Posted by Bartholomew on January 28, 2002 at 13:45:16:
In Reply to: Re: All are reading too much into Daniel words posted by Insight on January 28, 2002 at 10:05:22:
: : : He can state his beliefs as a believer and he isn't trying to directly impugn anyone.
: : I am not questioning his right to state his beliefs. I am questioning his right to state them as facts rather than as possibilities. His condescension is the problem, not his message. Saying, "Perhaps you will understand if you believe what I believe" implies STRONGLY that you do not already understand. It has no respect, if you know what I mean.
: Consider Daniel to be like a sports fan who believes strongly in his team.
: No harm done by a little "rah rah".
Quite a bit of harm can be done by a little "rah rah." People can get killed or injured badly. Being a European soccer fan, for instance, is not the safest of hobbies.
Although, I do admit that saying "We're the best!" (which is closer to Daniel's message than "rah rah") in support of one's sports team is not really so serious. There is a reason for that: the statement is socially acceptable, and it's generally not taken entirely literally; it's just a traditional thing to say to indicate team spirit. Additionally, even when taken entirely seriously, it doesn't provoke so much anger as asserting the superiority of one's religious beliefs does. Think about holy war.