[Joepicalli]

this is like something you'd read on a UKC forum

Unfortunately it is a bit, although curiously enough, not due to the OP (incidentally, Sloper, YHM). A pity as an exploration of religion - particularly within climbing and it's community, done with the general higher calibre of debate and tolerance on here, could be good.

Oh no, This is, and must be, a place for flippancy and jokes, especially since there is no god...
except for Rab Carrington, Jerry Moffat, Stevie Haston, Bonjoy (how much can anybody know about mushrooms?)& the trinity (Graeme Alderson, Percy b and Sam), who not only promised the Promised Land but bleedin' delivered.

[Houdini]

I could never practise any religion.


I'd flash them all.   

[Paul B]

I worship at the church of Johnny G.

[Serpico]

I myself will sign up to belief in the first god that lets me do highball 9b+ font tomorrow... above a back breaking landing, without mats.

I had a word with god and she said she was quite prepared to send Jesus back to bring peace to the Middle East, end famine with just a bottle of SunnyD and a Pot Noodle, unite all the religions of the world, and rationalise the E grade...
But getting you up anything with 9 in it was beyond even her.

[meatball]

If millions of people believe you, it's a certified religion.

Interesting point. I read somewhere a while back about 'jedi' being classed as an official religion, (I think it does have something to do with the number of followers) and decided to see what google came up with.
http://www.jedichurch.org/

I have been fortunate enough to have worked/socialized with people from a few different religious back grounds, and even more fortunatley these people have responded well when asked honest and none offensive questions about thier belief systems (i'm a curious person by nature). For example; A guy called Dosti i have worked with in the past is Muslim and at the time he was in the month of Ramadan , i was unaware that Muslims par-took in Ramadan as a way of paying hommage to slaves who had died (cutting out a lot of the detail).

I was asked about my reigious views and i reply said i dont believe in any form of God or higher power. The reason for me is simple. I find no comfort from religion in its many varying forms.

Basically, if your not doing anyone any harm, its all good.

[Joepicalli]

I myself will sign up to belief in the first god that lets me do highball 9b+ font tomorrow... above a back breaking landing, without mats.

I had a word with god and she said she was quite prepared to send Jesus back to bring peace to the Middle East, end famine with just a bottle of SunnyD and a Pot Noodle, unite all the religions of the world, and rationalise the E grade...
But getting you up anything with 9 in it was beyond even her.

She was obviously joking, or implying a certain amount natural talent was necessary... But I believe: and tomorrow I will prove it OH YES Death e9 (rationalised) will be mine.

[Fiend]

I worship at the church of Johnny G.

End of thread.

[slackline]

Interesting point. I read somewhere a while back about 'jedi' being classed as an official religion, (I think it does have something to do with the number of followers) and decided to see what google came up with.
http://www.jedichurch.org/

That is simply down to the UK Office for National Statistics who conduct the Census' every so often.  "Someone" found out that if X number of people denote their religon as Jedi then it is "officially" recognised as a religion on ONS/Government as explained on the front page so its completely arbitrary, just like any other religion (except Scientology which is still a charity and should remain so as there are no fucking theteans).

[Stubbs]

Devoted agnostic.

.... but these days I find anti-the-possibility-of-god-and-religion fantatics just as tedious and narrow-minded as religious ones. I still don't support conventional organised religion, but don't believe - due to mankind's proven ignorance - that the principle can be conclusively dismissed.

holy shit - I think that's the first think you've ever said that I'm in total agreement with - I must be ill...

[Iesu]

there's no option for Naturalistic Pantheist.

I was brought up agnostic. I am deeply mistrustful of any organised religion (particularly the flying spaghetti monster/thetan worshipers), but that doesn't mean that there isn't anything "out there" in an X-files way (although I personally doubt it). I have a hard time (from a moderately scientific standpoint) visualising some omnipotent divine "being" who's in charge of this whole mess - if it were me i think i would have sacked it off by now and left this place to turn to shite...oh, hang on....

[Baron]

Mr Dawkins maintains that the probability of god existing isn't 50/50, the agnostic position, but stacked rather more heavily in favour against.

The creationist holy grail of 'irreducible complexity' is ultimately self-defeating. God made and controls everything in the universe and must, therefore, be the most complex and improbable being or entity there is; but who made god? And who made the presumably even more complex and improbable maker of god? Ad infinitum...

[Fiend]

blah blah blah

holy shit - I think that's the first think you've ever said that I'm in total agreement with - I must be ill...

Oh well thanks a lot. Git

[Stubbs]

Mr Dawkins maintains that the probability of god existing isn't 50/50, the agnostic position, but stacked rather more heavily in favour against.

The creationist holy grail of 'irreducible complexity' is ultimately self-defeating. God made and controls everything in the universe and must, therefore, be the most complex and improbable being or entity there is; but who made god? And who made the presumably even more complex and improbable maker of god? Ad infinitum...

I think Creationists are as bad for religion as Dawkins is for atheists.

[dave]

what always amazes me about most religions is this:

lets say that you've got some kind of being, a "god" if you will, who's created the universe. In it, there's at least one habitable planet (and maybe more?). on that planet are over 6 billion people. so we're saying that there's a person or entity with the power to create and entire existence, give life and create worlds. the greatest being that we can comprehend. yet at the same time not only do we take this god to be so vain that he required worshipping all the time, but we also take this "god" to be so petty and smallminded that we think he actually gives a shit about trivialites like if you've got a beard or not, what colour clothes you wear, if you use up all your eggs by 24th february, or if you wipe your arse with the wrong hand? it doesn't fly.

there is no god, you are you only are responsible for your actions and the way you treat others, deal with it.

[Bubba]

 

[The Sausage]

Me too.

And all the bullshit false analogy answers in the world only go to show that even the religious can't actually justify their beliefs.

Agree (a bit) about Dawkins. The argument is not about whether God exists; we know where that one goes, but (as Dave says), how can anybody with a brain possibly endorse such poisonous, irrational, primitive drivel?

[magpie]

Yeah, what Dave said.

Surely if there was a god, they would be judging you on whether you had been a decent human, being not on all kinds of stupid rules put in place hundereds of years ago.  And if that isn't the case and the rules do apply; why on earth would someone want to associate with, let alone worship, a higher being who had such utterly stupid conditions on whether you were going to burn in hell for all eternity? 

[Sloper]

Me too.

And all the bullshit false analogy answers in the world only go to show that even the religious can't actually justify their beliefs.

Agree (a bit) about Dawkins. The argument is not about whether God exists; we know where that one goes, but (as Dave says), how can anybody with a brain possibly endorse such poisonous, irrational, primitive drivel?

It depends for £250 I'll endorse piosonous and irrational drivel and for £500 per day I'll draft religious tracts

[Baron]

Life on Mars would raise a few questions.

[slackline]

Life on Mars would raise a few questions.

Whats David Bowie got to do with this?

[Baron]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/jan/15/mars-life-methane-nasa

[slackline]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/jan/15/mars-life-methane-nasa

Pardon Me!

[Drew]

lets say that you've got some kind of being, a "god" if you will, who's created the universe. In it, there's at least one habitable planet (and maybe more?). on that planet are over 6 billion people. so we're saying that there's a person or entity with the power to create and entire existence, give life and create worlds. the greatest being that we can comprehend. yet at the same time not only do we take this god to be so vain that he required worshipping all the time, but we also take this "god" to be so petty and smallminded that we think he actually gives a shit about trivialites like if you've got a beard or not, what colour clothes you wear, if you use up all your eggs by 24th february, or if you wipe your arse with the wrong hand? it doesn't fly.

All of these little rules were made up by people time immemorial, in order to make life better (or just change things for their own needs) e.g. bury your dead within a certain timeframe (or they will start to smell), don't marry your sister (we know how that one ends up). I'm sure you already know why the rules you mentioned were put into place, but they were all made up by man.

I classify myself as Christian (non-practicing, and interpreting things in my own way), but try not to bang on about it. I also like to think I have a scientific mind. I refer back to God when things can't be explained rationally (i.e. the "Big Bang", or Expansion).

[slackline]

All of these little rules were made up by people time immemorial, in order to make life better (or just change things for their own needs) e.g. bury your dead within a certain timeframe (or they will start to smell), don't marry your sister (we know how that one ends up). I'm sure you already know why the rules you mentioned were put into place, but they were all made up by man.

Yes the denigration of females to second class-citizens (by many religions) could only have been thought up by males.

[Jim]

incidentally did any one see around the world in 80 faiths last night?
very interesting I thought