monkeyseemonkeydo

Yeah that's 'just' a body varial...

True, true.

Special Greg's Travis Pastrana's cousin and is the one who's helped to open up Travis' mind to the possibilities. Travis has been practising those on a crosser for a few years into the foam pit but I don't think he's tried it on dirt yet... I think it's called the 'Greg's flip varial' or something along those lines. He's special. Americans are sooo retarded! Edit: Aaaand the FMX boys are doing bikeflips now too.

Apparently he just heals your family. Lucky you! We've been through this before, Joe. Life didn't just pop into existence as a fully formed cat, dog or human (as some books will have you believe). Life started in the simplest possible form and EVOLVED into what we see today. FeS. Trust. Because your previous question didn't deserve an answer?

It doesn't happen. I don't know what you think you've seen but it would appear that your family are the only people in the world (besides the crazies from the States) who are magically healed through prayer. I'm sorry but it just doesn't happen.

I've considered the possible origins of Christianity a bit more and that the ideology of the faith isn't bad per se. However, I still think there's a huge discrepancy between what it should be, and probably what it is supposed to be, and what it has been used for over the years and what it has become. I also still think that whatever you and Bejus say, the Bible (the one you find in hotel rooms, not the 60+ books) is still taken at face value by the majority of Christians and that is wrong. Basically, whatever it started out as it no longer is and in its modified state has lost touch with modern society. I wouldn't call them all blind sheep but I'll still be somewhat disappointed if I find out a young person I'm talking to is a Christian. Just yesterday I gave a student directions to a building and he had a monster crucifix round his neck over his jumper and my first thought was . Regarding miracles, I read just the other day that in America there were a load of car crashes and a street was brought to a standstill due to a streetlight which cast a shape which looked like Bejus. Hallelujah. However, if we're talking about biblical miracles well that's just a case of physics and the laws of nature. The universe is governed by such things, including the miraculous area of quantum physics, and not a supreme being with a sick sense of humour. To accept biblical miracles are possible is to accept god and that ain't gonna happen!

I understand that the teachings can be interpreted in ways to take meaning from it and that the underlying stories can be used to better ourselves (to an extent). However, the fact still remains that the followers of the Bible truly believe, from what I understand, in the existance of God as a real being (of sorts) and the existence of heaven, hell as real places where they will go when they die. It's mass delusion arising from the texts which when written probably were never intended to be taken as they are.

There's a discrepancy here though- your saying Christianity stemmed from people being shitty to each other. Granted. Christians will tell you that Christianity stemmed from a chap with a beard who created the earth, sky, Universe, all the animals, humans, McDonalds and the talking snake before going on holiday for a while (not sure what comes between creation and Ben), kinda makes a son so he can be killed and stem a religion based on his existence. Kinda. Now if Christianity was based from the birth of a radical free thinker called Ben who changed the way everyone looked at each other and life in general then cool beans. However Christianity (like Scientology) had to go that extra step and jazz it up a bit by including some stupid story on the creation of the Universe, the existence of some supreme being and all the 'miracles' which then takes it too far and turns it into a joke in my eyes. 1- your argument holds for that statement, sure, but we're not talking about whether Ben actually meant right angles or regions of interest, we're talking about a fictional flood which covered the earth in water saving only Noah's family and two of every animal. Now that's not a slight discrepancy of meaning or metaphor, that's plain old fairy tail. As is the creation story, as is the burning bush, virgin birth, water to wine, parting of seas, God etc. etc. Again it's the difference between a believable story about a revalutionary and a fairy story which takes it too far and becomes stupid. 2- I said 99% fiction . I'm allowing the 1% chance that there may have been a chap called Ben around a couple of thousand years ago who stood up for his people.

Never come across Monstercolors before, might give them a go next time the Inspired changes colour .

Nicely put.

Beigemaster seemed to be saying that the Bible wasn't fiction. Symbolic or metaphorical makes no odds, that's still fiction in my book. Fiction with a meaning of course, but still fiction. If the stories in the Bible are symbolic or metaphorical then it would appear to me that the existence of God, the afterlife, Heaven and Hell (in the Christian sense) must also be ficticious. Anyway, we're still going over old ground here that was all covered in Dave's 'Is anyone a hardcore chirstian' topic.

1. Bible = 99% Story/Fiction. A guess of course but burning bushes, great floods, parting of seas, talking snakes? I call bullshit . 2. Of course there were some incredibly intelligent people thousands of years ago but we did have the dark ages when it would appear everyone forgot all the useful things the human race had learned and suddenly went a bit retarded... At that point the church owned all the land and was the most powerful body in Britain. There were the Crusades as well when in the name of God thousands of people were ethnically cleansed because Jesus was a white man from Oxford. I guess that then leads to the reason for scaring people. There was (is?) a lot of money and power involved in Christianity and by scaring the weak public into believing in you there was a lot to gain. Any free thinkers (heretics) were murdered so they couldn't spread the knowledge they had gained. I think the Church has a lot to answer for and considering it's based on he bible (which I think is as factually based as Harry Potter) they don't have a leg to stand on.

I've known a couple who thought that things like 9/11 were God's will and of course the freaks who preach on the streets reading passages from the Bible... They're out there though of course that's a minority.

1: There's also a very readable series of books based on a very special young man who is the saviour of mankind without ever asking for his gifts. He had a scar shaped lightning bolt on his forehead. Did Jesus? Didn't think so . 2: Because people are (were moreso in days gone by) gullible and uneducated so when people told them that this is how it is, follow this or you will spend eternity in excruciating pain having a pinapple inserted in your anus while pushing a rock uphill. If I knew no better I'd probably've done what they ask just in case they were right! However I do know better. Because deep down they know what they believe is questional at best and completely insane at worst. [/sarcasm but not really]

Just noticed Tarty now have the DVD in stock .

It couldn't hurt...

But it's incredibly difficult, so I understand, for someone of any other faith to become a Jew. Isn't that weird? I can't really follow either of those points I'm afraid. I think it's pretty safe to say that nothing in the bible actually happened and that all the stories are 'metaphors' and, if assumed to be taken literally are bull shit. If the creation story is bullshit then surely it has to point to the rest of the book (religion?) being bull shit too (in the sense that the stories, not the meanings, are ficticious). As for Scientology I think you'll find that if Tom Cruise were to fly down from the sky in front of a bunch of reliable sources, film crews, photographers etc and start preaching that he has seen Xenu and Scientology is the only way forwards then there would be mass conversions and a lot of people would start following him as the new Jesus. Not kidding. And as Anal says, chances are in 2000 years there will probably be a thread on 'jet bike observed trials on Neptune-forum.com' wondering how half the population of Earth could possibly believe some stupid story about an alien, a volcano and some strange little man who's stuck in a closet but was considered to be the saviour of mankind...

Just watched a bit of the Panorama program on there. Scientology should be banned worldwide if you ask me. I really don't get why so many 'famous' people have been dragged in, unless they have money invested in it... which is very possible.

I was quite close to becoming an arsonist when the Church of Scientology opened up in Bournemouth. Had a couple of fliers through the door which made me want to letterbomb them...

They seem to spend 10 minutes politely talking without actually saying anything... they would make excellent politicians.

Ok, I hear what you're saying. My views mainly relate to Christianity though, sparked by those retards in the first post, Americans who seem to be primarily Christians and the basis of Christianity which is the Big Book of Fairy Tales Bible. The logical reasoning for there being a 'first cause' or whatever you want call it from biology and maths etc strikes a chord with me but anything to do with the Christian Bible I consider laughable.

DAMNIT!!

My sincere apologies, never actually watched any Alan Partridge :$ .

You know what I mean! I'm perfectly willing to accept the possibility of an afterlife, god or whatever else. However, that possibility is so minute that I might as well preaching that there is a variety of pig unfound by man who has wings and can fly. Of course there's a possibility (gotta keep open-minded here) but the actual chance of it existing are so small it's not worth considering. Cue BBC newsflash reporting the finding of a flying pig...

My main problem is that I see things as black and white. In my mind there is no God- there has never been any kind of evidence to point to the slightest possibility that there is. There is no afterlife- why should there be? We've evolved from amoeba, do the single cell organisms of today have an afterlife? I doubt it so why should we? I know I come across exactly as you say and I don't really mean to but in my mind I just find it completely preposterous to believe anything in the bible and can't understand how anyone could. Of course good can come from religion, but as I've said before, only in the common sense kind of way of 'be nice to each other, don't rape, murder or steal' kind of stuff (which funnily enough is the opposite of what's in the old testament so go figure). I've argued my opinion with logic and reason 'til the cows come home in the previous threads and it all comes back to science=sensible, logical and open-minded while religion=close-minded, illogical and completely irrational. Basically in my mind, those that disagree are wrong. Much like anyone who strongly believes in Christianity and the bible think that I'm wrong and will burn in hell for eternity for my sins. Anyway, please don't be too pissed off with my comments- yes I believe what I write but a lot of it is tongue in cheek to provoke a response. How dare you... How very dare you.