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

It has to be said that I know sweet Fanny Adams about American politics. However, there is much the same situation here: both parties are extremely undesirable. One wants to be conquered by Europe, the other wants to bomb it.

Suicide is better than living on anyone else's terms.

Hi! Just thought I'd add my penny's worth...

Religion (what ever denomination)is the largest conspiracy of all time, intended to subdue the masses and at the same time sponge off hard-working people while various churches sit on a fortune. If these various religions practiced what they preached, they'd hand all their assets over to help the poor throughout the world. Religion has caused some of the worst wars and disasters throughout the history of mankind. What is really frighteneing is that the people with their fingers on various nuclear "buttons" world-wide are "believers"! I find it difficult to believe that these so-called intelligent people actually believe in a god - whatever name they give him and they're either devious or rather stupid (maybe both).

These evangelists are indeed scary and sick-making to watch in action. Did anyone see BBC's "Living With the Enemy" recently when Barbara Smoker of the National Secular Society (www.secularism.org.uk)lived for a week with a British evangelist?

My parents who are both in their 70's and have never really attended church except for weddings, christening and funerals, have become enmeshed in a spiritualist church in their locality which gives me cause for concern as I feel these people are just feeding off my parents' growing sense of "mortality". Neither parent will hear a word said against this "church" and seem to be spending a lot of time and money supporting this "community" and its various functions.

Win arguments and earn enemies! Visit my newly created The Failure of Christianity to Stand Up to Reason http://www.h2g2.com/a213247

Gwennie - I just wanted to say thanks for pointing me in the direction of that National Secular Society site. It's stirring stuff, and I've put a link to the site on my page.

I totally agree. It is a great conspiracy, Christianity in particular.

You are most welcome. I'm delighted to direct anyone to the NSS.

One of my partner's ambitions in life in to "unconvert" a Jehova Witness on the doorstep! Some neighbours of ours who recently moved (nothing to do with us) were Witnesses and we were completely honest with them but were still great friends with them and they're probably some of the nicest neighbours we've ever had! I do TRY not to be judgemental about religion.... but it is all so highly implausable!

A doorstep unconversion might prove rather tricky. As soon as it's obvious to both sides that you're winning, I think you'll find they make their excuses and leave, with vague promises to return later, which remain unfulfilled. (score so far - 3 out of 3 non-returned)
However, maybe that's just me - I find even inviting them inside seems to put them on the defensive. (Hmmm.., now that puts me in mind of a very funny sketch on 'Absolutely' (Scottish comedy series), many years ago. Have to dig out that tape sometime.)

Conversion attempts on the completely brainwashed are doomed to failure before you begin. Belief in an almighty power makes all sorts of wild and illogical arguments seem plausible to them. My own personal definition of faith: clinging to the unreasonable in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. But mostly, those conversions are doomed because those people DESPERATELY want to believe.

Once I brought my arguments to a chat channel full of Apologists. I was very patient and polite as I presented my arguments, but several of them became incredibly agitated and insulting. It was very painstaking work winning my first point (I was using the episode of Christ's birth as evidence of contradictions in the Bible). And when I finally won that concession (after everyone else checked the Bible verse and confirmed my point), one of the channel operators kicked me out. Just proves my theory that there are two things Christianity cannot stand: logic and ridicule. That's why my articles about Christianity have heavy doses of both.

Nice one. The only good Christina is an annoyed Christian.

And don't some of 'em get annoyed easily???

I fully concur. Look at the dark ages.

Church holds all political power by making itself the spiritual head of western Europe. Kings avowed with excommunication if they didn't do what the Pope wanted.
They have the best intentions to start, but it is reduced to "Thou shalt be reduced to the torments of hell unless you do what I say, 'cause I'm the divine priest that gets the word directly from God, gives it to the Pope who then distributes the interpreted 'good word' on how the world ought to be according to the Man."

I think that we've really outgrown this method of thinking, but if you look at the amount of time it took to convince people of turning people from paganism to christianity, and that was with the added threat of burning in hell if they didn't.
If that failed, they tended to put them to the sword.

How the heck are we supposed to sort anything out at all?

Mass excution is the simple method, but I think I have a more effective one.

Yes. And this is a very good thing.

"No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!"

I wasn't expecting that. Where did they spring from?

No one knows - that's why nobody expects them! (You have to be a "Money Python" fan to understand...)

Oh bugger.

"We must put her in...the comfy chair!"
Seriously though, the best religion is Discordianism. Although I'm not a member of it (I do have a religion, I'm just really bad at it. We're talking Olympic level lack of commitment), they are amusing because they take nothing seriously, including themselves. Their book, "The Principia Discordia" makes about as much sense as an essay on Keats as delivered by a Welsh-speaking can of caffeine-free Diet Mountain Dew, and they know it. That's the whole point.