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

Thanks for the invitation! Any chance of ? Or pop round to mine and I'll offer you some. Or and maybe a couple of .

A Sub-editor eh? That means attention to detail.

So what do you know about Quakers or Sufis? So far, I've done nothing on Sufis, but I've just had an entry recommended on the Quaker Peace Testament, which tells a little. I'll whack you a link to it if you're interested.

Sounds to me as though you were thoroughly put off religion by experiences in childhood, or you were brought up by non-religious parents? I was brought up as a Christian Scientist and had that stuffed down my throat, which is why I can't stand fundamentalists and bigots or anyone who tries to force their opinions on others.

So, what do you think the meaning of life is? If none, then why?

I did like the Mary Anning entry apart from taking issue with the wording of the last paragraph.

Do stop by and say hello. You will be most welcome.

"Sounds to me as though you were thoroughly put off religion by experiences in childhood, or you were brought up by non-religious parents?"
Er, both, as a matter of fact. Mum was a Catholic and Dad kind of viewed the whole matter with detached amusement. Mum is no longer a Catholic, and Dad, now in his seventies, is begining to get vaguely interested in fringe religions (presumably to prepare himself for death).

I don't know anything about Chritian Scientists, but the combination of words produces a slight chill. Please enlighten me.

And as to the meaning of life...
Well, I'm not convinced that life has a meaning, and if it does, I'm not convinced it would mean anything to *us*.
What is the meaning of life? Let's start off small - what is the meaning of sand?

So why life if it has no meaning? I don't know. I haven't heard a good enough answer to that. Which is part of my religious problem.
I'm a stickler for the truth. Not the TRUTH, but merely what happened, why it happened, and why people want to talk about it.
If I think I'm hearing something *someone wants me to believe* then I become suspicious.
I don't like heirachy. I don't like distortion. I don't like bullying. These are the things I have witnessed in religion. I quite like the Buddhist ideals - don't mess people about, don't hit people, don't take any notice of me if you don't want to... But they don't quite get there for me.
I'm tired, I have rambled. We should talk about the Anning thing. I think it would be constructive.
Frogbit.

"So what do you know about Quakers or Sufis?"
Nothing - but I have only heard good things about both. Tell me some more.

Hi Frogbit!

I'll do a thumbnail sketch about the Christian Science thing before turning in as I'm and respond further tomorrow.

Christian Science - founded in Americal by a woman called Mary Baker Eddy, who believed that the truth was revealed to her.

One essence if belief is that the healing power of Jesus is accessible to all and that the basis of illness if faulty thinking. To gain healing, therefore, one must realise that the body is a fallacy, an illusion and that 'there is no life, truth, substance or feeling in matter; all is mind and it's infinite manifestation'.

She wrote a book called 'Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures'. Try (no reasoned argument there, then) and as you can see, some of it is still with me, like the poems I learned as a child at school, eg 'Up the airy mountain, down the rushy glen, we dare not go a-hunting for fear of little men...' and 'Quinquereme of Ninevah from distant Ophir, sailing down the Isthmus...' (Cargoes). Stays with you forever, that sort of thing.


Mary Anning, yes. Tomorrow.

Night, night.