Pollyana

Its not the sort of life you'd take on without some pretty strong beliefs. Low pay, huge barns to live in that cost a fortune to heat, can't take time off for holidays whenever you want, and thats just some of the practical stuff, without going into the spiritual side and whether you could keep up a pretence in front of the parishoners and fellow clergy.

birdynumnum

Maybe they like the idea of having a flock but dont want to be farmers

arkon

More like, they like wearing a frock. Has anyone else noticed when you meet a realy highly religious Christian, they tend to have that I'm judging you santamonious stare when they look at you.

birdynumnum

Yes indeedy, same thought had occured to me.
That 'look' you get alot in whole food shops in UK run by by buddhist converts, they're really really sloooooooow & caaaaaaaaalm 2 the point I want to shake them (mean, I know) & they look all smug & holier than thou smiling like they pity you...probably do the prices they charge

Pollyana

Hmmm, I don't believe the sanctimonious stare is an essential of being a vicar - not in C of E world anyway. I do think the Church always thought that vicar's families had inner warmth from their beliefs and thats why the houses were too big to heat though.
I remember a lot of my Dad's friends being fantastic guys to talk too, not openly religious but with very firm beliefs. I'm a vicar's daughter :rolleyes; and the only time I remember my dad getting sanctimonious and preaching at me was when I started muttering spells and reading Denis Wheatley. Being a typical teenagerof course, the more he complained, the more I dabbled, but i have to say that he never actually banned me from exploring such things.

Hutch

6,000 years, my arse.

arkon

I think I'll post each big error or injustice I find in the bible, you never know it might convert someone back to the not so righteous.

The next major injustice is Babylon! The people were getting on great, doing no harm, just building a city with a tower in it. For some reason thins pissed off god and he made them all speak different languages and spread them over the earth. Now why exactly did he punish them?

meelie

Cos he was having a bad day????

Sally

It was pure smite.

arkon

God is currently conversing with Abram, Seems like god doesn't seem to mind slavery. And there was me thinking it was wrong to have slaves.

Sally

He created all men equal, but some more equal than others.

why

i think god has buggered off to the beach with his esky full of beer.... he's realise what a big huge ugly mess he has created...he's gone to miami to retire and have "fun" on the 4th july!!!!!! as he MUST be on the side of the good old USA

birdynumnum

Are you going to read the whole thing or are you just dipping in here n there?

arkon

The whole thing, I've even got a bookmark LOL. I read a few pages in between waiting for the computer to do things. So far there have been some right boring bits about who shagged who and gave birth to who.

I have to say, I am going to stick with it as it is increasing my understanding of the religious type no end. Personally based on what little i've read so far, you just must be a little sick in the head if you read it and actually believe in god as a result. Beats me how it could make anyone believe. I have a theory as to why people lived to 905 years old etc. let's say you lived a couple of thousand years ago before computer records and diarys. You guess the year say Abram was born, so you can write a story about him, you then have no idea when he really died but you guess based on something you read it was near another historical event say 900 years later, so what the heck he must have been 900!

I think what now amazes me most is people become religious based on the bible fundamentally, even tho they havn't read or understand it. Yet the book is a load of tosh.

lesleys

After the bible you'll have to pick another religion - this site give you the low-down on most of them.

http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html