h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

On both these points, I would say that if either extreme case happened then of course you/I'd do something about it. Now, the tempting thing is to say "yeah I'd go and smash #10" but obviously that ain't gonna happen.
But if the government -did- start getting all Nazi then I think that would be the only option. To go outside and destroy. That's my opinion. Maybe -I'm- being too extreme as well. But there we are.

Heh. Feisty little fellow, aren't you. I would like to make it clear that I would not advocate marching on No.10 - it would make no difference, you'd get arrested and be branded a fanatic. The government chooses to ignore or pay attention to things depending on how much spin they can put on them to make themselves look good.

Maybe it's my cynicism, but I don't think that revolutionary action will make any difference - the world of 1984 will not be thrust upon us suddenly, it will arrive quietly, almost without us noticing it. The people who notice it will not be listened to. People will read the papers and say "hmm, that's interesting." Then, we'll have to wait for civilisation to collapse before we can be free again.

Sorry to sound so depressing. Hmm.. actually, I don't believe it will get as bad as all that - that would require organisation, and although a government made up of six hundred and sixty-five (oh so close!) people all after their own personal gratification can achieve great things for oppression, it's not organised enough to really make a go of it. They can just make it so bad that you want to leave.

Damn - I should be in charge!!! No, I shouldn't, but someone with any morals at all should!! Tony - no!! Actually, I wouldn't mind having Gargleblaster for PM. Oh yeah, he'd shut down all the churches, legalise lots of stuff I don't like and make illegal a lot of stuff I do, but at least he'd damn well tell you what he was doing and why!!!

Oh yeah, I was saying that if anything as extreme as what you described happened, then we'd probably have to take up arms .

Feisty fellow? Have you seen my homepage?

Bring back Thatcher as PM!

Jeez, good thing I've got my music to get me through all this stuff. Christianity may be a great comfort to some, but my faith is in HM .

Exactly how sarcastic were those last two comments (about those two old hags)?

What, about Prime Ministers?

Very sarcastic from my end. I couldn't be f****d sideways about politics. I figure that Blair is a hippy and Thatcher is the Iron Maiden, and we should never have stopped trashing French imports at the docks.

I may be in the wrong, but I really don't care. Politics and religeon both suck.

Ah, so you're a typical anarchist. But what did you mean by "but my faith is in HM"? and was it sarcastic?

Oh no, that was kinda serious. Maybe sarcastic in that nobody really thinks of music as a religeon, but hey...

Think about it. People get comfort out of praying to some clouds and imagining that 'god' is saying "you will be happy if you kill non-christians".
Me, I get comfort out of playing a loud Thrash Metal cd that says "kill them all! Doesn't matter who! Christians or Jews none gives a f***!"

So, there really is not much difference between them.

Yes, a definate anarchist

Oh no, not an anarchist.
-Proper- anarchy is people living together without amy authority to bind them together, or something like that.
Really it's an excuse for people to go on the rampage without fear of arrest.
I think anarchists should stop talking bull about "really all I want is to live without police breathing down my neck" and admit that all they want to do is destroy.

Admittadly, I wouldn't mind destroying as well, but not in the name of anarchy. I think I'm more of a 'criminal' than an 'anarchist'.

I've made allusions to the fact that Christians are up to some terrible stuff even today; here's something concrete: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000318/ts/uganda_cult.html

Like I said before. They couldn't -possibly- be christians. -Poroper- christians never think silly things like that. How could a -true- christian -ever- bring themself to kill their fellows bible-humpers?

Tsk tsk. Maybe you confused them with jews or some other sinners...

Maybe they read a verse like "to die is gain" (Phillipians 1:21) and ignored the second part of the verse "to live is Christ".

They'd have been better served to read Ecclesiastes 9:5 - "For the living know that they are to die, but the dead no longer know anything. There is no recompense for them, because all memory of them has been lost."

Ressurrection, indeed. I tried to add this and a bunch of other illuminating Old Testament quotes to the article, but it seems the TEXTAREA has a limit to the amount of information it will hold.

You guys actually -read- the bible?

Notice how all the believers have gone...

No, still here.

Interesting points about anarchy above. And heavy metal. I wouldn't mind that so much if all the bloody "Church of Christ" Satan Worshipping Black Metal bands weren't such bloody hypocrites. Oh, admittedly, there are probably some in the real underground who actually do worship satan, but we never hear about those in the media, do we? I mean, Marilyn Manson, to name the most famous. Some nice, if mediocre, guitar music and a voice which is actually quite good if you pay attention and ignore the hype, but please, why claim to be the children of satan or whatever, and then complain when someone blames your music for making people go out and kill other people? Me, if I was preaching satanism I'd flippin' crow about a coup like that! It would mean that your music would get banned, until the freedom of speech lobby pulled in, but oh so much more publicity for the cause, and what an underground following you'd have. The only downside would be...no more money. Well, I wonder what they're following, the free cause of anarchy, or the nice green bits of paper. Anyway, as Ozzy Ozbourne once said (or someone said of Oz, I can't remember exactly but he was involved) "Heavy Metal is the only pure pop music left - everywhere else the lyrics have to mean something. Only heavy metal has the freedom to write lyrics about absolutely bugger all." (paraphrased somewhat)

And if you're asking Gargleblaster if he actually reads the Bible, how else did you think that he wrote that article? He's probably better studied on the Bible than most common or garden everyday Christians these days, the old school thought of actually reading and learning it being well lost. Doesn't necessarily make him right, but it makes him someone worth listening to...

Although not about cults. I'm not going to reopen the whole "they couldn't have been real Christians" thing because you've heard it so much that you're either convinced or not by now. I will say that if you read the article that there are a lot of references to the organisation as being not only led by people rejected from the church (and if it's anything like the english church you actually have to say "I don't believe in God, go home" to all your church members and then rape two old ladies to even get a rap on the knuckles, getting excommunicated must mean that they were quite seriously anti-God), but also as being a miltant sect, an offshoot, etc etc. Seriously, Christians are no less physically capable of doing stuff like that, and are no less susceptible to being led astray by a bad leader, than anybody else. However Christians have to turn their backs on God in order to intentionally kill someone, because if you have the spirit in you, it's impossible to actually carry out however many urges you have. Trust me.

Enough of this. For some reason, on TV tonight there was a Simpsons Haloween Special and an ER Christmas episode. That's British scheduling for you. Have a Merry Christmas everyone

McD

I see nothing wrong with studying or reading the bible - there's some useful stuff in among the rubbish. But the problem is most people who read the bible tend to believe every single phrase uttered in there. That's why I find quoting irritating - to prove their side of the argument the Christians dig up all kinds of great phrases but did they stop to think that this would be totally meaningless to though who dare suspect the bible? I do think there is some truth in the bible and it had a use. But to take it literally...

If you put the verse back in context you might find a different meaning.

Actually, if you read the rest of the passage, say, the beginning of chapter 9 through 9:12, you'll find more of the same. It's a wonderful passage, one of the few wise and truly inspirational sections of the entire mess. It says, to paraphrase, that you might as well go out and enjoy the good things in life now, because when you die, it is over. There is nothing. It also says that you cannot possibly know your own fate, so don't go fretting over it. It sums up my own philosophy quite well. If it's more you want, more you shall have:

9:2-...there is the same lot for all, for the just and the wicked, for the good and the bad, for the clean and the unclean, for him who offers sacrifice and him who does not.

9:4-5 Indeed, for any among the living there is hope; a live dog id better off than a dead lion. For the living know that they are to die, but the dead no longer know anything.

9:10 Anything you can turn your hand to, do with what power you have; for there will be no work, nor reason, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the nether world where you are going.

Looks like I got the context just about right.

But does it matter? So what if the book says this and that - IT'S JUST A BOOK!

I tried reading the bible one. It burned marks into my hands, my skin started peeling, and my eyes turned read. *^_^*
Actually, no. I got totally bored out of my skull very quickly.

"Woe to you o earth and sea, for the devil sends the beast with wrath because he knows the time is short. Let him who hath understanding reckon the number of the beast, for it is a human number. It's number is six hundred and sixty six."
That's the only bit I know, other than Jesus wept, and even that's slightly misquoted. It's in a HM song, y'see.

Mariyln Manson. Don't you understand how HM is being fuckin' raped by all those American wankers. I fuckin' hate America for what they're doing to HM! It's all "I am the antichrist lalala" or "kill yer parents sell yer soul children". All fuckin' stereotyped crap that gives HM a bad name.
British music ain't totally innocent, as bands are getting affected by the American shit coming to our shores.
On older stuff, well Black Sabbath did a bit of "I luv Satan" but I'm don't know them v well.

Iron Maiden were victims of the ignorant bible-bashing Americans. Maiden got a whole lot of fuss kicked up by a load of ignorant dickheads who'd read too much "kill Jews and HM bands yeh yeh yeh!"
Luckily it didn't affect their performance. So they write songs about death and Satan and that. Doesn't mean they're kill babies. I could write a song that said "kill your komrades", maketh me not a sinner.

Methinks I could name more bands that are innocent of xtian stereotyping.

Uuuh...I was going to say something else too *^_^*