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

Actually just for the record;

Genesis: Babylonian, not sumerian, I think... right up to the part about adam and eve, which is native to judaism. For the most part I don't have a problem with it as a creation myth but the thing is you can't look at it as a literal record of historic events, or it of course is nonsense. It is intended to be a metaphysical description of reality and the symbols it employs to this end are for the most part universal. The waters of chaos, the insertion of a 'seed' or divine wind, meant to suggest the union of sex cells, and so forth.

Revelations: ready for this? st john of patmos was addressing a local political situation sometime around 90 AD, the book of revelations was very much meant to be satirical (sort of like a political caricature cartoon), ie the whore of babylon was a local figure, as was the anti-christ, and so forth. He obviously spruced up his vision with a few funny mushrooms, but there it is. The onion did a funny piece on this; i'll see if i can post it here sometime.

I think too many rules would defeat the purpose of having a "free" discussion area. But if there's a particular argument you're looking to have, you probably should start it off in another forum.

The official invitation has now been posted in a forum to the Atheism article here: http://www.h2g2.com/forumframe.cgi?thread=38290&forum=32234

If there's anything I may have forgotten to add, I'd appreciate it if you'd amplify a bit.

Twophlag, I'd like to invite you to continue our Genesis discussion on a separate page so that we don't clutter everyone else's messages up. A246557, Adam - The Legend of the First Man is an entry I wrote (my very first!) which is based on translations of Sumerian clay tablets. They show how the Genesis and Babylonian records could well have a passing similarity to the Sumerian creation mythos. (In the way that Will Smith's records have subtle, difficult to spot samples of other records, the Genesis records do have subtle similarities to the Sumerian histories). If you'd be so kind as to have a quick read of that it would save me repeating myself, and then we can start a discussion from the bottom of that.

Irrelevently enough, the newest nightclub in Chesterfield - where I live - is called Genesis.

Gargleblaster, I notice that the Historical Society have their own logo / coat of arms thingy. Are we going to have one? Is there some symbol that we can all have tattooed, so that when we start meeting up for conventions in twenty years time we can identify the other founder members?

We already have an icon/mascot sort of thing. If anyone is willing to draw up some artwork for Darwin, I'll take a look at it. But then I'll have to figure out how to put him on the page...my HTML skills are weak at best. That'll change when I take this class in a couple of weeks, though.

Darwin's image may not be what we need... if there may be a few missing gaps in evolution, then we'll be putting ourselves in the same "we're wrong, but opinionated to think otherwise" camp currently inhabited by Creationists (rather; observers in a few centuries might see us as such). How about a circle...? Just a plain ring...? I don't think any religion has a smple circle as it's symbol.

Using Darwin the Ferret doesn't necessarily commit us to the theory of evolution. I personally think Darwin's (the scientist) work was, if not wholly wrong, completely incomplete. Darwin the Ferret is just a cute icon for the kiddies to get their picture taken with. Like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, he doesn't really stand for anything.

But there's no reason we can't incorporate several symbols. All the coolest clubs use more than one image. The unbroken circle has some resonance in Wicca, though, as it represents the cycle of the days/months/years, and life in general, including reincarnation. Doesn't mean we can't rip it off, though.

GargleBlaster, I know you're busy here, but if you feel that evolution, while a very useful theory, still has some largish gaps in it (and you seem to be saying that, though you may just be referring to Darwin (the man's) original work, perhaps you might care to join the discussio at

http://www.h2g2.com/forumframe.cgi?forum=28314&thread=32077

where I am trying to say just that, and meeting a response that is less than open to alternatives.

Haven't you tired of picking on ddombrow yet?

Me neither. Help has arrived.

How's this for a symbol; A pyramid with an eye, darwin the ferret curled around its base, god vanishing in a puff of logic in the background, all handily bordered by a mobius strip, maybe with a quote by Voltaire emblazoned beneath!

Then again, maybe we don't need one. I suppose we could do an inverted crucifix, too.

Circle, yes, it has an ascetic ring of universality, although various Sun/Moon cultures,(not to mention inverted haloes) have a variety of renditions.

Perhaps the humourists amongst us could render a transparent globe with Darwin in Rodinesque pose sitting in the middle of the savagely torn remnants of the "ics", "isms" and "ologies" we have pledged to refute.

One yip for "Circle".

Personally I rather like Twop's idea, but I'm -still- trying to figure out how to draw that puff-of-logic and disappearance bit.

'Nonnie

Perhaps we can have Darwin curled around the base of the pyramid, smiling serenely as he dreams of apocalyptic visions of god?

With the dream balloon breaking up, as if he's awakening? (Sort of like the pre-"POOF!" of comics. )

I'll be honest, I had something rather more simple in mind.

Draw a perfect square. From the same centre, describe a circle that touches the four corners of your square. Now, half way long each straight edge, draw a perpendicular line from the straight edge that extends halfway towards the centre point. You're left with a square within a circle, and four short lines progressing inwards from the cardinal points.

Now, there's dozens of ways to interpret this. Originally, I planned it around four interlocking Fs - the short line is the short horizontal line of the F. There is an F the right way up, and one upside down, one on its front and one on its back. The circle enclosing the four Fs signifies 'everything (you need to know) is contained within'... and so on. And that's just for starters.

Obviously this shape could also be interpreted as a square peg in a round hole... and aren't we that are unwilling to toe the party line exactly that?

Meanings within meanings...I like it. I must admit, though, that I am overfond of finding a way to incorporate that damned ferret.

How about this: the symbol CD4 describes, supported on one side by Darwin the Ferret and Scopes the Fecal Fiend on the other, with a banner below captioning the saying Nonnie gave us from which we've drawn the name?

Methinks that sounds brilliant......

Discordianism at http://www.h2g2.com/A258608