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  %ALIENATIVE MEANS SALVATION EVIL TECHNOLOGY PRIDE+950311
   %MANIPULATIVE PURITY CODES RULES REGULATIONS SIN 950311

     People disagree as to what are the essential means to
salvation.  The means upon which people fixate as means to
salvation   include:    rituals,    beliefs,    doctrines,
avoidances,   rules,  regulations,  taboos,  prohibitions,
mandates,     scriptures,    purity-codes,     perfection,
achievements,  possessions,  wealth,  poverty,  isolation,
immersion, work, alcohol, drugs, sexuality, service, etc.

     The very diversity of what people fixate upon as  the
essential  means  to  salvation---suggests  that  there is
something  wrong  with  the paradigm  of  identifying  the
essential  means  to  salvation.    Many of  the  foci  of
fixation upon what people regard as the essential means to
salvation  are  in and of themselves  neither  essentially
good nor bad; but are prudent within appropriate contexts,
and imprudent within in-appropriate contexts.

     It  is  when  that which is created  and  finite   is
fixated upon as the essential means to salvation---that it
becomes   the   focus  of  human   alienation   and   evil
relationships.     The  paradigm  of  personal   salvation
fixation   is   flawed  in  the  assumption  that  it   is
appropriate  to fixate upon any one specialized  focus  of
attention  as the essential means to  personal  salvation.
Given the flawed assumption---there are a countless number
of ways in which the  flawed assumption is played out with
alienative  consequences.   Disagreements  regarding which
is   the   best   particular   focus---are   just   tragic
consequences of  the flawed assumption that there is  some
essential  means  to  salvation  which  can  be  used   to
distinguish between the good and the evil people,  between
the saved and the dammed.

     The  paradigm of personal-salvation-fixation  focuses
little attention upon personal or communal integrity,  and
so  both  personal and communal integrity  are  sacrificed
upon   the  alters  of  many  particular   fixations   and
addictions: technocratic, scientific, chemical, religious,
alcoholic,   sexual,   work,  scriptural,   philosophical,
secular, political, militaristic, etc.

     When   any   thing   becomes  the  means   to   self-
righteousness  as purity-codes have been used as means  to
self-righteous---the focus of the fixation becomes a means
to: alienation,   personal   disintegration  and  communal
disintegration.    God's  salvation  is  not  under  human
control, and will not come under human control.

                                                                                                                               
                         (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in      
                    (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy)  
                                                                                                                               
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