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

@30232 -

Seconded.

Which surprised me about that article was not so much it's content - which I think we all agree is interesting enough but not really surprising - was the the way in which the believer who sent it to me was using it as a means to say theism and atheism are equally reasonable (and you atheists asking for evidence for our god is just not on!)

I've been given a copy of The Qur'an by a friend at work (I traded him my bible) so I'll be giving that a read at some point...

I've tried reading the Qu'ran from a situational, context specific perspective, but there are parts of it that are very war-like and threatening, that expresses the war-like environment from which it originated. I assume that most Muslims read the Qu'ran with interpretative Hadiths (which I haven't read), providing perhaps a more humanistic outlook. Presumably someone without a situational knowledge of muslims could perceive the Qu'ran as threatening and worrisome.

What value is there in a book whose adherents behave like this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19311098 ?

Or adherents of other ideologies that behave like this:
http://cursor.org/stories/civilian_deaths.htm

Human behaviour in all its forms is strange.

>>What value is there in a book whose adherents behave like this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19311098 ? <<

That's a current story in Pakistan.

Related current news from Pakistan:
US drone strikes in Pakistan kill 13 in flurry of weekend attacks

Several deadly strikes executed as Pakistanis celebrate the end of the holy month of Ramadan with the festival of Eid al-Fitr
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/aug/19/us-drone-strikes-kill-pakistan

http://www.democracynow.org/2012/6/5/as_us_escalates_pakistan_drone_strikes

Stone Art,

My friend told me to read it with 'an open mind' so that is what I propose to do.

My general scepticism is however intact.

Mon. Yes Eur

{You're welcome, Blame God, Blame Yourself}. Whichever Subset You Prefer, The Song Is The Same. Just Another Day. [I don't have anything for Square Brackets for sure, and I know that I don't have Curly Brackets yet. @ http://www.rationalskepticism.org/pseudoscience/unbelievable-mathematics-t4916-900.html You will see a page that should not exist. Some web insiders decided that if I was going to post a personal message instead of changing my text to its ideal state first, that they would continue abusing a thread that was itself an abuse. So, this is that thread's 901st post. Thanks to Effers for starting me in that place. I'm not going anywhere as far as I know. If I settle down a little, I may even actually write the darned Neutrino entry here in addition to whatever I may still do at the site in question, now that there has been some news about that little little thing that I was following. I don't have the resources right now, but later perhaps. I know you don't like non-English posting here, and it was not proper to address anybody specific despite a recent culprits' raising of my ire; so somehow maybe I get lots of Money soon (?). Never mind. It does not make much sense. Continue. If anybody has missed me on any thread, it has been even harder to get to this site than others because of public security issues (I assume that is what people feel at my public computer spaces or through the filter at the one most easily used.)

The reason for this post is 'Here, There and Everywhere'

* close brackets whee necessary

*where [I did that twice and saw it though is only reason this post exists.] I would not take much from that in mening other than that I need to clip my nails and am in a rush.

Tenzin Gyatso aka the Dalai Lama recently stated something you might find interesting: "All the world's major religions, with their emphasis on love, compassion, patience, tolerance, and forgiveness can and do promote inner values. But the reality of the world today is that grounding ethics in religion is no longer adequate. This is why I am increasingly convinced that the time has come to find a way of thinking about spirituality and ethics beyond religion altogether."

So what is the Dalai Lama trying to say when he says it is no longer adequate: that one needs to bring spirituality and ethics to the atheist? I thought this is what "humanism" is supposed to be doing - although to be fair to him there doesn't appear to be any vocal group promoting humanism ...

To some extent I think it's the problem that many of the ethical dilemmas that face us today, are something that the people who wrote the various holy books never even thought of. Stem cell therapy, etc.

So is the Delai Lama saying that religion is fixed and is unable to move with times. That one needs to dismantle "religion" and start again ... to build an institution that can frame spirituality and ethics in the fast changing world of today. Sounds like humanism?

It's quite a rational thought, indeed. It's been celebrated in other atheist fora this week.

"All the world's major religions, with their emphasis on love, compassion, patience, tolerance, and forgiveness can and do promote inner values."

Really?

Here's a current example of a major religion's promotion of inner values -- http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/09/13/yemen-protesters-muhammad-film.html

"A wildfire of protest in the Muslim world over an American film ridiculing the Prophet Muhammad spread today to Yemen, where hundreds of angry demonstrators penetrated the outer walls of the U.S. Embassy and torched the U.S. flag.

The storming of the embassy in Sanaa is the third attack on U.S. diplomatic missions, which began Tuesday night in Cairo and then took a deadly turn in Benghazi, Libya, where the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans were killed in an assault on the consulate.

In Yemen, protesters set fire to cars in the embassy compound and burned the U.S. flag, replacing it with a black banner bearing Islam's declaration of faith — "There is no God but Allah.""

And none of the other major religions are much better, imo.

You know, that's a really big "but" you're overlooking there.

"But the reality of the world today is that grounding ethics in religion is no longer adequate. This is why I am increasingly convinced that the time has come to find a way of thinking about spirituality and ethics beyond religion altogether."

Taliesin what do you propose though with regard the muslims. The US Americans and NATO have dropped so many bombs on them it doesn't seem to be working. Maybe nuclear and chemical weapons might have to be used.