Greg_F says: Read ahead for some facts on how "well-meaning" and "not mean-spirited" he was, Joe & then get back to us, OK?

Like I say, Greg, he was a conservative man with conservative politics. And he was certainly more "well-meaning" and "not mean-spirited" than some who post here in the name of liberalism.

He had his faults, and I generally disagreed with both his religious views and his politics, but I do think he meant well. And while his religion and politics were not my cup of tea, I think he was able to communicate with conservatives in a way I'm not able to to. He was able to temper the anger and prejudice and mean-spiritedness of Christian conservatives in the face of hateful people like Falwell and so many other televangelists.

I actually believe that people I disagree with can do a lot of good that I cannot do myself. I don't see people with ideas that conflict with mine, as necessarily being evil.

But then, I'm not an ideologue. I see a lot more grey, than I see black-and-white. I know that born-again people think that you have to believe things correctly or you won't be saved, but I don't buy that. Interestingly, those people I call "born-again atheists" seem to have that same basic belief held by the "born-again Christians" - that you won't be saved unless you have the correct ideology.

-Joe-