[594] in libertarians
A Christianity and Politics List
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Vernon Imrich)
Wed Feb 1 19:15:09 1995
To: mit-xians@MIT.EDU, libertarians@MIT.EDU
Reply-To: vimrich@MIT.EDU
Date: Wed, 01 Feb 1995 19:04:05 EST
From: Vernon Imrich <vimrich@MIT.EDU>
In case any of you are interested in a discussion of Christianity
and "libertarian" politics there is a moderated list that you may
want to join. Libertarianism has been getting some press recently
(Wall Stree Journal, Washington Post, etc.) often portrayed as a
"countering force" to the so-called "religious right" within the GOP
or as a new third party altogether. As a Christian and a Libertarian
I can reccommend this list. Here is a description of it:
|> CHRISTLIB!
|>
|> This is a mailing list for discussion of issues in the realm
|> where faith and politics meet - specifically Christian faith and
|> libertarian politics. The watchword of the list is "respect": it
|> is not necessary to agree with everyone (not to mention wildly
|> improbable, if not downright impossible), but it IS both possible
|> and necessary to treat everyone with mutual courtesy. Apply the
|> Golden Rule. Then err on the side of caution, and apply it again.
|> There are plenty of newsgroups for flaming; I'd like this to be a
|> more productive "place".
|>
|> If you ever want to add or remove yourself from this mailing list,
|> you can send mail to "Majordomo@teleport.com" with one of the
|> following commands in the body of your email message:
|>
|> subscribe christlib yourname@yoursite.place
|> unsubscribe christlib yourname@yoursite.place
|>
|>
|> WHO IS WELCOME?
|> - First and foremost, my fellow libertarian Christians.
|> - Second, people who hold one half of that pair of beliefs, but
|> not the other, and who are interested in discussing the matter.
|> - Third, people who hold neither, but who are also interested in
|> discussing the matter.
|>
|> WHO IS NOT WELCOME?
|> - Flamers. If you are unable to treat people who hold one half or
|> the other of that pair of beliefs, this is not the list for you.
|> There are numerous newsgroups where the issue can be argued in
|> harsher fashion, and flames belong there. If you are implacably
|> opposed to either libertarian politics or Christian faith, this
|> is NOT the list for you.
|>
|> The potential range of topics is, to put it mildly, broad. The
|> following are ones that occur to me, and which I hope to see
|> discussed. But others will arise, and are just as appropriate.
|>
|> - BASICS
|> "Christianity" and "libertarianism" are both terms to which many
|> definitions are applied, including mutually contradictory ones.
|> What do you and I mean when we use them? What sorts of qualifiers
|> do we add to promote clarity? What helps increase understanding,
|> and what retards it?
|>
|> - CHRISTIANS AMONG LIBERTARIANS
|> Most libertarians aren't Christians. Many libertarians (and
|> members of related beliefs like Objectivism) are actively
|> anti-Christian. How do you and I deal with such people? What
|> works, and what doesn't? When do we press our case, and when do
|> we refrain? What can we be doing that we aren't, and what are we
|> doing that we shouldn't?
|>
|> - LIBERTARIANS AMONG CHRISTIANS
|> Most Christians aren't libertarians. Many Christians are, if
|> they're familiar with libertarian ideas, actively
|> anti-libertarian. How do you and I deal with such people? What
|> works, and what doesn't? When do we press our case, and when do
|> we refrain? What can we be doing that we aren't, and what are we
|> doing that we shouldn't?
|>
|> - FOUNDATIONS
|> How do libertarian politics follow from Christian belief? How do
|> we get from one to the other? How do we justify our conclusions
|> when dealing with those who disagree?
|>
|> - HISTORY
|> Who are our intellectual ancestors? Each of us probably has some
|> favorite influences; let's share them.
|>
|> Yours for edifying discussion,
|>
|> Bruce Baugh
|> bruceab@teleport.com
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| Vernon Imrich | market failure, n. The inabilty of the |
| MIT, Dept. OE | market to recover from a blow by |
| Cambridge, MA 02139 | intervention. (The Exchange) |
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| MIT LP: http://www.mit.edu:8001/activities/libertarians/home.html |
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