BBC White series, White girl. Your thoughts.

[pigletwillie]

I'm sure PLW respects my right to be an atheist, but doesn't agree with many aspects of my atheism and is therefore free to criticise it.

I dont agree with your views Paul, but the difference between some people and me is that whilst I could ctiticise you, I choose not too and dont feel the need to try and justify my beliefs. Perhaps it the Christian in me.

[SarzWix]

As an example, I respect the right of a person to think their horoscope is a true prediction of their future, but I do not respect the actual belief at all, because it's scientifically unsound. The same goes, in my mind, for religion. I'm sure PLW respects my right to be an atheist, but doesn't agree with many aspects of my atheism and is therefore free to criticise it.

Now that inspires in me something dangerously close to pity. Is that not a very dry existence? You'll only believe in something that has scientific proof? If scientists hadn't proved all the chemical reactions involved, would you refuse to believe in love?! Would you have been one of the 'doubters' back in the day of huge medical discoveries like penicillin or the invention of the telephone?
And not forgetting that a major part of most religions is the provision of hope, which at this point in history is difficult to find. From whence does your hope spring?

[Paul Wagland]

Whilst I could ctiticise you, I choose not too and dont feel the need to try and justify my beliefs. Perhaps it the Christian in me.

That's a distinctly un-Christian attitude in my book (and by that I mean simply that it's 'not typically Christian' rather than in some way uncharitable or 'wrong'). Look at the practice of sending missionaries around the World (along with the Western diseases that they infected indigenous people with). And what about evangelism? It was one of Christ's instructions to his disciples that they should spread his teachings (it's called the 'Great Commission' I think). I've yet to see an atheist shouting out his beliefs in Colchester High Street, but the Christians are there every weekend.

Now that inspires in me something dangerously close to pity. Is that not a very dry existence? You'll only believe in something that has scientific proof? If scientists hadn't proved all the chemical reactions involved, would you refuse to believe in love?! Would you have been one of the 'doubters' back in the day of huge medical discoveries like penicillin or the invention of the telephone?
And not forgetting that a major part of most religions is the provision of hope, which at this point in history is difficult to find. From whence does your hope spring?

But love, penicillin and the telephone are all observable phenomena aren't they? That in itself is proof of their existence. I understand the principles behind them - and even if I didn't I would trust better brains than mine to understand them and tell me they were true (as I do with quantum mechanics). Nobody can offer any proof for the existence of a god or gods, they have to rely on faith. For me that's not nearly enough.

Hope is nothing to do with religion whatsoever. I have plenty of hope and have thankfully never found it hard to find.

[Paulottie]

Did anybody see that fella on BBC2 last night? I caught a bit of this fascinating programme on missing gospels and those edited out of new testament by the early church.

Jesus was obviously an amazing person(and to me he was only that). I have no doubt of his existence. The problem is really that the texts we have are so slanted, moulded and adulterated to benefit the those(particularly males) in power in the church.

[pigletwillie]

I have recorded it Paulottie. When the bible was put together there was a huge eclesiastical council of interested parties, the original Church had fragmented into many different streams then but some common ground was called for and many gospels and books were ommited from the final bible as we know it. Every translation since has subtley changed it, the King James version is not exactely the same as the modern NIV version.

This is one reason why you really do have to study the bible to understand it, reading it is not enough, it will through up so many questions some of which you need to know the context in which they were written.Some of course cannot be answered easily, but then thats where faith comes into the mix.

Paul, Athiests wont shout out there beliefs as they, well dont believe. As for the Christians going out there "promoting the cause", is it any different to any advertising of today and as an ex editor of GYO you must know something about selling, even if it was just a mag. Just like buying or not buying a mag, you can either listen to the evangelists or not. God gave everybody free will. Nobody is forced to do anything.

[smallblueplanet]

.....From whence does your hope spring?

Perhaps from here

Humanism - a positive approach to life


Humanism is an approach to life based on reason and our common humanity, recognising that moral values are properly founded on human nature and experience alone. Robert Ashby

"Humanism is a positive attitude to the world, centred on human experience, thought, and hopes. They reject the idea of knowledge 'revealed' to human beings by gods, or in special books."

[The Reverend]

This is all very interesting.