Capricious, mean-minded, stupid God!

[MajGenl.Meade]

Thank you, Ray. Thanks for reading but buy my book. Please. It's quite good - better than Stan Lee's work (unless we judge 'better' by popularity, sales and other inconsequentials). And the hero doesn't believe in God.

I made no statement at all about your non-belief or of atheism in general as theology. It's impossible to miss that your eloquent statement above is in fact a theological statement but I'll not argue with your explanation - it's enough to understand it.

No, it is Mr. Fry who offered thoughts on theology in that video. He is asked a theological question - "what will you say to God if it turns out there is one?" He offers dimwitted observations blaming such a god for bone cancer in children (apparently bone cancer is just fine after perhaps 18 years of age?) and other ills.

These are, he implies, super-clever arguments that prove there is no good God and further that they are unanswerable. He is incorrect twice, which would amount to 100% failure, well done and blue ribbons all round.

Were I to say that Mr. Fry is a fat faggot, I would be criticized for being offensive to him and to others. Mr. Fry is of course perfectly without fault in referring to God as stupid, etc. etc. even though such statements cause offense to others (because - hint - THOSE people don't matter and he doesn't care if they are offended).

[Big RR]

[quote] Mr. Fry is of course perfectly without fault in referring to God as stupid, etc. etc. even though such statements cause offense to others (because - hint - THOSE people don't matter and he doesn't care if they are offended)./quote]

Come on Meade, god can take care of him/her/itself and doesn't need any people to be offended by the comments of Steven Fry (or anyone else for that matter).

[Gob]

OK so you'd like "Doctor god" who fixes some illnesses? All illnesses? But not intervening in anything else? No wait - avalanches! god should fix that too but that's all. No, wait. Trainwrecks... war... tsunamis... all those natural things we enjoy so much. But that's all. No, wait. Murders - all murders should be stopped. But that's definitely it. Kidnappings, yes those too but... oh OK and rape, GBH, torture but there is a limit. Just not there - we need drunk drivers to be prevented from getting in cars... better yet... prevent them from drinking! And heroin, cocaine, opium.. better get cannabis exterminated too, just in case it's a gateway. Finis. Almost... I was forgetting the haters.. god would eliminate them if he had any brain. Them and poverty. And greed... got to do something about that.

What else, rubato? What did I leave out of the list? Republicans! Goodbye to them! Foreign navies... cheerio! Ankle sprains. Migraines. Cliff diving. Tired fingers from typing endless lists of things god should be doing until finally we end up with no humans at all because they are all just a bloody nuisance. Let's have androids dreaming of electronic sheep - that sounds safe enough.

Don't worry - you enjoy the mental world that Stephen Fry and you inhabit. The one where bone cancer in children still exists - where people kill and hurt each other and cars flip over - and it's all utterly without meaning or any form of redemption and the only cure is death. Welcome to it, sir. You are welcome to it. It is soooo very much better than the alternative.

I have enough jam for tomorrow, thanks.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Mr. Fry is of course perfectly without fault in referring to God as stupid, etc. etc. even though such statements cause offense to others (because - hint - THOSE people don't matter and he doesn't care if they are offended).

Come on Meade, god can take care of him/her/itself and doesn't need any people to be offended by the comments of Steven Fry (or anyone else for that matter).

What has that to do with Mr. Fry being offensive to other people and receiving applause for it? It's a frequent leftie/liberal double-standard.

[Econoline]

I just went back and listened to it again, and at no point in his tirade--and it was not unprovoked; it was in direct response to a specific hypothetical question--did Fry insult anyone other than the (hypothetical) god whom he was asked to address. If you want to be insulted, that's your business...but I would think you might agree that the sort of God you believe in is big enough to take care of Himself.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Hi, Econo.

Re: at no point in his tirade--and it was not unprovoked; it was in direct response to a specific hypothetical question

Was there some part of "He is asked a theological question - "what will you say to God if it turns out there is one?" He offers dimwitted observations blaming ..." that I failed to write clearly enough?

Re: If you want to be insulted, that's your business...but I would think you might agree that the sort of God you believe in is big enough to take care of Himself.

Then you too can have no objection if I characterize Mr. Fry as a disgusting fat faggot - because you don't have to choose to be insulted, do you? That's his business. (What's that I hear? "But... but... but...").

My issue here is not God's reaction to pontificating poofs but the fact that Mr. Fry is applauded by the usual liberal wankers (no need to feel offended if you are not one) for speaking in terms that are offensive to a large number of his fellow human beings. After all, God is more of a real person to me than (say) Mr. Fry, God bless 'im.

(I wouldn't characterize Mr. Fry in that manner of course - I agreed that he and I are both overweight and egotistical)

[Gob]

and gay...

[Lord Jim]

I agreed that he and I are both overweight and egotistical)

and gay...

No, if anything I think Gen'l Meade seems somewhat sullen...

Not the slightest bit "gay"...

[BoSoxGal]

After all, God is more of a real person to me than (say) Mr. Fry, God bless 'im.

The root of religious evil in a nutshell.

eta: and this position directly contravenes the essential teaching of Jesus Christ, too, which is why I am baffled that so many Christians express it.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Gob.. no, I ruled out homosexual and ... something else... what was it? Wealthy? Famous? Oh yes... atheistic.

bsg - not sure what you mean but what I mean is that God is a reality in my life whereas Mr. Fry is an electronic image beamed into my home via the magic of electrickery. I don't know Mr. Fry and he could not care less about me (having never heard of me, oh lucky man). If we were neighbors, I'd expect we'd be friends assuming he could be bothered. He's a witty and erudite man.

I'm not sure how all that adds up to religious evil any more than it contravenes the essential teaching of Jesus, to love God (first) and then one's neighbor as oneself. How are we all doing in not contravening that one?

[Big RR]

What has that to do with Mr. Fry being offensive to other people and receiving applause for it? It's a frequent leftie/liberal double-standard.

Please elaborate on this lefty/liberal (maybe even pinko?) standard you are accusing me of. I certainly can't ever recall advocating it.

[MajGenl.Meade]

I accused you of nothing. I stated plainly and clearly that it is a leftie/liberal bias to accuse others of being offensive and insulting while giving a free pass, three cheers and a tiger to an offensive anti-Christian speaker.

Double-standards are by no means exclusive to the left. This particular bias always is. (To say that X is a bias of group Y is not at all the same as saying that all members of Y endorse that bias).

[wesw]

speaking of double standards....

some of you claim to hate religion, and are especially spiteful toward Christianity, yet are quick to defend the muslim religion whenever we associate the terrorists with islam. "they aren t real muslims, islam is a religion of peace..."

[Lord Jim]

it is a leftie/liberal bias to accuse others of being offensive and insulting while giving a free pass, three cheers and a tiger to an offensive anti-Christian speaker.

Double-standards are by no means exclusive to the left. This particular bias always is.

To which I would add that leftie/liberals of this particular stripe almost invariably rationalize their double standard by claiming that the offensive and insulting anti-Christian rhetoric is merely "truth telling"....

[wesw]

back in the 70s and 80s it was the right wing who , I thought, were hateful, narrow minded, and intolerant...

the left has flipped the script.

[BoSoxGal]

bsg - not sure what you mean but what I mean is that God is a reality in my life whereas Mr. Fry is an electronic image beamed into my home via the magic of electrickery. I don't know Mr. Fry and he could not care less about me (having never heard of me, oh lucky man). If we were neighbors, I'd expect we'd be friends assuming he could be bothered. He's a witty and erudite man.

I'm not sure how all that adds up to religious evil any more than it contravenes the essential teaching of Jesus, to love God (first) and then one's neighbor as oneself. How are we all doing in not contravening that one?

I mistook your assertion for what I've heard too often from other religious folks - they care more about God than many of their neighbors. A very strange position to take, because unless one loves ones neighbors, one cannot be loving God - the love of neighbors is essential to the practice of Christianity.

In reality I think far too many people (obviously, just look at the world around us) DO in fact think nothing of their neighbors but think that they are properly loving/worshipping God. Impossible! You must BOTH love God AND love your neighbor as yourself, or you are NOT loving God as scripture dictates.

But so few people do - how many men truly love their wives as Jesus loved the church? Some, but I would venture, not the majority. Etc.

I think Islam is every bit as foolish as Christianity - I don't favor one over the other in terms of laughing at the fantastical stories or pointing out the hypocrisies inherent. When a 'Christian' nutter bombs an abortion clinic or murders a physician who provides abortions, I don't call that person a mainstream Christian - I call him a 'Christian' nutter, with the quotes meaning to show that he isn't really Christian. Duh. When a 'Muslim' nutter chops heads off of Western reporters, I don't consider that person a true Muslim, either. I don't excuse either religion over the other, and I recognize that both contain scripture and dogma that can be perverted and twisted to terrible ends - which is why I generally have contempt for religion overall. I try to be very consistent in my criticisms and observations.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Well that's all right then. Thanks.

[Gob]

To which I would add that leftie/liberals of this particular stripe almost invariably rationalize their double standard by claiming that the offensive and insulting anti-Christian rhetoric is merely "truth telling"....

Nope. I justify it thus; if I choose to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of my garden, or that the moon is made of blue cheese, or that the world is controlled by giant lizards, I expect you will take the piss. Just because you choose to believe in your brand of suspicion it does not make you immune form piss taking.

[MajGenl.Meade]

If I accepted any equality of what you yourself would characterize as irrational beliefs with the rational argumentation in favour of a Creator God, then you might have posted something other than ... well, nothing really. Since I don't, you did. And that's your balls in the jar on the shelf over there, sir.

[Gob]

A belief in "God" is an irrational belief though.