General Chat

Good grief, that's a lot for me to wade through at this time of night.......who do you think I am at all? Ever tried looking at some of the goodness in the world or do you always see the dark side my friend? :-S :-S



Anyway, if you think I am going to reply tonight, you have another think coming..........I is cream crackered and need my beauty sleep but not quite as much as you need yours judging your avatar :-P


Goodnight.........sweet and happy dreams to you.... <3

I do hope this doesn't get RRd it has been and still is a very interesting read. Elizabeth, I didn't see your post but no way can I imagine that you would have written anything offensive.

This thread has already been RR'd and two posts weren't reinstated. It's an interesting thread although it's making my head spin.

I've always believed that faith - in anything - is a private affair. I don't intend to discuss what I believe or don't believe in but it's good to read varied points of view.

I can't imagine who would RR Elizabeth's post. I didn't read it but every post Elizabeth makes brings a smile to my face.

I believe there is something thing bigger than us - energy, a "god", whatever you want to call it........ but....... it's religion I have a problem with, because it was made up...... probably to keep the peasants in line.

Don't jump on me........ I had a religous upbringing.

My grandparents were Brethren. Grandad had an argument with them, said they were a load of hypocrites, so he and Grandma left, joined another church.

My father kept changing his mind....... probably why I wasn't "baptised" until I was 6. Dad kept changing churches, probably because he argued with all of them.

Dad eventually joined the B'Hai faith

Mum was a SDA

Any wonder I rejected the lot?

:-)

Morning all......just wondered if we would still be here :-D


Annx - prayer is our communication with God and it takes many forms - from the quick "Help" to a meditation. Sometimes, prayer takes the form of a shopping list to Father Christmas.....I want, I want, I want. Some folk, if they don't get what they 'want', take the huff and say that prayer is rubbish.

As parents occasionally used to say......"what you want and what you get are two different things".......so it is with God. Hopefully, we learn to trust and turn to our parents when we are in trouble. So it is with God - we leave the ultimate decision with Him because he knows what is best.

We may not understand why we don't always get what we want but it's a bit like an old tapestry..........the back of it looks completely muddled but, when you turn it over it's a work of art.

As with our dads, the more we get to talk to them, the more we understand where they are coming from :-D Don't know if that helps any :-S




SueMaid, faith is to be a shared thing. If we have a new baby or something wonderful happens in our lives, we automatically want to share the good news with others. So it is with faith - we want to tell others but, I hasten to add, I do NOT believe that having it shoved down one's throat helps. Much better to walk and talk. <3



Scozzie......won't jump on you.......promise..... but I think your posting shows that many of the problems aren't with the faith but with the people and how they act. It's a pity when this sort of thing happens but, human nature being what it is ...............most churches, as in any groups, have experienced fall outs of some sort because members have disagreements. Sad. :-(



Eldrick....if I were in a car wreck? Yes, of course I would be grateful to see a doctor but, I would be equally as glad to know that I was being prayed for. I have faced many situations in my life where the knowledge that people were praying for me has seen me through those dark days.


Now, instead of all the dark and negative things you keep throwing out, please tell us about what makes you happy; what you are grateful for; what gives you a peaceful feeling inside and what makes you smile (and I don't mean in the jokey way).

:-D :-D

But cyn - thats the get out of jail card for all faiths. God knows best. Its a cop out, used to excuse the pernicious and capricious manner in which things appear to work. To see unimaginable suffering then to lamely explain it away as gods will is not doing any religion any credit at all. Its nonsense, has no basis in anything other than the made up stories of ancient illiterate desert dwelling tribes and seized on by the medieval control freaks. More than that, its abhorrent to see the profligate lifestyle of the vatican and compare it to their flock in africa or south america, then say its god will. That is truly obscene! All religion depends on suffering. A christian must believe they were born in sin, fgs! Jesus suffered, saints suffered, everyone must suffer to be saved. The common denominator is an obsession with suffering closely followed by an obsession with controlling your sex life! Well stuff that!


What makes me happy? Lots of things. Comedy, nature, but most of all the wonders of the natural world and science, tangible things that are real, can be touched, seen and felt. And understood without having to resort to supernatural stories from the stone age!

Heres a thing to ponder. We are a tiny speck in the universe. Our galaxy, the milky way, is a very ordinary one, containing billions of stars like our sun. There are billions of other galaxies in the universe. We know more about the origins of the universe every day, with the progress of particle physics and quantum theory, etc. there is no longer any need for any biblical explanation for creation, we know how it happened. If nothing else, that blows the frist bit of the bible clean out of the water. To then consider that this little speck of dust is somewhow special, then to take it further and say that certain totally insignificant people are better than others because of their god is to stretch credulity past breaking point. More than that it is arrogant. It is possible that we are the only planet with life on it, although highly unlikely. To continuously destroy that life in a constant battle over whose god is best is, well, insane.

But at least the snow has stopped for now :-D :-D

Morning Eldrick and all,

Good to see this debate still going on. As I said in one of your
other threads I like you believe there are other forms of life on
other planets, would be arrogant imho to think we are the 'chosen
ones'in the universe.

When you have depleted your vast views on
religion, would be interested to hear what you have to say on
other subjects. :-D

Emma

Thankyou to Eldrick, who, (inadvertently lol), pushed me in the direction of the bookcase last night for a re-read of Beverley Nichols :-D I had forgotten the arguments about the 'mouse under the cat's paw' and Shelley's 'notes on Queen Mab' ;-) It kept me awake late pondering and I always sleep better after a good ponder :-D

Cant beat a good ponder!

GG - dont get me started on things like freedom and liberties, vaccination, taxation, mens fashion products and bottled water.......... :-D :-D

I await with bated breath. :-D :-D

Emma

Sometimes you get what you want :-)

Sometimes you get what you need :-)

Most times you get what you get :-)

Vaccination could be interesting, albeit on a new thread.

A teacher is using the "scientific method" to teach the class about evolution...

TEACHER: Tommy do you see the tree outside?

TOMMY: Yes.

TEACHER: Tommy, do you see the grass outside?

TOMMY: Yes.

TEACHER: Go outside and look up and see if you can see the sky.

TOMMY: Okay. (He returned a few minutes later) Yes, I saw the sky.

TEACHER: Did you see God?

TOMMY: No.

TEACHER: That's my point. We can't see God because he isn't there. He doesn't exist.

A little girl spoke up and wanted to ask the boy some questions. The teacher agreed and the little girl questioned the boy.

LITTLE GIRL: Tommy, do you see the tree outside?

TOMMY: Yes.

LITTLE GIRL: Tommy do you see the grass outside?

TOMMY: Yessssss (getting tired of the questions this time).

LITTLE GIRL: Did you see the sky?

TOMMY: Yessssss.

LITTLE GIRL: Tommy, do you see the teacher?

TOMMY: Yes

LITTLE GIRL: Do you see the teacher's mind?

TOMMY: No.

LITTLE GIRL: Then according to what we were taught today in school, she must not have one!

Eldrick my friend, although you consider what I believe to be :

a) nonsense
b) abhorrent
c) obsessive
d) arrogant
e) obscene
f) insane


I hope, that as a representative of what I believe, I do not come over as any of the above............. :-D :-D :-D

Cynthia, Now you are clutching at straws?

You cannot use some thing like that to prove your point

Science has proved that the human mind does exist

Roy

Science has proved a lot of things that could not be seen 300 years ago, dna, bacteria,the existence of the atom, protons, that the moon is not made of cheese, & all that other stuff that I don't know much about lol I'm only just coping that something I type onto a physical piece of plastic in front of me can appear seconds later for all to read !

It didn't mean those things didn't exist before, just that they are now proven...is it not at least 'possible' that science will one day 'prove' the existence of God?

"Science has proved that the human mind does exist"

True, but science has yet to be entirely cognisant of how the human mind works I think.? because there are so many variations on a theme.
:-D

Oh dear, my humour must have passed you by Roy......sorry about that.



It's not really a case of clutching at straws or of proving a point.....it's just a group of people expressing their thoughts on the topic provided by Eldric.


Eldric is who he is and is entitled to his opinions.


I am who I am and am entitled to mine.


I cannot 'prove' anything to anyone...... faith is within. People with either believe or not believe.

Some have the opportunities to learn and are willing to explore what it's all about - others have the same opportunities and choose to ignore.




I can live with that and still remain friends.




:-D :-D :-D

Cynthia, Your humour did pass me by,

I have followed this thread, so far it has been a really good debate with differing views, opinions, and beliefs,

(a very good read)

I was looking forward to another of your interesting post's but then you appeared to run out of steam? that was my take on that post

That is why i posted

Roy :-D

Wow,!!
Didn,t think this would go on so long!! Interesting!!

I will stay with Cynthia ,
Eldrick how ever some of the points made by you are very simular to Cynthia but seen differently!!

such as the doctors / surgeons !! is where your faith lay., well there are also bad ones as well as good ones! ( same as religeons!!)

we all want the same as you Eldrick in the long run, but its how we achieve it that differs.
Like a workman who is using his tools,( a bad workman always blames his tools). no reflection on you Eldrick just saying in general .

Good luck to you both to a most interesting post.
hope i have not upset anyone.

Flo
SAd to hear that Elizabeth got RRd no way she is offensive. :-(