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

id rather on my knees then my bloody foot stubs!
cheers
ford

standing on my feet and asking why so and ao was ok with him or her every time (although on past record eg Job people who have asked for answer don't get them)

Maybe things have changed since Job's day... I believe you'd get answers... (I have a brilliant poem about exactly that, but after recent events, I daren't post it here... Pity.)

Adelaide.... What book are you reading?!? King James omitted alot of the original text from the Bible. He put in ONLY what HE thought would best suit his kingdom. Have you ever read the pseudomacripha?!? I think you should. I questioned most of what I was taught when I was a child. Noone had any answers. What did Jesus do from the ages of 13 to 28?!? Does your Bible tell you?!? If I went out and bought one, would it tell me?!? Nope... The pseudomacripha does. Check it out.
Nextly, I'm not a fan of Bible toters. I respect their right to believe what they want. I just don't want them believing all over me. I know what I believe in. Isn't that enough?!? The Bible has been revised. That's not a belief... IT'S FACT!!! It has been traslated and retraslated. Revised and rerevised. Some things get lost in translation. So now I ask you.... Do you have the correct Bible in your possession?!? Hell!?! I left out Gideon... How can we have a proper discussion about the Bible and not add Gideon to our list?!? Now are you sure you have the right Bible?!? What about Hebrews?!? Mormons?!? Catholics?!? Methodists?!? Baptists?!? Greek Orthodox?!? Who has the correct Bible?!? Riddle me that one Catwoman?!? I respect your right to belief what you choose, but step outside yourself once in a while. Stop listening to the hellfire and brimstone BS that most preachers spew. Ask questions. Faith is a good things. Blind faith without philosophy is ridiculous. I would walk upon the water if asked... But I won't believe that every Bible on the planet says the same EXACT thing.
So, Adelaide..... What page is that on?!?
Lastly... I agree. Yee-ha is not a foreign policy....
He's one of the first Chinese Rodeo stars...
Their names were Yee Ha and Yahoo....

I'm thinking that although the bible versions we read may have discrepancies with other bible versions they are all based on the same words. The revisions you talk of are not the revisions of the old text but the revision of how we interpret it into other languages, which can be especially difficult when we don't all agree on how to interpret the English language a lot of the time. But this is why you have to read the bible and interpret it yourself in the context of what the rest of the bible says, while, if you're a christian, ask the Holy spirit to guide your thinking in relation to the words, and discuss what you read and your interpretation with others to help gain and give understanding. But in all I would say the bible holds truth, but faith "is a gift from God" and beliefs should be inspired by him. Don't slate people who use the bible but ask them to show what gives them the feeling they can put so much stock in it.

Hello,FordPrefict_42..I think you have the wrong person if you think Ilisten to hellfire and brimstone preachers... Such preaching is a lot rarer than you might think, anyway. I *don't* have blind faith (and I don't know anyone who does)... and I don't know what makes you think I don't ask questions.
There are different Bible translations, everyone knows that, but they donot differ in essentials. The King James Bible, which I do not use, BTW, is not one of the better ones for accuracy, or conformity with the majority of early documents. I really think you have misaken me for a Southern Baptist or something similar!

I hate to sound preachy, but I beg to differ with you Adelaide. Hellfire and brimstone are the keystones of most organized religions. It's not just a Southern Baptist ploy. Catholosism is based on pain and suffering, ie; the crusifix, confession of sins or be damned, the rosary, and penance.... Generally being made to feel bad about being human. Everything you do is a sin.... NOW PAY FOR IT OR GO TO HELL!!!
Muslims believe in giving up some of the Earthly pleasures that I, personally, don't care to give up. I'm sorry, but refrigerators, stoves/ovens/microwaves, and freezers have almost completely done away with the threat of bad pork. FYI: Did you know that Oreo cookies contain an emulsifier made from pork?!? And , if you want to use the whole cloven hoof thing, I've not tried deer but I'm not opposed to it and I LOVE GYROS...made from lamb.
But enough of this line of thinking...
I'm not trying to cause an arguement. I only want to open your eyes to the BS that the Church wants to feed you. It doesn't matter what church. They all have the same agenda.... Making you believe that your God can beat up mine. Making you think that if YOU are a part of THIS CHURCH, you will get a get out of Hell free card. Yes my friend... For a small fee, every Sunday, your soul will be washed clean of sin.... Until next Sunday, that is... Is 10% of your gross income too much to ask for ETERNAL SALVATION?!? And, don't dare claim that money on your taxes!!! That's you Church goin' money.
Sorry... Got caught up in the rant again.
I have read enough of the Bible to know what I believe. But the Bible lacks some of the information I want to obtain to further strenghten my faith. Where did Jesus go between ages 13 to 30?!? Did everyone else age when Moses climbed the mountain... Or was it just him?!? What happened to Moses and his wife after everyone else entered the land of milk and honey?!? Did they just disappear from the face of the Earth?!? If Adam and Eve were the only 2 people created by God, kicked out of the Garden of Eden, and had "2" sons (Cane & Abel), then where did the other people come from for Cane to have children by a woman that wasn't his mother?!? You see... I don't question that God created Man and Woman... But where did everyone else come from?!? Where does it say that in the Bible?!?
And I have to apologize... The title of the book that I tried to give you earlier is "The Pseudopigmaphra". Once my financal problems have evened out, I'll attempt to retreive a copy of it and the Books of Moses.
I'll not stop you from your beliefs... I just want to make you understand that there's more information out there. Get the whole story. Ask questions. Look at things from a different perspective.... Keeping your innocence for as long as you can. Jesus said," Let the children come unto me." I prefer to look at things through the eyes of a child. Yes... I'm 33, but I have the eyes, heart and mind of a child... Want to see 'em?!? Just kidding...
Think about it, though. Ask questions of you clergyman. Ask them about the "Pseudopigmaphra", and see what their response is... You'll probably receive a look like you're going straight to Hell, you sinner you.

Look, I see where you're coming from. There are so many questions we could ask of god and religion which the bible doesn't provided answers for. But the bible also says there are things we don't know that will be revealed to us later, say when we die. For plenty of christians the things the bible doesn't say isn't to big a deal because what it does say is great and they have enough faith to feel they don't need to know the other stuff, at least not yet. Wondering this kind of thing is not wrong, but to try and dig up truth behind the bible is like saying "God, it's just not good enough!" Personally I think the main motive people should have, and christians should give, for coming to Christ is Love. If you were being sincere I think you would have asked after this already. But you seem to want to find a reason not to believe in god rather than meet the real person. As such you attack his most obvious representation in the world, his word and the loud (and sometimes distressing) preachers. That's easy. What's hard is building a relationship built on faith which is inspired by love. Being open to a person you don't yet know. It is difficult, and I struggle, but I've met him and I encourage others to do the same.

*pseudepigrapha* From the Greek meaning "false writings". Sometimes used to refer to writings excluded from the canon (also "apocrypha"), but also used to refer to documents falsely claimed to have been written by earlier writers to give them credence.

Whether these writings should be considered any more or less false than those that *were* included in the canon, is, of course, a matter of debate

Noggin

For starters, Oreo cookies, yeeuuwww! I hate 'em.
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You see, I *do* question that, at least that God created them directly. ! Not all Christians are creationists, I am not, and I believe God created man and woman, but by means of evolution. Adam and Eve - it's a figurative just-so story.
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I have and I do! I am not young (I'm 50!) and I didn't become a Christian until I was 19, and not until after having read widely, and looked around a lot.
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No, not from the clergy I know!

Personaly I am not a christian, I find it hard to believe in a supreme diety who is all good but refuses to (or cant) help the human race. if i were to believe in a god then it would have to be one that is firm yet fair, is activly involved with the world and one that can do a bit of healthy smiteing.

If I may be so bold as to quote the great Stuey Griffin, from Family Guy, after reading the Bible, " I love this God person. He's so deliciously evil... Omnipotance... Gotta get me some of that..."
To anyone reading the Bible for the first time, it could seem that God is the Evil one. All Satan want to do though out the entire book is try to get people to open their eyes to what God is promising them, and what Satan is promising them. I don't see God as the Greater Evil. Anyone that could create Earth, in all its glory, couldn't possibly be evil. And as far as the not helping the human race is concerned.... I have to steal a quote from Futurama.... "If you do things right, noone will know that you've done anything at all..."
And now, a word from our sponsors at Good Omens....
"Meeting God, you'd get the impression that you're sitting down to play poker in a pitch black room, so that you can't even see your cards, across from a guy that's always smiling... Ineffibles... Go figure 'em."

That is brilliant! but even in the light of that i still am not converted, nor shall i be! but that doesnt mean i look down on people for thier religious belifs, people should be able to belive what they want. ahh family guy.. are you sure you spelt 'Stuey' right? it might be right but looks wrong somehow.

Locke... No, I'm not sure that I spelled Stuey correctly... But you got the gist, I'm sure. Furthermore, I'm not trying to convert anyone to anything. I meerly was trying to get some people(sorry if I offend anyone by calling you people... you know if you're one of THEM or not)to open their eyes to seeking out more knowledge on the subject of religion. I am NOT a church goer, but I don't condemn those that do. I used to attent a Methodist church when I was younger. As I grew, I noticed some inconsistancies in what I was being taught. But I still believe in God and Jesus. I most definitely can say that I believe in God for ONE specific reason.... I recently became the father of a beautiful baby girl. She's 6lb 7oz of the cutest thing I've ever seen. If you can't look into the eyes of a newborn child, and know that a higher power exists, then I feel for you. To think for one second that a human being, the planet Earth, the Galaxy, etc... were all created by chance, then something is definitely wrong with you. My advice to you such people (And you do need to be referred to as PEOPLE) is to LITERALLY stop and smell the roses.... When you think that you're at your busiest, stop dead in your tracks. Look around you. Look at the sky... The clouds... The stars at night... The moon... Listen to the birds chirping... In the words of Ferris Bueller, "Life moves pretty quickly. If you don't stop and look around, you could miss it!!!"

Congatulations on the baby! got a name picked yet? i like your view on not condeming others on thier belifs i agree. when i grew up i was taught how god did not exist by my father who is strongly against religion, thankfuly i did not pick up his extreme views but rejected Got as a result. are all christians raised so, or are there some who belived as a result of say.... being spoken to by 'god'?
( I like tea)

Congratulations on the baby FordPrefict_42!

Well, Locke_Brigand, I am a Christian who was not raised as one... I suppose you could say I met God, and later, so did my parents! I can't really explain it though..

YES! congrats me.... wait.... imean ford prefect_ 42!!!
for everyone for the baby!
cheers
ford

Please, cll me Locke.
how did you meet god? was he big, wearing white and smelling clean?

Congrats, Ford, but I don't agree that something beautiful means that G*d exists I'm afraid. Still pretty amazing whether it is God or something more mundane like the laws of nature and chance combining to allow a wonderful event to occur in a wee corner of an unimaginably vast, indifferent universe. I've always thought that the 3 billion years or so it's taken us to evolve from some kinda bacteria is as awe-inspiring and profound as anything made up by a religionist.

Congrats again tho.

Pedro the Apostate