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

That was the first time in quite a few years I've seen the inside of a church on a Sunday. And I actually quite enjoyed it, believe it or not!

It did have a surreal kind of feeling once or twice - like "am I really here?" And I spared the people around me by not singing along. (They all had voices *much* higher than mine - and I'm no bass! - but I would have sounded like a fog horn). And I kept a respectful silence while they said a prayer for the queen, but I still really enjoyed it.

A thought crossed my mind: a lot of religious rules and traditions had practical reasons when they started out - dietary rules and so forth - and I just wondered if all the standing up, and sitting down, actually started as a means to stop people from falling asleep.

Then, after that, we went to the pub to watch Ireland beat France. Lovely atmosphere! You could hear a pin drop when Ireland were taking a kick on goal. Even the baby stopped crying, which was a bit eerie!

(There's a rumour that Irish people have long memories. Not true. The guy who said "Take that, France! That's for not landing your troops in to help us in 1796!" is not representative of all of us. Probably. )

" I just wondered if all the standing up, and sitting down, actually started as a means to stop people from falling asleep." [KB]

That's quite possible. It might also be a way to prevent circulation problems....

I loved it.

You know, people used to take small dogs into church with them as footwarmers...

But when the lady here in town asked the church folks if she could bring her Yorkie to service, they were not very encouraging about it...

I can't help feeling that that rabbi from Nazareth would have had a good sense of humour and a fondness for dogs.

I think the Irish are more likely to remember Thierry Henry's handball than the 1796 debacle.

"I can't help feeling that that rabbi from Nazareth would have had a good sense of humour and a fondness for dogs" [KB]

Sparrows for sure. Pigs probably not. Whatever humor existed was forgotten after the crucifixion. There may have been some unintentional humor with the apocryphal stuff about the baby Jesus performing miracles .

Yesterday, in church, we had an example of Jesus' humour. (Luke 11:8)

We got into a discussion after the sermon about the translation of the Greek word 'anaideia'. One translator came up with 'chutzpah'. I can just hear Jesus saying that neighbour had a lot of chutzpah.

Jesus often gave the message that people should not sweat the small stuff in life -- God's eye was on the sparrow, the simple lilies of the field are ornate enough for an emperor -- I imagine that he did it with a smile. Life is a source of wonder, and should be enjoyed.