Capriciousness

Whoo. Finally Stephen Fry says something that makes sense and isn’t fawning over shiny tech.
[and the expression on the interviewer’s face is priceless]

So is this thread exclusively for people who used to live in Aldershot?

Are we supposed to just guess what he’s said, where and what about?

*searches…

Ah, he’s in the news this morning for saying God (all variations, or just the Christian one?) is a very naughty boy.

Ah, he’s in the news this morning for saying God (all variations, or just the Christian one?) is a very naughty boy.

Islamic/jewish/christian¹ certainly.

¹ much as they argue, it’s the same basic family

For a man who thinks he is god, that is fairly amusing

For a man who thinks he is god,

I don’t think Steven Fry has made the claim.
Having a high IQ does tend to irritate some people though.

John: It’s an in-joke.

Malcolm: Steven doesn’t think he is god, that’s his followers and fans.

Oh, and since we’re in Aldershot…

pronounced ‘risk oh ess’

Pffft! “risk-oss”.
How silly is it otherwise, to say one acronym and spell out the other? :-P

“My name is <Who$Ever> and I pronounce RISC OS…..” a new series of wav files?

much as they argue, it’s the same basic family

Quite… The gods of other religions from further afield bear much less resemblance to the one(s) featured in those three, if any resemblance at all. I’m assuming, therefore, that what he said doesn’t apply to A.N.Other gods.

Hence the question of ‘all variations’ – meaning the one featured in those three religions, versus just the Christian god, having not read or heard Fry’s remarks and the context in which he said it.

just the Christian god

Distilled down it’s the same one, the dispute is about prophets.
It’s like London bankers – their profit isn’t our profit.

I’ll get me coat…

Distilled down it’s the same one, the dispute is about prophets.

Yes, Steve, I know that. You know that. My stapler knows that. And I’m fairly sure Stephen Fry is intelligent enough to know that – I reckon his IQ is higher than my stapler’s.

However, depending on the context in which his comments were made, he still might have been talking about the god as referenced in one specific religion of the three, just as he might have been talking more generically.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-suvkwNYSQo [the official RTÉ version]

I think he is pretty much talking about the Christian God, although given the similarities, it could equally apply to the other similar religions (not that there aren’t a billion squabbling versions of Christianity already).

He seems to be more taken with the Greek Gods, for they didn’t attempt to be an all powerful all perfect “God” who promises us good things while giving some people a pretty miserable lot in life – assuming they make it past toddlerhood. This world, run by money and corruption. This is God’s creation? Religious people would probably say no, no, it’s what we have done. Okay, fine. We are God’s creation? There’s no option that makes any sense in the context of the biblical teachings. After The Great Flood, you might have thought he’d have learned and tweaked the options a little bit..

Some religions, such as Shinto, have their god-like entities (“kami” in Shinto) which can be both good and bad, sometimes both. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/shinto/shintoethics/ethics.shtml] It’s a brilliant creation myth as well. Two kami stir up some water to make land for the people, but they screwed it up the first time. The Japanese archipelago is their second try at it. ;-)

If people actually read and studied religious texts, rather than just accepting them verbatim and using their brains…
But there again, then people wouldn’t be able to start holy wars, shout each other down and think they are superior because they do/don’t believe a certain way.

It’s amazing how many arguments you can avoid by not being a member of any of the clubs.

talking of god and arguments, the other way is not owning apple stuff ;-)

the other way is not owning apple stuff

I have an iPhone :(
It isn’t mine – people at work think I should available on email all the time and they are convinced iPhones are the secure answer.