seebs

How would you distinguish between those genuinely inspired by religion, and those for which religion was just an excuse someone used?

Autonemesis

Do we need to distinguish them? If religion is used by a non-believer to cynically manipulate believers, does it really matter that religion was or was not used "as an excuse" rather than a direct motivator?

I don't recall any of the totalitarian atheist governments using Darwin or the Big Bang to justify their abuses. That they were atheist governments was orthogonal to the motivations behind the abuses of human rights. Not so with rights abuses associated with theocratic states or religious movements.

Triple Six

Thanks Kind Bud.

I couldn't have put it better myself. <img src="graemlins/notworthy.gif" border="0" alt="[Not Worthy]" />

Jack the Bodiless

A shopping mall?

Panta Pei

A natural park containing a tree for every human being that died on that very spot.

IMHO.

Dibble Helix

That would be a bloody big park!

I would be in favour of re-building the WTC. Not in the same form but in some new 21st century design. The best way to stand up to terrorists (IMO) is to demonstrate that you will not be cowered by them.

Boro Nut

If only you'd had the foresight to build one on top of each tower in the first place you could have avoided all that frightful unpleasantness.

Boro Nut

[ June 18, 2002: Message edited by: Boro Nut ]</p>

Panta Pei

"That would be a bloody big park!"

Preach on, brother

skuwiph

...Since it can't be left as it was...

This is close to what I feel would be right... If anyone's ever been to any of the First World War cemetries in Northern France/Belgium, you'll know how much of an impact it makes seeing the crosses (ok, a religious symbol, I know) stretching as far as the eye can see, and knowing that every cross represents a real human being whose life was ended.

Jeezus. I'm drunk, and now geting morbid. Where's that post-slutting thread again?