Originally Posted by Dick Dasterdly

Believe it or not, there are those who believe in God or religion, who are not in any way involved with paedo priests or indeed any priests or places of worship at all.
They have no wish to start WW3 or indeed cause any bother or discomfort to any living thing.
They don't regularly attend church, go round preaching fire and brimstone or any other claptrap.
They basically just get comfort from their prayers and religion, and nothing more.
They could be ppl.who simply believe in the basic principles of Christian religion. They could be buddhist monks or whatever else.
Whilst a non believer myself, I still respect the rights of such ppl.and see no reason why they should all be tarred with the same brush, by those launching vindictive attacks on all sectors of religious ppl.

Another thing, I wonder just how many non-believers on here were christened at church or chapel or had their offspring christened or baptised at church or chapel ?

Originally Posted by whitelinen

I firmly believe that people should be free to follow any religion they wish as long as they dont try and foist it on to me.

And in answer to your question yes to doing all that including getting married in a church but I was once a believer/follower call it what you will but later changed my mind

Originally Posted by Dick Dasterdly

They could be buddhist monks

Originally Posted by bil

Oh yeah. I had no say in my christening. I didn't, wouldn't get married in church, nor were any of our kids baptized.

As if.

Originally Posted by kimilseung

It is about time that the buddhist monks were not just given a get out of jail card.

I strongly recommend Ekai Kawaguchi's book "Three Years in Tibet", to see what a practicing buddhist monk had to say about some of his colleagues.

Originally Posted by Sally Redux

Same here.

Originally Posted by bil

I doubt that any religion has a spotless record for its personnel.

Priesthood and the godbothering business are both very corrupting.

Originally Posted by bil

I take it a tad further. I want my ashes scattered on unconsecrated ground to ensure the church can't get its hooks on me.

Originally Posted by bil

Well, first off the 'good xtians' you talk of pollute children's minds, denying them the right to grow up without indoctrination.

Second, these 'goodies' seldom really follow xtain rules. they pick and mix what tehy choose to believe from teh bible, and when it scomes to Jesus's command that you should love your neighbour as yourself, they don't.

Vindictive? Oh puh-leeze.

Oh yeah. I had no say in my christening. I didn't, wouldn't get married in church, nor were any of our kids baptized.

As if.

Originally Posted by Dick Dasterdly

I wonder how many non believing parents incl.yourself would deny a daughter a church wedding if that's what she preferred ?

Originally Posted by Sally Redux

One positive thing about Buddhism as opposed to other belief systems is that the Dalai Lama will accept new scientific findings.

Originally Posted by Dick Dasterdly

Your first two statements are merely a matter of opinion and not necessarily always the case.
I wonder how many non believing parents incl.yourself would deny a daughter a church wedding if that's what she preferred ?

Originally Posted by kimilseung

While my intuition has a great deal of time for the Dalai Lama, it needs to be noted that he is the first Dalai Lama in a while to be out of power, and all his predecessors (him in previous incarnations, if you will) were a right gang of evil murdering and torturing gits. We will never know what he would have had to say about things if he had managed to get power in Tibet.

Originally Posted by Sally Redux

Fair point. I'm not familiar with Tibet, but enjoyed reading his book The Universe in a Single Atom: The Convergence of Science and Spirituality.

Originally Posted by Sally Redux

What a strange argument. An adult daughter could do as she pleased.

Originally Posted by Dick Dasterdly

Well I probably worded it badly,maybe I should have said supported it,gone along with it and attended or took part in the ceremony, would have been more appropriate.