arkon

So true. A true god would not want you to suffer just because he did. As the fanatics tell us, God is the father and creator, what decent farther want's pain and suffering for his children just because he stubbed a toe once or twisted his back whilst planting the apple tree in Eden. It's just an excuse they give because if there really was a god, then there would be no pain and suffering, mankind wouldn't be bad to each other either as that's clearly a design flaw. If HE created us with such a fundamental flaw then he made a mistake and God's don't make mistakes do they.

birdynumnum

You got the rid of the flu yet Arkon

birdynumnum

Amen brother

arkon

Man you have got to be winding me up. Where did all the elements come from? The sun, a nuclear furnace churning them out by the bucket load. Fired into space and left to coalesce into planets. from whence the goo came maybe.

I'm sure if I was born 2000 years ago and caused a ruckus then we might now be measuring the years as AA. History and the calander was written by the victors and the Christians were the victors and so saw fit to set time zero on their fairy tale hero.

arkon

No, tail end now. Sore throat and bad cough. Fever has gone though so bonza, must have been all that praying I've been doing.

birdynumnum

Ripper mate, you'll be able to crack a tinnie again soon

PS Try n get a copy of Cooking with Fernet Branca by James Hamilton Patterson (its not a cookery book). Reckon you'll like, its funny, very dry and'll make a change from the big book

Wol

>> This isn't aimed at you JTL, but isn't it interesting how much time and money many people (who publicly call people idiots who even half believe in there being a creator) waste on buying books and reading up on the issue?! <<

I wouldn't call it a "waste". If one does, then presumably buying a bible or koran is the same?

>> It really interests and fascinates people. <<

The origin of everything is probably the most interesting question ever posed - of course it fascinates many people.

>> Various people state with absolute conviction that it's all rubbish and anyone who believes it is a freak - there's absolutely no evidence etc.,, etc... <<

Sensible people don't entirely rule out some sort of "creator" - but extraordinary claims demand extraordinary eveidence to be acceptable. To me there is absolutely no evidence whatsoever for a god.

The pink teapot theory - whimsical, yes, but valid in this context - can be invoked. If i state that there's an intelligent pink teapot orbiting the sun and that communicates with me by thought waves, you cannot disprove it. I may be completely convinced myself, but it is not proveable or unproveable. If I write it all down and a few hundred people also are convinced - with no evidence - then in a few hundred years it might be a respectable religion. There have been many equally bizarre cults taking in millions of people.

>> Well here's a simple, non inflamatory question - why are we in the year 2007AD? AD being Anno Domini. Surely that must mean something? <<

Various societies have different dating systems, usually based on religious anniversaries - which would you accept??

>> Also, as a passing comment, I personally find it far more unbelievable that we all evolved from some cosmic goo - this is what the most (apparently) intelligent scientists would have us believe!!!! WTF?! Are you for real? Ooooh yeah, a bit of goo (oh, by the way - how did the goo get there?) that developed into what we see in 2007. Oh yeah - I buy that LOL <<

Inventing a supernatural entity doesn't explain anything at all - it just pushes the question further back. If the believer asks "But what came before the big bang, or did time stretch back infinitely?" I think one's entitled to ask "So what made god, or came before him?" An answer to one is the answer to both.

>> Sorry, this is long winded. But what annoys me is people who catagorically say it's crap and it's 'obvious' that we just happened to be and quote some book written by a scientist as 'proof'. What crap.

Graham <<

Absolutely - what ****. But no-one is saying that. A classic Straw Man argument.

Hutch

Damn those scientists and their scientific ways. Damn electricity, damn medicines, damn doctors too while we're at it. Freaks in white coats mumbling hocus-pocus about 'elements' and 'atoms'. Damn all those odd-balls in white tunics, like Aristotle, who lived before the sandal wearer from Nazareth and introduced such bizarre freaky concepts as biology and medicine, instead of doing parlour tricks. Burn them all and burn their heathen books too.

I am the way, the truth and the shite.

arkon

No, The big J wins against Harris Tottle any day, He made wine out of water FFS. I mean just what kind of science can do that?

Sally

Thank god for that.

esperanza

Well, some people did. Not everyone. Plenty of people today don't consider us to be in the year 2007.
And most of the people who do use the date 2007 probably do not believe that it marks 2007 years since the son of God walked the earth.

TraceyW

I have to say, in fear of getting stoned and whipped, but I agree with this point here. If nothing important happened at that time, why was the event marked in such a significant way?

I also agree with the other posters who say that the majority of the Bible is a load of old tosh, but....I do believe there was a preacher called Jesus. I don't know what he did, I seriously doubt he performed miracles and the like, and I absolutely don't believe his mother was a virgin, but I do like to believe he tried to encourage other human beings to be better people. I like to think that was a good thing.

Sally

Having AD proves the bible is right?

Now I've heard everything.

northerner

Thanks Sally. Carry on 'Thinking less, breathing more' - that's a great philosophy. Just trying to play devils advocate ('scuse the pun).

Sorry if I've offended anyone for having a slightly different opinion to the masses. It's also interesting to note that whilst people here say they can't stand God botherers because they alway think they're right and you can't win an arguement with them no matter what you say - well what is everyone doing on this thread?? Exactly that I'd suggest - 'we're right, you're wrong, you're stupid for thinking any differently to us'. Brilliant.

Graham

PS For the record I'm not a practising Christian or anything else.

northerner

That's not what she said at all.