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 %CONTROL SALVATION ULTIMATE DESTINY FIX REDEMPTION 910225

     At  various  time and places in various  ways  people
have  believed   that  people can be in control  of   each
other's  ultimate   destiny,    salvation,     redemption,
being  o.k., and/or integrity.

     In medieval  times certain authorities in the  church
were presumed to have the power,  authority,  and means to
exercise  control over the ultimate condition of  people's
souls.

     In modern  times corresponding power  is  assumed  to
reside  in the hands of medical doctors,  men who  control
weapons of mass destruction, political leaders, etc.

     Some modern people have surrendered themselves to the
leadership  of modern religious leaders whose  motivations
may  reasonably  be questions by healthy people not  under
the control of such religious leaders.

     Some modern  people  presumed  that  in  some magical
way modern scientists will be able to fix  things so  that
everything will be ultimately o.k.  in ways that they have
never been o.k. before.

     In each  such instance people have  been  willing  to
assume that in some profound way other persons could be in
control of their ultimate destiny, salvation,  redemption,
being o.k.,  integrity, etc.  It is taken for granted that
there  is  something ultimately defective about  a  person
which must be fixed, compensated for, paid for, or in some
way improved upon before the condition of being ultimately
o.k. or perfect can exist.

     If  the traditional assumption were not  made,   then
many  people   would  lose their power to  control,    and
would   be  disappointed;     while those  who  have  been
controlled  under  the  traditional assumption might  find
that they had  been set  free,   and were favored by their
creator  just  as  they  are.     The   politics  of   the
manipulation   of   the   power   of   salvation   depends
profoundly  upon what assumption is  made about the nature
of  the creator and ground of being,    and upon   whether
or    not the power  to   control  people's salvation   is
granted to creatures of any  kind   by  the creator of all
beings.
                                                                                                                               
                         (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in      
                    (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy)  
                                                                                                                               
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