Tuesday 29 January 2008

Fact or Fiction?

I have to say through sheer tenacity the Christian's are winning... I'm now in conversation with no less than three highly respected Christian ex-colleagues on the benefits of talking to Jesus (thanks for a great lunch, and your prayers Markus, and I look forward to our next get together).

The big problem I have with talking to devout Christians (or devout anything) is that they are biased. Where can I find an unbiased assessor of religions?

That said, I see no harm (and potentially a great deal of benefit) in talking to Jesus and the Abrahamic God to ask for some guidance with my faith. Until now it has been a one way conversation, but I promise to try a little harder and report back.

If I knew the correct forms of address for Buddha's help and the correct Hindu deity (probably Shiva), I'd give that a try too. Please feel free to fill me in on these or other (popular) religions.

I have just read Phillip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy, an epic work of fantasy fiction whose key subjects are growing up, the dangers of organised religion and killing God. Touching on Angels, Witches and Daemons in between and leading to a concept of the soul being released into a common consciousness (I think) he calls dust. It's interesting that I find a work of (originally children's) fiction contains more to think about than much "real" religious literature.

And a lovely quote from the author:
"I don't know whether there's a God or not. Nobody does, no matter what they say. I think it's perfectly possible to explain how the universe came about without bringing God into it, but I don't know everything, and there may well be a God somewhere, hiding away.
Actually, if he is keeping out of sight, it's because he's ashamed of his followers and all the cruelty and ignorance they're responsible for promoting in his name. If I were him, I'd want nothing to do with them."

p.s Random music connections during the writing of this post I've had Amazing Graze, Chopin's Death March, Arcade Fire's Antichrist Television Blues and Tom Wait's Altar Boy (but I'm not sure that is significant)

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