[Coco] Help me digitize Color Computer Magazines

[Joel Ewy]

Dude. 

Ok.  Take a breath.

1.  I appreciate the work you have been doing in developing new hardware
for the CoCo and would really love to see the designs you are working on
come to fruition. 

2.  Bob Devries has also done quite a bit of good in this community and
on this list, including posting MM/1 schematics, as just one recent
example.  Whatever you may think of Bob's evangelical sig, I don't think
I have ever seen him criticize anyone on this list for their presumed or
stated beliefs, morals, or lack thereof.

3.  I agree that Bob's criticism of Tim's grammar could have been worded
a little more nicely, and I also thought it came across as a bit harsh. 
But your response to Bob was way over the top.

4.  "You whack-job Christians are all hypocrites, certainly the least
Christ-likeamong us."  If the implication is that all Christians are
"whack-jobs", that's a pretty ludicrous assertion, but I suppose you are
entitled to that opinion.  I'll certainly grant that many of those who
are most vocal and self-righteous about their christianity are
hypocritic, un-Christ-like, whack-jobs.  But I think you are assuming a
whole lot more about Bob's beliefs and attitudes towards other people
than you can reasonably deduce from his sig, however 'in-your-face' it
may seem.  You may be right, but I certainly don't think Bob's postings
to this list, including the one in question, reflect religious
intolerance on his part.  Hypocracy?  Very likely most Christians, from
Pentacostals to Mennonites to Eastern Orthodox must have a degree of
hypocracy.  But in fact, I doubt there is a person on the face of the
earth who always lives up to his or her own ideals. 

It seems to me that you may have a major beef with the self-appointed
'religious right'.  As a serious Christian, so do I.  When they try to
insist that everybody behave according to their simple-minded,
self-contradictory, literal understanding of the Bible, Fundamentalist
'Christians' give all of religion a bad name.  It's enough to make one
vote a straight Democratic ticket.  But reductionists and literalists of
any philosophical stripe have a serious problem.

While I don't proselytize or verbally advertise my religious beliefs, I
don't think that Bob's sig rises beyond the level of reasonable
self-expression, like wearing a T-shirt with a message printed on it. 
And it certainly has nothing to do with his critique of Tim's grammar. 
Could Bob have done without the "no excuse" crack?  Yes.  Was Bob trying
to force his religious views on anyone on the list?  No more so than
anyone wearing a "Coca Cola" shirt can be said to be trying to force you
to drink Coke.  You may or may not like it, but I don't think it's out
of bounds.

5.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, I applaud what Tim is doing, and
have spent more time this afternoon than I should have working on
magazine digitization tasks, and I've helped Tim find a couple of bugs. 
I for one do care about spelling and grammar, and would like to see it
fixed if I notice an error.  When Bob said there was "no excuse" for it,
I think he was going too far and perhaps coming off a bit rude.  But he
wasn't telling Tim to "get his head out of his ass".

Let's all take a breath and get back to the CoCo.

JCE

Chuck Youse wrote:
> On Sat, 2008-09-06 at 07:36 +1000, Bob Devries wrote:
>   
>> Tim,
>> could you please check and double check spelling and grammar on your 
>> website. I'm sure most of the errors are typos, but in this age of word 
>> processors with built-in spelling checkers, there's really no excuse for 
>> this.
>>
>>     
>
> Oh my.  May I point out from _your_ website, right in the middle of the
> page:
>
> "I was once asked whether a person who, though having accepted the call
> by Jesus to salvation, but never lives a life that shows that, will
> still go to heaven."
>
> Glass houses, Bob, glass houses.  Are you going to tell me that yours is
> a well-constructed sentence, clear in meaning and perfect of grammar?
>
>   
>> --
>> Regards, Bob Devries, Dalby, Queensland, Australia
>>
>> Isaiah 50:4 The sovereign Lord has given me
>> the capacity to be his spokesman,
>> so that I know how to help the weary.
>>     
>
> This really isn't the place for proselytism, but since you wear your
> religion on your sleeve and like to shove it in our faces, like most
> Christians do, on every post, I guess the door is open to explore your
> religious beliefs.  Is Jesus anal about grammar?  Did you feel
> compelled, as the Lord's spokesman, to criticize Tim about his grammar,
> in a PUBLIC forum?
>
> Matthew 6:5: "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites
> are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners
> of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you,
> They have their reward."
>
> Do you understand his point?  Don't blab about your piety and then act
> contrary to the teachings of your Lord -- demonstrate your commitment to
> Christ by keeping your mouth shut and following his example.  You
> whack-job Christians are all hypocrites, certainly the least Christ-like
> among us.
>   
> Tim, thank you for your contributions -- trust me, no one cares about
> your grammar or spelling when you devote your free time to helping the
> community.  Bob, get your ignorant, judgmental head out of your ass.
>
> Kill the unborn, recruit young people to be homosexuals and worship
> Satan, that's what I always say, 
> C.
>
>
>
>
> --
> Coco mailing list
> Coco at maltedmedia.com
> http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
>
>