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I'm confused about the massive popularity of The Da Vinci Code (which I haven't read). If there's supposed to be no particular interest in the Christian church these days and hardly anyone believes in Jesus or gives a toss about going to church and all that... then why the **** is this book selling by the shedload?
Anyone?
Seems to me that the whole Christian thing is still alive and kicking if a conspiracy theory about it can raise so much interest. I mean, there are dead religions. Does anyone still follow that Aztec stuff for example? And that was a lot more recent than the Jesus thing. If someone wrote a book claiming that Xtlcoatlx had actually married Lxtlcoatxl and there had to be a big cover up then I don't suppose it would sell more than about three copies to the author's friends and family.
If you combine the sales of The Da Vinci Code and The Bible then it probably adds up to a lot of interest in Jesus at a time when we're told that no one is particularly interested in all that bollo at all any more.
Does the innate human desire for a conspiracy theory somehow override the accepted scientific belief that none of the Bible is true anyway?
Originally posted by Chico
And what scientific evidence would that be? Please provide evidence and marvel us with your knowledge.
Did I say "scientific evidence"? I said "scientific belief". As far as I'm concerned science is as much a belief system as religion.
There are absolute truths in religion and absolute truths in science, but both have plenty of grey areas and a genuine scientist will be the first to admit that. And religious leaders spend their whole lives debating the meaning of The Word and all that, so they obviously acknowledge that they have plenty left to discover just as science does.
In fact, the droning dullness of pedantic followers of science (who aren't actually scientists themselves) is at least as bad as the ravings of blind religious loons who refuse to discuss and reinterpret. The interesting scientists and religious leaders are those who know that they will always be learning and that nothing is certain beyond a few fundamental truths. Fortunately there's still quite a few of them around.
I've just had an idea for a T-Shirt...."Love Jesus...Hate God".
It's based on the story which I told on here a few weeks back. In it, I explained how a Xian Evangie explained that "God is a real pyscho-nutter who hates Mankind, coz of the Garden of Eve incident. Jesus however, is forgiving, and if you worship Jesus, when the time comes and you go to Heaven, (if you have been nice), Jesus will slip you in via the back door and keep you out of God's way, coz if he see's ya, he'll go ballistic."
So there we go..."Love Jesus, Hate God".
You know it makes sense.
Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.
Did I say "scientific evidence"? I said "scientific belief". As far as I'm concerned science is as much a belief system as religion.
[CUT]
I remember one episode of Futurama where Bender meets God and God replied to the question "do you really exist? why you never gave us a proof?" with the answer "when things go smooth you hardly get noticed".
So my point... I can't believe this obsession with God existing or not. No one can ever prove it and his purpose is not certainly to be seen by nutters like Chico. It's impossible to see it as you should be God too to be able to (no, Chico, you are not God by millions of light years). But to all the atheist/agnostic/undecided, one thing must be said: if he's up there, he has certainly done a lot of work for us, although we tend to notice his mistakes much quicker.
I've seen much of the rest of the world. It is brutal and cruel and dark, Rome is the light.
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