with regard to our effect in/on the
world?

like you said: "If I sell
the subject of someone's addiction to them I may not
even be able to
recognize I'm doing it, but it doesn't change the fact
that I did it"

anyone know where that line is?  i think mark was
going for one here, by saying,

"and I
did it for my own gain--this is where I'm talking
about 
self-censorship."

and i think outloud: but the road to hell...

mark: "it's when people start to act 
out
of their own selfishness that abortion clinic bombers,
and the like are
bred."

so it's a hard heart thing?  i don't know if those
things are easily tied to selfishness...at least not
on the logical/conscious level of those doing them. 
ultimately you could link fanatical crimes with regard
to trying to earn holiness, to protect god...some
ultimate pride in self to even assume one could do
such a thing...to stand on the throne of judgment.

mabye it is a hard heart thing...

-j. marie


=====
All human nature vigorously resists grace because grace changes us and the change is painful. -Flannery O'Connor

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