God -according to Stephen Fry

[Jerky]

Although it's fun to watch Byrne squirm as Fry lets loose with his unabashed take on the issue, I don't think his answer is all that enlightened or intelligent. I would even call it philosophically naive, for in a universe without evil, pain and suffering, the concepts of goodness, love and pleasure would have no meaning. Absolutely none, whatsoever. These things only exist in contrast to each other. Also, if an eternal paradisical afterlife did, in fact, exist, any suffering experienced by anyone in this mortal, finite world of ours - no matter how tremendous, terrible or unjust - would seem utterly inconsequential by comparison. I'm not saying that I believe that this is the case; I'm just saying that Fry's stance in this instance is philosophically unsophisticated, no matter how posh his accent.

[BrandonD]

Although it's fun to watch Byrne squirm as Fry lets loose with his unabashed take on the issue, I don't think his answer is all that enlightened or intelligent. I would even call it philosophically naive, for in a universe without evil, pain and suffering, the concepts of goodness, love and pleasure would have no meaning. Absolutely none, whatsoever. These things only exist in contrast to each other. Also, if an eternal paradisical afterlife did, in fact, exist, any suffering experienced by anyone in this mortal, finite world of ours - no matter how tremendous, terrible or unjust - would seem utterly inconsequential by comparison. I'm not saying that I believe that this is the case; I'm just saying that Fry's stance in this instance is philosophically unsophisticated, no matter how posh his accent.

Any point of view with an ideology or ism attached to it, though some may be relatively more refined than others, will ultimately be crude and primitive.

That is one reason why I value this forum. I cannot type my personal point of view into google in order to seek out people like myself, there aren't categories for it. Though I might share some of their sentiments, I don't identify with liberal or conservative or atheist or theist or spiritual or secular or optimist or pessimist or humanist or anarchist or whatever else exists out there. I might best categorize myself as an emotionally stable, thoughtful and moral person who would nevertheless be considered very crazy from the pov of contemporary culture. This forum seems to be one of those in-between-places, which I think even shows in the title "rigorous intuition".

Anyway, not to get sappy but I've enjoyed all your company for the past few years.

[Iamwhomiam]

I think insects are pretty cool, but I'm sure glad to be the size I am and that they're the size they are. I don't find most crawlies creepy. An new kind showed up some years ago, a flying brown flatish bug and just the other day while in my kitchen without my glasses I noticed something on the floor I thought to be an uneaten cat treat, so I wasn't gentle picking it up. It was one of the brown guys and I learned they are stink bugs of some sort. Pee eww! Had to wash my hands several times!

The only other kind that do kinda creep me out are Japanese beetle types of things that really grab on tight and don't come off when you shake your hand, like most do.

I'm sorry to learn of your husband's tick-borne illness, Asta and wish him well. I've known several people, including my granddaughter, who have contracted Lyme disease. I picked up a tick a few years ago and it was in the City of Albany Boat House, only finding it on my clothes after returning home ad not recognizing it, I looked it up and learned it was a Lone Star Tick and virtually unheard of this far north.

One thing though, we all seem to devour other living things. The illness your husband is now suffering from was from a parasite within the tick. Their life cycle is somewhat interesting and dependent upon more than one species of host for its survival.

Hopefully your husband will become well after receiving a few courses of antibiotics, Asta.

[slimmouse]

Hopefully your husband will become well after receiving a few courses of antibiotics, Asta

Absolutely. I guess context is everything, Asta. Wishing him a speedy recovery.

As for General Melchett ( not colonel)

[Blackadder is informed that a German spy is stealing battle plans]

General Melchett: You look surprised, Blackadder.

Captain Blackadder: I certainly am, sir. I didn't realise we had any battle plans.

General Melchett: Well, of course we have! How else do you think the battles are directed?

Captain Blackadder: Our battles are directed, sir?

General Melchett: Well, of course they are, Blackadder, directed according to the Grand Plan.

Captain Blackadder: Would that be the plan to continue with total slaughter until everyone's dead except Field Marshal Haig, Lady Haig and their tortoise, Alan?

General Melchett: Great Scott! Even you know it!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0526711/quotes

[gnosticheresy_2]

[Asta]

Iamwhoiam and Slim, thank you both for your support and kindness. It's weird to have been bitten by a tick and have suffered such amazing afflictions as I've observed my husband enduring. Was it Lyme Disease or something else? Yes, he has been on a series of antibiotics and this last course is making him feel quite awful but I'm on top of it, there are many natural remedies to help him, particularly the nausea. Ginger to name a few.

I don't want to start another thread (maybe we all should) but doctors don't always recognize symptoms and diagnose them properly.

[Iamwhomiam]

Asta, I'm sure you have already researched the subject, but for those unfamiliar, here are a few helpful resources on tick borne diseases:

http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/diseases/

http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/tickborne/Pages/Default.aspx

http://www.lymediseaseassociation.org/index.php/about-lyme/other-tick-borne-diseases

https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/ehrlichiosis/fact_sheet.htm

Edited once to add:

Doctors often misdiagnose Lyme disease and I'm sure also some of the other diseases contracted this way.

[Asta]

wow, thank you Iamwhomiam, you are amazing and I thank you so much for your research. I will be doing a lot of reading thanks to your help and links.

I am just so humbled by the goodness of the people here. Again, thank you so much!

[Grizzly]

Did God Evolve? Has economics driven belief?

Professor Steve Jones, UCL Genetics, Evolution & Environment

Many scientists are atheists. Even so, religion itself is open to scientific study and Professor Jones will discuss what science can tell us about how it may have begun. Science has no insight into its mysteries, myths and parables, but shows that from the beginning, economics has driven belief.

[lucky]

As I started this thread i feel obligated to reveal my own thoughts on Mr Fry's diatribe; the man is a recognised polymath who has that rare quality of both wit and wisdom brought together by intelligence. Sure he is some times maligned by the press and individuals but for me his thoughts on God (if he/she/it existed) are spot on and he managed to articulate, what some people would need a book to write, in order to capture the thoughts, he has, and reasons for them.
I say three cheers to him.
Also remember his family history (european jewish in the time of WW2) and relatives lost to the holocost - this may strenthen his beliefs or otherwise.

The talk of nasty insects etc reinforces something that I think of alot , which is we are alien to this planet and don't really belong here - one of the reasons we are destroying the place is we don't fit in (shut your eyes and think of the world without humans...it would be a truely beautiful place. Talking of shutting your eyes why are we the only animal that needs to sheild our eyes from the sun, wheather by hand or glasses ..maybe cos were not from here.
Sorry seem to have gone a bit off piste

[BrandonD]

The talk of nasty insects etc reinforces something that I think of alot , which is we are alien to this planet and don't really belong here - one of the reasons we are destroying the place is we don't fit in (shut your eyes and think of the world without humans...it would be a truely beautiful place. Talking of shutting your eyes why are we the only animal that needs to sheild our eyes from the sun, wheather by hand or glasses ..maybe cos were not from here.
Sorry seem to have gone a bit off piste

[slimmouse]

Thanks for both the thread and your thoughts Lucky. You know, part of me does wonder if Fry was asking a committed believer in God, if he had ever even thought about the kind of complaints that Fry was talking about

Meanwhile, A relatively old, acquired feeling of my own, namely that consciousness is all that actually, ultimately exists, is proposed by Bernardo Kastrup here, in one of the latest "designer" podcasts for the Psychedelic Salon.

The Consciousness is all there is deal, is not a new concept. Then again what is?
Well , listening to Kastrup articulate on this, employing metaphoric descriptions that are metaphysical in themselves ( IMHO), makes the idea far clearer, than anything else I have ever heard. Despite the fact that It took me my fourth listen, mainly due to my mind wandering off down side-roads of associated ideas.

Well worth persevering with though, if you ask me.

http://www.matrixmasters.net/salon/2015 ... xperience/

We can subsequently abbreviate Consciousness accordingly of course. Some may call it God.

According to Bruce Damer ( I think), Terence Mckenna suggested on his death bed that it was all about love.

Thats what I hope.