Robert,
I want to thank you publicly for the moderate tone of
your post regarding your interaction with user Dietary
Fiber. I, being much less patient, would simply have
told him, "Eat me!" (Or as Wormwood said to the junior
tempter in The Screwtape Letters, "Bring us back food
or be food yourself." ;-)
I have stayed out of the discussion on "idol worship"
and "idolatry" for a long time, but from the little I
can gather, the issue seems to boil down to this:
1. Some people believe that it is wrong to worship idols,
i.e., that it is an evil practice forbidden by divine
decree.
2. Some people (perhaps not exactly the same bunch
mentioned in #1 above) use the word *idolatry* to
mean "the evil practice of worshipping idols".
It would be unfortunate if we entitled a Wikipedia
article as [[Idolatry]], as that would connote that our
official position condemns idol worship. Although I
personally oppose idol worship, I agreed when I first
signed in that I would leave my beliefs out of the
articles. Rather, I promised to help write neutral
articles.
Whatever the various advocates in the scholarly or
religious world, or even in the general public, believe
about idols and their worship -- please allow me to
suggest that we simply DESCRIBE and REPORT those
beliefs.
* "Some Jews, Catholics or Unificationists believe X."
* "Some believe Y."
* "Mr. Z, author of The ABC of Idol Worship, believes
PDQ."
As to the specifics, if Dietary Fiber actually *forged*
a comment from you, I'll have to have a talk with him.
But if he simply misunderstood you, that's different.
Humbly beseeching your continued restraint, I wish to
remain,
Sincerely yours,
Ed Poor