{
  "export": {
    "source": "https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/whorl/1377",
    "note": "Exported from an unofficial mirror of a public mailing list. Copyright in each message remains with the person who wrote it.  Email addresses are obscured as `user at host`, the form the original archive published. This file was rebuilt from parsed fields rather than retained headers, so it is faithful in content but not byte-exact.",
    "addresses": "obscured as 'user at host'"
  },
  "archive": "whorl",
  "thread": {
    "id": 1377,
    "subject": "On Gods",
    "messages": 1,
    "voices": 1,
    "first": "2001-04-19T15:04:38+00:00",
    "last": "2001-04-19T15:04:38+00:00"
  },
  "messages": [
    {
      "message_id": "<whorl-v0012-0656@digest.urth.net>",
      "from": {
        "name": "James Jordan",
        "address": "jbjordan4 at home.com"
      },
      "date": "2001-04-19T15:04:38+00:00",
      "subject": "(whorl) On Gods",
      "in_reply_to": null,
      "reply_link": null,
      "blocks": [
        {
          "kind": "text",
          "depth": 0,
          "text": "Dan'l,\n\tGood post on gods. Just a note from a professional Old Testament teacher: \nthe word \"gods\" ('elohim) is used for angels and for human judges. At root, \nit means \"power/s.\" Certainly the Israelites continued to fool with other \n\"false\" gods, as the OT shows us all the time. But having no other gods \n\"before Me\" does not imply approval or a temporary toleration of idolatry, \nbut rather means that no created power is to be placed equal to the Creator.\n\tTo use Biblical language, Clinton and Bush are gods. So are volcanoes, \nhurricanes, and any other power in the world that is more powerful than \nhuman beings. We have to respect such gods, but never confuse them with the \nCreator, or render them worship as we do the Creator. I don't think Yahweh \nexpected any less of ancient Israel.\n\tAnd I think this is also part of what Wolfe is dealing with. Such gods do \nexist, and some are bad gods who want the worship that should go only to \nthe Outsider/Pancreator/Increate. One has to sort this out: properly \nrespecting such gods without worshipping them, even if some of them try to \ndemand it.\n\tAs for Operation ARES: I'd enjoy a discussion on Urth list. Any takers? \nSure, it's inferior, but interesting.  I wish Wolfe would let somebody \npublish the whole thing, which I recall as being about 3x as long as the \npublished version. Even inferior Wolfe is good, and it would be fun to read.\n\nNutria\n\n\n*This is WHORL, for discussion of Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun."
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}