Ye Ol Written Word

One of my fave books. Top recommendation.

 

Yes it's very thought-provoking. The description of how to begin to visualise eternity was amazingly effective.

 

I can easily visualise eternity when I read some of the threads here.

-- Ian

 

Recent reading includes:
Kavalier and Klay - Michael Chabon
If on a winter's night a traveller - Italo Calvino
Grendel - John Gardner
African Rhythm and African Sensibility - John Miller Chernoff

 

Ooh, a book thread, I hadn't spotted this before.

Currently reading Terry Pratchett's "Thief of time" and "A short history of nearly everything" by Bill Bryson. The Discworld one is up to the usual standard and the Bill Bryson is an entertaining history of science book.

I haven't read Simon Singh's "Fermat's last theorem", but really enjoyed "The code book", a book about the history of code breaking, including quite a bit on the Enigma stuff. The most enjoyable non-fiction book I've ever read anyway.

My all time favourite book is "The Liar" by Stephen Fry BTW. Really well written with a cracking plot, well worth a look if you don't know it.

 

Hi Ian,

Imagine a stainless steel sphere the size of the Earth. Once in every million years, a housefly lands on the surface, then takes off again. By the time the steel ball has been completely worn away by the friction, eternity won't even have begun.

I know the feeling.

 

This does worry me slightly. One pretty good version of Hell would be being forced to watch this process...repeated ad infinitum. [Suggestion for God: use a different type of insect for each successive sphere, for a little bit of variety, like].

OTOH, wouldn't doing anything for this length of time be a little tedious after a few thousand million years? So Heaven doesn't sound too great either.

I just thank God for making me an atheist.

 

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Yes, that would do. As would anything else, no matter how enticing it might appear at first. Fun for a while, oh yes. But FOR EVER?

A naughty part of me really hopes that the Christians and others are granted their rather selfish and ill-considered wish for 'eternal paradise' when they die. It is the only reward they deserve for causing so much grief in this world.

EDIT Just heard the news. Yet another f*cking religious fundamentalist suicide bomber, this time taking twenty other people with him/her.

When I am finally put in charge of things, anyone found inside any building associated with any sort of religion whatsoever will be incarcerated indefinitely.

 

I imagine a few folks will have some 'written words' to say about that!

 

reference to the Iraq bomb thismorning?
Isnt that more of a fight against the occupying forces and not religeon?

I do share your views on religeon, root of nearly all problems in our world

 

Why does religion bother you? Or is that a stupid question to ask the Devil.

My mother in-law is a devout Christian and 'walks with God', as she implores me to do also (when she is not praying for my salvation) - though i have always imagined that if this is actually the case, than God must visit Harrods at least 4 times a week and frequent the same aisles ( a contradiction which i have difficulty in reconciling) - yet she is quite a gentle creature, and to my knowledge has never killed or maimed anyone.

 

I would venture to speculate that such a conception is a common misconception, and that the comparable problems in our forefathers world were no more attributed to religion than in our world.

But then i've never actually been able to formulate one clear conception myself, so i'm not the best guide in these matters.

 

Dino,
to my mind, it's not so much the religeous followers but more the leaders. They are the ones who can incite hatred and vengence into thier flock. Although some followers are maybe to keen to take it upon them selves to do the same.
I dont think you see this so much in the UK, although those people do exist in our green and pleasant land. The problem that we see now seems to be non-christian religeons hitting back. But then they have been persecuted by christianity for a very long time................

 

Religious types are divided into at least two main forms. Your mother in law is no doubt a delightful lady who lives meekly in fear (type 2). These are for the most part harmless enough, although she is inviting you to join her, please note.

Type 1 is far more dangerous. These are the ones who are 'in charge' of the religion in question, and pass on their wisdom to the meeker Type 2s who accept their nonsense at face value.

Why do I loathe religion?

root of nearly all problems in our world

That's right.

 

most religions have a central message of 'be nice to each other' unfortunately when the politicians and religous leaders get hold of this message it turns into 'be nice to everyone that's the same as you, and possibly blow every one else to bits or hack them apart'.
as for the endless tedium of the hereafter, there was a crap tv sitcom a while ago the only thing i remember about it was some balls about buying soot to put up a chimney so it could be cleaned in order to stop the tedium. thankfully the powers that be had an attack of sensibleness and canned it as the one joke wonder it was
cheers


julian

 

In one sense, you are as much the root of 'the problems of the world' as the accused, by account of your mearly clapping eyes on them.

'mother in-law' and 'delightful lady' is causing me great difficulty. I think if i could successfully marry these two terms, then i would be able to visualise eternity with absolute lucidity.

 

Genuine flabby preludes

Well there's a bit more to it than 'be nice to each other'. In fact 'be beastly to people of whom we do not approve' is how I read the central message. Also 'abuse children where possible' and 'try to frighten people into agreeing with us' are two others.

Religions are man-made instruments of population mind control. Virtue is its own reward.

Politicians such as George Dubbya and that nice Mr Blair like to parade their religion, like an amulet. I guess it might win some credulous votes.

 

Re: Genuine flabby preludes

sums it up nicely i feel

 

james,
ahhh that's after 'the divine word' has been mangled by beurocracy. 'love thy neighbor', 'respect all life' or the equivalent is the backbone of most religions. it's like being a doctor, they swear the hypocratic oath however there is a lot of pressure on them to use certain drugs, or follow certain procedures, red tape or treat private patients rather than nhs ones that perhaps mean they are not doing 'no harm'. this is now perfectly acceptable because of the society we live in. in palestine for example its perfectly acceptable to strap 10 kilos of c4 to yourself and go and blow up some women and children. it's just what the powers that be have done to reinterpret nice blokes words.
it's not the fault of the core religion, it's the fault of those reinterpreting it to suit their own ends.
cheers


julian