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

Has ANYBODY noticed how ethnocentric this entry is? You barely mention Eastern traditions and Judiasm is mentioned as a footnote. Someone else will have to tell you more about Eastern religions. Jews have been meditating for as long as there have been Jews, which is longer than there have been Christians or Buddhists.

Call the nearest synagogue and ask for an appointment with the rabbi. Your assumption is either woefully ignorant or arrogantly smug. Whichever, it's certainly not up to snuff for this website.

Woefully ignorant, rather than arrogantly smug. It is based on my personal experience. The reason I do not mention Judaism is because I know nothing about it. This is the same reason I do not mention Hinduism, Sikhism, Taoism or any of the various forms of Paganism or Shamanism which exist in the Old World and the New.

If you would like to suggest changes to the entry please do so. The entry is edited, but we may be able to get it changed.

But does the fact that Jews have been meditating for as long as there are jews change the argument of the entry, though?

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

Ben

No, it doesn't change the argument of the entry. However, once again, you are yet another Christian acting as if your form of religion is the origin of all things wonderful. You sound as if Christian prayer is the only way to go and anything else is secondary. If you're going to print something so narrowly focused you should at last post it as a Christian entry.

Amy

I am a Buddhist.

Ben

I'm not certain Ben's Christian... In fact, I seem to remember reading somewhere that she isn't...

OK, now how did that manage to simulpost

But I was right, anyway...

'My internet connection is fast' 'My internet connection is fast' 'My internet connection is fast' 'My internet connection is fast' 'My internet connection is fast' 'My internet connection is fast' 'My internet connection is fast'

Nah.

Doesn't work, does it?

Hey ho!

B

I'm at w*rk, and this connection is fast...

*thinks* It's been dead today, so I know I wasn't interrupted by the phone... Must of been the checking the dates on next year's calendar...

How are you doing, anyway? I see you pop up on MSN occasionally. And it looks as if I will be 'seeing' you again at the Oz meet!

B

It's strange... I've not been doing anything, and yet I'm busy

I don't know if you read anything like regularly, but the 4th installment of my meet report will be in this week's

Yay!

And in what religious tradition were you raised?

AmyLynn

I was raised within the Church of England, and as I said in Post 2 of this thread the omissions are a result of ignorance.

As I also said in Post 2 of this thread, if you want changes made to the entry, then please suggest them, and we will see whether or not the Italics will accomodate them.

In post 3 you said: "you are yet another Christian acting as if your form of religion is the origin of all things wonderful."

If you had substituted Buddhist for Christian in that statement, there might have been some veracity in it. One of the things I like about Buddhism and dislike very strongly about Christianity is that Buddhism is based around practices which work and which are taught, and Christianity is not.

"You sound as if Christian prayer is the only way to go and anything else is secondary."

In fact I tempered the entry to try to make sure it did NOT attack Christianity. I have major issues with the practice and theory of Christianity, which were irrelevent to what I was saying (that all of these processes are basically the same, regardless of whether you are a Christian, a Buddhist, a Jew (I take your word for that) a sales person or an athlete). I did not want these issues to come out as disrespect for anyone's religious beliefs in the entry. It seems I was not sufficently disrespectful of Christians to satisfy you, Amy.

"If you're going to print something so narrowly focused you should at last post it as a Christian entry."

It isn't a Christian entry.

It looks at the four areas which I do know about, which are Christianity, Buddhism, Self Improvement used in business environments, Self Improvement used in sporting environments and Self Improvement used for Personal Enhancements.

What exactly is it you want from me? What do you want me to say or to do?

Ben

"It looks at the four areas which I do know about, which are Christianity, Buddhism, Self Improvement used in business environments, Self Improvement used in sporting environments and Self Improvement used for Personal Enhancements."

Um... I make that FIVE areas you know about. Hey, you know about FIVE things, and you didn't even realise it!

As to what Amy wants from you, I think she wants you to be a Christian she can bash. Never mind, eh?

Let's actually read the entry, shall we? Paragraph by paragraph...

1. Nothing about religion at all.
2. Nothing about religion at all.
3. Nothing about any specific religion at all.
4. Nothing about any specific religion at all.
5. Buddhism.
6. Buddhism.
7. Christianity.
8. Christianity with mention of Asian spiritual practice.
9. Christianity and Buddhism equally.
10. Very slight mention of Christianity.
11. Christianity.
12. Christianity and secularism.
13. Self improvement.
14. Affirmations.
15. Affirmations.
16. Affirmations.
17. Affirmations.
18. Affirmations/Christianity.
19, 20 & 21. Visualisations - no religion
22 & 23. Dynamic meditation. No religion.
24, 25, 26. Expectation. No religion.
27. Finally, some mention of a god (lower case g) and no mention of a specific religion.
28. Slight mention of general religion.
29. Mention of "theistic religions", footnoted as Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Also Buddhism, Taoism.
30 and 31. Almost no mention of religion.

I'd hardly characterise that as "ethnocentric". FIVE paragraphs out of 31 dealt with Christianity. If the author had labelled this as a "Christian" entry, I think the most common response in Peer Review would have been "oh no it isn't".

I do think people who are going to comment on entries should read them first.

H.