Ahhh! hahaha! You  know I was thinkinig OUR John Doe, right?
And I am thinking, he's a KILLER?

I saw the movie Seven, very disturbing.

Thanks, Matthew.

thank you Matt for the clearing
and I do enjoy your top posts

she got me good on that one

have you seen, the wicker man?

I know i brought it up before
but I would and would not reccomend it

you won't forget it.

I saw 7 thrice now...

it's not all that deep

sorta

it does pull you in, but no more than the usual good movi3

Yep. I had a course in Islam in the 1990s. The Koran forbids violence.
However, just as the Bible can be used to justify any heinous thing we
can imagine (such as the persecution of homosexuals and forcing women
to bring pregnancies to term), so can the Koran.

The example I like because it is so simple: I have heard so-called
Christians use the "eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth" quote from
the Bible to justify revenge. But they leave out the next line, which
of course is, ""But justice is mine,' sayeth the Lord."

Christianity is a gentle and beautiful thing in its intended form, for the
most part, as is Islam. The very need for religions dictates that it must
be men who will twist their original good intentions and use them for
evil.

That may be a bit obtuse, so I will try again. I mean to say that the need
for organized religion exists because man is capable of so much destructive
and cruel behavior, and does not, on his own, control it very well--if he
tries
at all, and of course many exert considerable effort and creativity toward
justifying the selfish things they do that hurt others.

It makes sense then that these very things would be the undoing of much of
the good that religion can do.

People are bright and resourceful, especially in the service of their needs.

It was therefore a short hop, no great leap at all, for "Do unto others
as you would have others do unto you" to become, "I am a kinder person
than you are and therefore BETTER than you! I follow the rules of the
Bible (often taken from archaic texts, Old Testament brutalities that no
longer make sense in this world) so I am BETTER than you!

Religion used to serve the base need everyone seems to have to elevate
themselves above others.

This is what allows Barry to feel comfortable using that condescending
tone with you, what allows Barry to dare say to you, someone he really
does not know, "I think your heart is big enough for the truth." As though
he dares to presume that he can weigh the substance, measure the size
of your heart and pronounce judgment on it. Extremely un-Christian.

Some use cars and clothes, some religion. Some
education. I'm not immune--I was the geeky kid who dove into learning
because it was something I did well and got rewarded for and it made
me feel I had some worth. I stop short of saying that everyone who is
formally educated is BETTER than everyone who is not. Because it just
is not true.

However: Barry is a wonderful example of a man with a rich innate
intelligence and creativity who is, at the same time, stunningly ignorant,
due to the tiny parameters of the world in which he has lived all his life.

It is as though he begins to rise like a Phoenix above the wasteland of his
life again and again just to get strangled down by the tiny parameters of
the world he knows. By the low standards of the people all around him.
By the dismal shortness of vision of those around him.

It is really sad.