Interesting how Josephus and the devout in general can "interoperate" the Bible to their own satisfaction. The description of hell, the devil and his followers, and who will go there, is well explained though out the Bible, hell (gehenna in the Hebrew) is described as a physical place of punishment. When the biblical description is considered too ridiculous Josephus and others simply reinterpret to something more acceptable in keeping with modern thinking......"Blessed are the Cheese-makers... that includes all in the dairy industry."

Dear Banjo,

From what I read about 116 I got the impression that people did not like having impositions like Sunday laws placed upon them by religious groups, so it may have been born as much from a desire for freedom as for secularism, perhaps more so. Those tentacles of manipulation and control I do not welcome, and as Paul pointed out, nearly all Australians identified as Christian at the time of Federation.

Dear Fester,

You wrote: "From what I read about 116 I got the impression that people did not like having impositions like Sunday laws placed upon them by religious groups, so it may have been born as much from a desire for freedom as for secularism, perhaps more so."

The desire for freedom and for secularism are not separate desires. In return for not having the government united with religion, the government cannot interfere with religion. The Sunday laws were not placed on people by religious groups. They were placed on people by government acting at the behest of Christian religious groups. If people want to behave in a certain way on the sabbath whether it is on the different Christian, Jewish or Muslim sabbaths government may not interfere.

Dear Dave,

"The Sunday laws were not placed on people by religious groups. They were placed on people by government acting at the behest of Christian religious groups."

That sounds like coercion by proxy, much like the Voice might be.

Late to this thread, when parliament/council recites the Lord's Prayer for 3 minutes, these are 3 minutes they won't harass us, 3 minutes they won't legislate against us, 3 minutes they won't devise all sorts of fancy projects to grab our hard-earned savings.

I therefore say, let them pray all day to all gods, let them acknowledge all lands and all countries, and then let them have all kinds of fun activities there, let them enjoy themselves till they forget us, let them enjoy pleasures that do not involve seeing us suffer, just give them all games, all toys so they play with them and not with our lives!

I do recommend they also include some physical yoga exercises in their daily parliamentarian routine: unlike Putin or Tony Abbott, not all politicians are young and fit for vigorous physical exercises, but some yoga postures can be done by everyone.

Dear David F.,

«If there is such a thing as a soul, why should a possum not have one?»

It's the other way round: humans and possums have no soul, yet some souls have a human while others have a possum.

«The Constitution should be a document every Australian can follow with a clear conscience.»

No one can follow with a clear conscience a constitution that was forced over all the people of a land without their consent.

«My animal body is really me. That is all I am»

WHOSE animal body did you say?

If you say that it is yours and that you are an animal body, then it necessary implies ad absurdum:

"My animal body's body is really me"
"My animal body's body's body is really me"
"My animal body's body's body's body is really me"
...

«Eternal sleep does not mean life after death. It is just a poetic metaphor for non-existence.»

But of course, death is not life, non-existence is not existence.
Suppose even that there was no life after death, then that would only mean that once dead you are not alive, that you have lost that property of being alive, also the property of existing - big deal, you would then be dead and non-existent, but it will still be YOU who are dead and non-existent.

«Religion usually does not encourage questioning.»

Hinduism does. Buddhism too, I think.

«There is evidence in the Bible that Jesus did not want to start a new religion.»

While I believe that Jesus privately taught religion to his disciples, he never started an organised religion... because there wasn't yet any at his times!

I just started reading a new book by Yigal Bin Nun of Tel Aviv University. I need to read more to be convinced, but according to his research:

* Christianity was the first organised religion in the West.
* Judaism as [attempted] religion, along most of its main scriptures, was only created in the 10th century, in response to Christianity.
* The Quran was written by Christian(s).

See more in http://jewishbusinessnews.com/2023/08/15/rabbi-akiva-and-shimon-bar-yohai-of-the-talmud-and-mishnah-are-fictional-characters/