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From: smb@ulysses.UUCP (Steven Bellovin)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: Yet another "Judaeo-Christian" discussion
Message-ID: <773@ulysses.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 12-Feb-84 23:40:29 EST
Article-I.D.: ulysses.773
Posted: Sun Feb 12 23:40:29 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 14-Feb-84 01:29:11 EST
References: <919@pegasus.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill
Lines: 19

In my own rather cynical opinion, the phrase "Judaeo-Christian" (when
not used in a strictly technical sense, i.e., "Islam is a Judaeo-Christian
religion") is used primarily by public figures who want to speak of "our"
Christian heritage, but have had it drummed into them that not everyone
here is a Christian, or even of Christian ancestry.  Since Jews are the
largest organized non-Christian religion in this country, we get include --
and there's this comfortable historical link besides...  I wonder what phrase
would be used if some other religious group became numerous here.

On the other hand, maybe I shouldn't bother wondering about such things.
There was an interesting article in the NY Times last week about a Buddhist
community in a small, mostly-Baptist town in Texas.  The Buddhist community --
comprised of refugees from Vietnam -- is seeking permission to build a small
temple.  Among the more logical reasons cited for opposing the request is that
"they're a bunch of communists"....  The really amusing part, though, is
that this particular group *deliberately* chose to move to a small Baptist
town, because of all the shared values:  no alcohol, no dirty movies, etc...

Don't mind me, it's been a bad several weeks.