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

what also causes problems is persistent bothering of those who have decided against a religion. Forcing of opinion, rather than forced conversion.
off that particular topic: some letter in the newspaper disagreed that Britain is a multi-faith society because Christians make up 30% and 'other faiths' only 7%. Seven?! (the rest was 'no religion'). This seems not at all right... anyone clearer?

that does seem strange

perhaps if they made 'undecided' a religion that would sort out the rest!

Aye. Maybe they included 'Other, unspecified' in the no religion category- that's the box I always tick.

Surely not believing in anything is a religion???

No more than baldness is a hairdo.

Ahh... a real beer like stella, hoegarden, carlsberg, fosters.. ermm... Bishops Finger? Old Spitfire... No wonder CamRA have such trouble promoting their cause.

Liam.

how did that happen?

Hoegarden, yummmmmmmmmmmmm, I have to go past a Hoegarden pub after yoga, you have given me ideas!

I'm afraid that too day is the last day of me having internet access til end of September.......

Summer holiday? Don't worry, I'm sure you can hog internet time at someone else.

I'm an atheist, but surely if God is anywhere then He is everywhere, so if Christians act like "good Christians" in the sense of being moral individuals then it doesn't matter whether they go to church or not.

Also, does anyone know if the Bible mentions going to Church specifically, rather than just Sunday being holy? Come to think of it surely "all days are holy, or none are" (Terry Pratchett, Feet of Clay) so why single out Sunday particularly?

Cos we gotta work the rest of the time.

Good point, but I didn't mean why go to church on Sunday, I meant why has Sunday traditionally been seen as generally holier than other days? Things are either moral or not, the day of the week has nothing to do with it. Would people expect someone who stole a car to get a different sentence depending whether they did it on a Thursday or a Tuesday, for example?

loved dogma ,the movie

Near as I can tell the bible only speaks of a communion/fellowship of Christians that can happen "wherever two or more are gathered in his name"~~~no church is neccessary~~~There are warnings to be aware of many false preachers,teachers and leaders in churches.

I have a Christian friend whose dad would like to go to church but doesn't because he needs the time to do other things. He reasons that if he *were* in church he would have trouble concentrating on religion because of worrying about the things he's got to do, so rather worships in his own time, and takes the view that God is everywhere. This seems to work, they have a good relationship with the pastor in any case.

Several religions go on Saturday. It is in the scriptures *kind sorta* interpetations.

Well, it's saturday for jews and friday for muslims I think. And apparently the old puritans looked badly at someone who gave birth on a sunday, because they that showed which day it was concieved. And you weren't supposed to be doing those naughty things on sundays.

And the point of a holy day is you spend it all worshipping God. Originally you're not allowed to work, or even leave the house on that day. There was a death penalty for working on the holy day.

Oh, also I don't think Jesus was big on the idea of a church. But after he died some of the apostles started one anyway. I think that caused them to split up a bit.

I believe, researcher 216015, that Terry Pratchett was right when he said what he did! The N.T., mentions going to church as really,really good idea, for solidarity and fellowship, but as far as I know does not command it. I am not so familiar with the O.T., and Jewish rules about synagogue attendance - someone else can answer that...

>>Originally you're not allowed to work, or even leave the house on that day. There was a death penalty for working on the holy day.<<
A death penalty? Are you sure about that,or is that the kind of rumour *some* atheist groups spread, like the one about Galileo having been tortured and executed. (When I was told in all seriousness by someone that Galileo had been killed by the church, I was gobsmacked. I'd learned the contrary back in primary school! But apparently people all over the place believe Galileo died a horrible death at the hands of the 'evil' church.)