Literally unbelievable. Boazycrap babbles on again about a fictitious character from a telemovie based on a novel, and Sellick laps it up as some kind of contemporary parable.

Guys, while it's hardly surprising that you credulous types have difficulty distinguishing reality from make-believe, are you really unaware that "Edgler Vess" is a character from a pulp horror novel by Dean Koontz?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intensity_(novel)

While of course many of us would rate the facticity of such a document as similar to that of the equally fictitious stories found in the Bible, I'm a little surprised that you godbotherers do as well.

This article does give a wonderful insight into religious doublethink. From the premise:

1. The statements made in the official books of my religion conflict with what I know to be true about the world.

a rational person would deduce:

2. My religion is based on falsehood.

But with the aid of faith Peter is able to come up with:

2. Therefore they must be 'interpreted' and 'understood' to the point where I am able to reconcile them with what I know to be true.

The fault is not Peter's, of course: he is just taking advantage of his convenient soapbox to rabbit on about his opinions, as we would all like to do. But it is depressing to realise that this amiable drivel is to be given a public forum when much higher standards are set for articles on other matters. Does anyone really think that if I wrote in the same terms about, say, flat-earthism, I would stand any chance of being published? The bar is obviously set much lower for those with a Invisible Friend than the rest of us.

sellick, you're still being insulting. just because i respect scientific truth, just because i do not share your fundamentalism that "jesus is the creator", this does NOT mean that i lack imagination or disrespect its power. and my understanding of experience does not in any way have the "self at the centre". once again, it's the beliefs of your church which put Man at the centre of the Universe, not mine.

i try not to trivialise your beliefs. your continued arrogance in trivialising mine is silly and distasteful.

Jon J.
I'm shocked!

Are you suggesting that a belief does not become "truth" simply because it is a belief?

The next thing you will be suggesting is that Harry Potter doesn't exist....that he is a figment of my imagination, a meme placed there by a writer of allegory and myth and propped up by a self interested lobby group and clever sales team.

I am off to seek some comfort in "The Prisoner of Azkaban" .

To sum up the article:

Ignorance is Bliss.

Truth has had a deleterious effect on religion.

Church schools should ignore science and instead teach Christian dogma along the lines of the Islamic Madrassa

bring on the Inquisition and other institutions of Christian enlightenment.

Interesting article but it comes back to the old question of whether humans are capable of living within a system of values without the need for religion.

'Spiritual' experiences can take many forms - wonderment of the beauty of our earth around us, the joy we might find in helping others, loving our family and friends, meditation, even tending a garden.

If we accept the the fable of Jesus is a myth designed by 'enlightened' minds of the past to give the people something to believe in and to provide solace, direction and comfort we have to ask ourselves about the efficacy or value of any idea of which the premise is false.

As I have got older I believe more than ever that 'truth' is more important. Without truth or honesty we are all wandering about in the dark.

Does Religion really provide a uniform moral or spiritual framework in which to live? Religion is blurred by the myriad of religious sects even within the Christian Church. Christians (and others) are not unified in belief nor in values, some choosing the capitalistic versions such as Hillsong, some the more traditional Religions and others much newer charismatic versions.

Even the bibilical story has changed to suit humans (not God). Contrast the versions offerred up by sects like the Latter Day Saints, Jehovah's Witness, Assemblies of God, Seventh Day Adventists and Scientologists who all offer varying and bizarre versions of the story of their God and of Jesus.

Humans are very good at changing the story to suit their own purposes. For me better to stick with truth and the strength in believing that people are naturally altruistic and that a values system is possible without deference to a non-existent icon.

Continued...