You're Not One Of Us

No true Scotsman is a logical fallacy, an ad hoc attempt to retain an unreasoned assertion. When faced with a counterexample to a universal claim, rather than denying the counterexample or rejecting the original universal claim, this fallacy modifies the subject of assertion to tautologically exclude the specific case or others like it.

Imagine Hamish McDonald, a Scotsman, sitting down with his Glasgow Morning Herald and seeing an article about how the "Brighton Sex Maniac Strikes Again." Hamish is shocked and declares that "No Scotsman would do such a thing." The next day he sits down to read his Glasgow Morning Herald again and this time finds an article about an Aberdeen man whose brutal actions make the Brighton sex maniac seem almost gentlemanly. This fact shows that Hamish was wrong in his opinion but is he going to admit this? Not likely. This time he says, "No true Scotsman would do such a thing."

—Antony Flew, Thinking About Thinking (1975)

Humans are humans are humans. It is good to be horrified by human behavior. It is the group mentality that is most dangerous and we have a strong tendency to self-justification. Christian fall prey to this all the time. When the behaviors of other Christians is found lacking their reply is "Well, they were not TRUE Christians". Sometimes you just got to own up to reality. I don't have to belong to a group except being a human being. Christian history is not better than any other history. When they stop pretending otherwise the world will be a better place because they will stop trying to make the world safe for their twisted reality.

I do not speak for God is the most important lesson a human can learn because we have such a rich history to teach us the results of that.

Have you heard Peter Gabriel’s great song “Your Not One Of Us”? Its a great tune in addition to the pertinent lyrics here:

It’s only water

In a stranger’s tear

Looks are deceptive

But distinctions are clear

A foreign body

And a foreign mind

Never welcome

In the land of the blind

You may look like we do

Talk like we do

But you know how it is

You’re not one of us

Not one of us

No you’re not one of us

There’s safety in numbers

When you learn to divide

How can we be in

If there is no outside

All shades of opinion

Feed an open mind

But your values are twisted

Let us help you unwind

You may look like we do

Talk like we do

-But you know how it is

You’re not one of us

Not one of us

No you’re not one of us