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

So it looks like we're all destined to visit a British County near Cornwall then

I like to think that i am a person that accepts people more or less the way they are, but I have to admit that when it comes to religion, I sometimes get a problem with that. I don't mind people being religous. I DO mind them trying to stuff their religion down my throat.
The thing is: it's so hard to explain that to the really really "blessed" ones. What are one supposed to do?

I think we just leave them to it and hope they come to their senses eventually. it's their lives. I think we should leave them to ruin it for themselves by imposing all their silly rules and not enjoying themselves in the process. It's their choice. Let them have their anti-fun.

Sure, I won't stop them. I just wish they would stop trying to stop me from having fun!

RE: Fragilis - odds of being saved

Surely only everything human?

There have been 12 billion people in the history of mankind. Half of them are alive today (IE 6 billion). At least, that's what I heard on Tomorrow's World a while back...

So there

So there´s 6 billion ppl living in Devon? Then I can imagine it being quite hellish. It´s true that Christians are less afraid to die, but atheists are less afraid to live. When you start believeing in a life after death, you stop believeing in a life before death. As Nietzche was also talking about. I have a penpal who is a Christian, with Adam & Eve and the Flood and all that stuff. But she is a great person, and one of the only Christians I´ve met that could come with arguments for her belief. If all Christians were like her, I wouldn´t have a problem with them.

Actually the JW´s first said that only 144.000 would go to Heaven. But when they got more members than that, they of course had to do something. So now they claim the 144.000 will simply be a kind of goverment in Heaven for all JW´s which will also go there.

One redeeming facet of religious people shoving their religion down the throats of us non-belivers: They actually, seriously belive that we will be very miserable and burn alive in some eternal oven somewhere, if we do not belive in their god. Allthough they are extremely annoying, they actually try to help. Don't they?

Possibly one reason JWs are so keen to get new converts is down to the taboo against making friends with unbelievers. Maybe they're just bored with their current friends, and are desperate to get new ones.

If you do meet a really fervent believer of any 'We're-the-one-true-faith' kind of religion, you could ask them what makes them so sure they're right and all the beleivers in all the other religions are wrong. You'll probably get some idea of their humility and humanity from their answer.
If they say that God(s) spoke personally to *them*, ask why He/She/It/They evidently didn't bother giving the majority of believers in other, erroneous, faiths the same kind of assistance.

Well, the answer I've gotten so far is something along the lines of:
"You must open your heart to God! Only then will the True Spirit fill you!" etc.
Strikes me as odd in many ways, but as long as they are willing to save me from eternal damnation, I wont be too harsh. Even if they're only looking to make new friends.

I think an important point is that many people belive many different things. My religion is atheism, science or whatever you want to call it, but it is basically just ONE way of looking at the world. There are many thing science hasn't explained yet, that can be explained through some sort of divine intervention/aliens etc. It's easy to see why many people choose these explenations. I simply chose to accept that we do not know everything.
People belonging to the atheistic and the agnostic religions have one advantage: Lack of religious zeal. We don't have to convince everybody we are right, so that we can get to heaven or any such place. Therefore I think maybe our role should be mediators between the religions that (for some reason) absolutely HAVE to kill or maim other people because of their differing faith.
Allthough it is often hilarous to poke fun at the blind (let's call them christians, moslems, pagans and all other belivers) (harsh word? sorry...), we might also try to make friends with them. To avoid war. Only a thought.
I'm afraid I've written too much, and contradicted my earlier posting on SimGod as well.

Do I make any sense at all?

JAR, off to eat lunch

Its all v well
2 say let the
Religious people
go do what they
whant but they
are in control
over a lot of
stuff.
I say get Religion
out of schools out
of governemt and law
etc and bring in
objective thought!

JK

Ps:The only TrUe rEligioN is that of ERiS!
HAIL ERIS ALL HAIL DISCORDIA==><==
All roads lead to EriS some peopLe are
just going down them the wroung way!

If you think I meant "Let the religious do what they like", I must not have been clear enough.
I'll try another way:
Preaching religion at school is bad. (In my opinion at least) Laws based on religious values are equally bad (allthough many religious values in themselves are quite nice ("thou shalt not kill")) People wandering the streets trying to inform others of what they percieve as ultimate evil and how to avoid it, I feel, is not too bad.

I think we agree.

JAR, never heard of ERiS, but belonging to iris...

This post has been removed.

Death to all Fanatics?

Now that is a bit, uhm, radical, isn't it? Considering such a statement of intent is a bit fanatical in itself..
Death to all other Fanatics than myself, perhaps? Maybe a little weak...

Ok then

Why not just
Make all fanatiscs
take lots of
drugs till they
forget what they
where fanaticall
about!

Jk

JAR - it was kind of meant to be ironic...

I'm back and I've read what everyone has said since my last comment.
I'm glad people didn't take offense, I was worried I might get off on the wrong foot with some people, but you are all preety open-minded sort of people...which is a good thing.
I always do at the end of my thoughts, you have to get use to it I suppose.
I think people have got things a bit wrong again I'm afraid...
At the beginning Charles Taze Russell was not entirely sure about the development, and sometimes he got things wrong and got a lot of flak from people who were trying to discourage him and others.
He got a group together who just wanted to read and study the Bible and they were called the 'International Bible Students'.
Then as they delved deeper into the Bible they realised that a lot of what the Churches of different dominations taught were not founded in the Bilble but on superstious and traditional beleifs going all the way back to the pagan religion.
He and others had become disallusioned by the Churches, as many others have done, now and in the past, and decided to base all of their faith on the Bible, and consult the Bible on all matters for a Christian life...others have done the same and have tried to adhere to the Christian principals...but it is extremely hard and some have fallen short of the mark but have repented and been forgiven.
The technical aspects of this particular religion I do not know fully, so I'll stop there...but if you really want some questions answered on the Bible or what the really beleieve then all you have to do is ask one JW and they would tell you.
You all seem to be too frightened that they will convert you but you all have minds of your own and no one can brainwash you unless you want to be. Be strong and ask a JW what you want to know. I have and I'll still me...I've not changed at all and I'm not preaching to you all now but try and understand that some people have beliefs that have been distorted by others eg. media. Only focusing on the slightly different aspects of their beliefs eg. blood. JW's have been misrepresentated by the press...but they don't debate about it...they just let people think what they want...I'm standing up for them...from what I know of them they are really nice as they try very hard to live by Christian standards...
If you have any questions at all or think they are cult members trying to convert you...just talk rationally with them and you'll find them to be more logical than you think.
Oh....this has ended up being rather long so you probably won't even read it! I do ramble a bit...but I hope what I've said has made sense and you'll all think more independently and not go along with the rest of the world's viewpoint on JWs.
I'll come back on Monday.

Just like what we do with mental patients? Spanking idea!

* HE enters stage left... *

* shakes his head... *

* Exits stage right... *

- Moving In Mysterious Ways.