Can Someone Please Have a Word with God…

[hondated]

If I was to have a word with God it would be a bit deeper conversation than about the weather !

[Mick F]

What's your first question to Him?
(or Her)

Do you exist?

[Mistik-ka]

This should make you feel warmer:

(Click image to enlarge)

I'll get me hat…

And parka. And mittens, and boots, and snow shovel.

[PDQ Mobile]

This should make you feel warmer:

Screen Shot 2019-02-01 at 9.49.24 AM.png (Click image to enlarge)

I'll get me hat…

And parka. And mittens, and boots, and snow shovel.

Oh yes it made me feel a lot warmer!

And for lovers of Snowdonia this beautiful image was posted online.
Snowdonia, Llandudno and the Orme from a Dublin flight.

[hondated]

What's your first question to Him?
(or Her)

Do you exist?

Surely Mick if I am addressing either He or Her its a question answered

[Warin61]

Anything less than 2°C, I don't cycle in.

Anything more than 30°C, I don't cycle in.

[PDQ Mobile]

It's one of the more incredible features of the world's weather that it does remain so relatively constant. Over vast swathes of time.
All that ocean water!

I did see that in the mid west of N America that between yesterday and Sunday some places could see a rise of almost 40 degrees c. Wow!
(From -32 to +7.)
Though the "warmth" won't last, apparently.

[Cyril Haearn]

It's one of the more incredible features of the world's weather that it does remain so relatively constant. Over vast swathes of time.
All that ocean water!

I did see that in the mid west of N America that between yesterday and Sunday some places could see a rise of almost 40 degrees c. Wow!
(From -32 to +7.)
Though the "warmth" won't last, apparently.

Over millions of years it changes a bit
Wales was below the equator

[Cugel]

If I was to have a word with God it would be a bit deeper conversation than about the weather !

It is easy to do this. Since a god is a wholly-imagined and constructed thing conjured up by we humans, one must simply click one's heels together firmly three times and wish the god real. Even this is easy since to make the god real, you only have to act as thought it's real. People organise their whole lives and, in extreme cases, every minute of it according to this procedure. They are known as "the religious" or, for the extremists, "the devout".

Nor should we atheists be too dismissive or hoity-toity about this god-conjuring. In practice it can be a very effective and efficient means to establish and practice a morality that might otherwise be difficult to justify or adhere to. On the other hand, the morality might be rather toxic to others (the unbelievers) who can be justly persecuted to the Nth degree in some god-schemas!

Personally I find it laughable to imagine and conjure a god that's just a big bad daddy-figure in the sky, with a rather bad temper and a rather patronising approach to his charges. It would at least have to be a female goddess for me. But any kind of anthropomorphic conjuring is so obviously daft ..... so my god must be something far from human.

I always thought that the Gaia notion of that James Lovelock was a handy one. A large natural organising force that makes demands on the entities organised within it's sphere. Do unnatural things and suffer the consequences! Lovelock doesn't like the notion of Gaia as a goddess but to make the notion of a morally-charged force of nature meaningful to we humans, we have to do a bit of anthropomorphising, innit? I see her as a rather severe but sexy female figure who I'm inclined to obey for all sorts of reasons.

Anyway, I often "pray" to nature for a sign or portent concerning what to do and not do to remain aright in the world. Sometimes there are answers - although it's always difficult to know if they're from the goddess or me. In the end it's moot, since my goddess can't exist without me imagining her.

Cugel

[Warin61]

It's one of the more incredible features of the world's weather that it does remain so relatively constant. Over vast swathes of time.

Sea-surface temperatures in the Australian region have warmed by 0.9°C since 1900.
https://www.climatechangeinaustralia.go ... an-trends/

Australian annual mean temperatures increase by just over one degree since 1910. Most of this warming has occurred since 1950.
http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/annual/aus/

[hondated]

If I was to have a word with God it would be a bit deeper conversation than about the weather !

It is easy to do this. Since a god is a wholly-imagined and constructed thing conjured up by we humans, one must simply click one's heels together firmly three times and wish the god real. Even this is easy since to make the god real, you only have to act as thought it's real. People organise their whole lives and, in extreme cases, every minute of it according to this procedure. They are known as "the religious" or, for the extremists, "the devout".

Nor should we atheists be too dismissive or hoity-toity about this god-conjuring. In practice it can be a very effective and efficient means to establish and practice a morality that might otherwise be difficult to justify or adhere to. On the other hand, the morality might be rather toxic to others (the unbelievers) who can be justly persecuted to the Nth degree in some god-schemas!

Personally I find it laughable to imagine and conjure a god that's just a big bad daddy-figure in the sky, with a rather bad temper and a rather patronising approach to his charges. It would at least have to be a female goddess for me. But any kind of anthropomorphic conjuring is so obviously daft ..... so my god must be something far from human.

I always thought that the Gaia notion of that James Lovelock was a handy one. A large natural organising force that makes demands on the entities organised within it's sphere. Do unnatural things and suffer the consequences! Lovelock doesn't like the notion of Gaia as a goddess but to make the notion of a morally-charged force of nature meaningful to we humans, we have to do a bit of anthropomorphising, innit? I see her as a rather severe but sexy female figure who I'm inclined to obey for all sorts of reasons.

Anyway, I often "pray" to nature for a sign or portent concerning what to do and not do to remain aright in the world. Sometimes there are answers - although it's always difficult to know if they're from the goddess or me. In the end it's moot, since my goddess can't exist without me imagining her.

Cugel

Once I had Googled anthropomorphising Cugel I had a better understanding of what you are saying and I dont necessarilly disagree.However I really do hope that The Endreally isn't The End.

[Cugel]

If I was to have a word with God it would be a bit deeper conversation than about the weather !

It is easy to do this. Since a god is a wholly-imagined and constructed thing conjured up by we humans, one must simply click one's heels together firmly three times and wish the god real. Even this is easy since to make the god real, you only have to act as thought it's real. People organise their whole lives and, in extreme cases, every minute of it according to this procedure. They are known as "the religious" or, for the extremists, "the devout".

Nor should we atheists be too dismissive or hoity-toity about this god-conjuring. In practice it can be a very effective and efficient means to establish and practice a morality that might otherwise be difficult to justify or adhere to. On the other hand, the morality might be rather toxic to others (the unbelievers) who can be justly persecuted to the Nth degree in some god-schemas!

Personally I find it laughable to imagine and conjure a god that's just a big bad daddy-figure in the sky, with a rather bad temper and a rather patronising approach to his charges. It would at least have to be a female goddess for me. But any kind of anthropomorphic conjuring is so obviously daft ..... so my god must be something far from human.

I always thought that the Gaia notion of that James Lovelock was a handy one. A large natural organising force that makes demands on the entities organised within it's sphere. Do unnatural things and suffer the consequences! Lovelock doesn't like the notion of Gaia as a goddess but to make the notion of a morally-charged force of nature meaningful to we humans, we have to do a bit of anthropomorphising, innit? I see her as a rather severe but sexy female figure who I'm inclined to obey for all sorts of reasons.

Anyway, I often "pray" to nature for a sign or portent concerning what to do and not do to remain aright in the world. Sometimes there are answers - although it's always difficult to know if they're from the goddess or me. In the end it's moot, since my goddess can't exist without me imagining her.

Cugel

Once I had Googled anthropomorphising Cugel I had a better understanding of what you are saying and I dont necessarilly disagree.However I really do hope that The Endreally isn't The End.

Which begs the question: what do you hope it will be (rather than oblivion)?

I've asked many a Christian friend what they imagine heaven (or hell) to be. None seem able to be specific. The closest I got was: "Like here and now but without any bad things happening". When I suggested that it is possible to achieve that without the heaven bit - at least for a time - it was suggested that: "But the world is bad, as are all the human sinners within it". ....

I took the point but nevertheless try to enjoy the good whilst avoiding the bad. Sometimes this requires ignoring the bad rather than avoiding it. ("Bad things" are like Chun The Unavoidable. No matter what you do, he seeks you out eventually). At other times, one may perform a conjuring trick i' the head and turn a bad experience into a good one simply by looking at it differently. I once had lymphoma and was told this was bad. After initially agreeing, I realised it was actually something of an adventure, as I'd never been really ill before.

Like a lot of good adventures, including high-mileage bike rides in the rain and wind, it's nice when it stops mind!

Sometimes, oblivion seems a good option. Certainly better than an eternity in hell! But you and me have been good and can't possibly be sent there, eh? I feel I might get bored in the heaven described above, though. No lymphoma-style adventures and bike rides only in the sun with a following wind!!? No.

Cugel

[PDQ Mobile]

It's one of the more incredible features of the world's weather that it does remain so relatively constant. Over vast swathes of time.

Sea-surface temperatures in the Australian region have warmed by 0.9°C since 1900.
https://www.climatechangeinaustralia.go ... an-trends/

Australian annual mean temperatures increase by just over one degree since 1910. Most of this warming has occurred since 1950.
http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/annual/aus/

Oh yes a warming trend now firmly in place.
And IMV man contributed. I believe the science.

I really meant that the earth has stayed over millions of years where the temperature did not exterminate all life. It's quite a narrow range on the scale of things.

Did you see the "snow bales"?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-w ... e-47108382

[hondated]

It is easy to do this. Since a god is a wholly-imagined and constructed thing conjured up by we humans, one must simply click one's heels together firmly three times and wish the god real. Even this is easy since to make the god real, you only have to act as thought it's real. People organise their whole lives and, in extreme cases, every minute of it according to this procedure. They are known as "the religious" or, for the extremists, "the devout".

Nor should we atheists be too dismissive or hoity-toity about this god-conjuring. In practice it can be a very effective and efficient means to establish and practice a morality that might otherwise be difficult to justify or adhere to. On the other hand, the morality might be rather toxic to others (the unbelievers) who can be justly persecuted to the Nth degree in some god-schemas!

Personally I find it laughable to imagine and conjure a god that's just a big bad daddy-figure in the sky, with a rather bad temper and a rather patronising approach to his charges. It would at least have to be a female goddess for me. But any kind of anthropomorphic conjuring is so obviously daft ..... so my god must be something far from human.

I always thought that the Gaia notion of that James Lovelock was a handy one. A large natural organising force that makes demands on the entities organised within it's sphere. Do unnatural things and suffer the consequences! Lovelock doesn't like the notion of Gaia as a goddess but to make the notion of a morally-charged force of nature meaningful to we humans, we have to do a bit of anthropomorphising, innit? I see her as a rather severe but sexy female figure who I'm inclined to obey for all sorts of reasons.

Anyway, I often "pray" to nature for a sign or portent concerning what to do and not do to remain aright in the world. Sometimes there are answers - although it's always difficult to know if they're from the goddess or me. In the end it's moot, since my goddess can't exist without me imagining her.

Cugel

Once I had Googled anthropomorphising Cugel I had a better understanding of what you are saying and I dont necessarilly disagree.However I really do hope that The Endreally isn't The End.

Which begs the question: what do you hope it will be (rather than oblivion)?

I've asked many a Christian friend what they imagine heaven (or hell) to be. None seem able to be specific. The closest I got was: "Like here and now but without any bad things happening". When I suggested that it is possible to achieve that without the heaven bit - at least for a time - it was suggested that: "But the world is bad, as are all the human sinners within it". ....

I took the point but nevertheless try to enjoy the good whilst avoiding the bad. Sometimes this requires ignoring the bad rather than avoiding it. ("Bad things" are like Chun The Unavoidable. No matter what you do, he seeks you out eventually). At other times, one may perform a conjuring trick i' the head and turn a bad experience into a good one simply by looking at it differently. I once had lymphoma and was told this was bad. After initially agreeing, I realised it was actually something of an adventure, as I'd never been really ill before.

Like a lot of good adventures, including high-mileage bike rides in the rain and wind, it's nice when it stops mind!

Sometimes, oblivion seems a good option. Certainly better than an eternity in hell! But you and me have been good and can't possibly be sent there, eh? I feel I might get bored in the heaven described above, though. No lymphoma-style adventures and bike rides only in the sun with a following wind!!? No.

Cugel

Good & fair question although one I perhaps cannot fully answer. My initial response was prompted by the death of Jeremy Hardy and formerly Linda Smith who were two people I had met personally and who were both atheists.So my first question to God might be " they got that wrong then, didn't they !
As for me personally as much sense as it makes for life just to end I just cannot imagine all the energy we have just disappearing. I would imagine that most of us would like to meet up with former loved ones but how would that work out !
If your not willing to " take a leap of faith" then there's only Linda & Jeremy's Marxist option which isn't very satisfying either.
All that said I suppose I might just be an agnostic

[Cugel]

Once I had Googled anthropomorphising Cugel I had a better understanding of what you are saying and I dont necessarilly disagree.However I really do hope that The Endreally isn't The End.

Which begs the question: what do you hope it will be (rather than oblivion)?

I've asked many a Christian friend what they imagine heaven (or hell) to be. None seem able to be specific. The closest I got was: "Like here and now but without any bad things happening". When I suggested that it is possible to achieve that without the heaven bit - at least for a time - it was suggested that: "But the world is bad, as are all the human sinners within it". ....

I took the point but nevertheless try to enjoy the good whilst avoiding the bad. Sometimes this requires ignoring the bad rather than avoiding it. ("Bad things" are like Chun The Unavoidable. No matter what you do, he seeks you out eventually). At other times, one may perform a conjuring trick i' the head and turn a bad experience into a good one simply by looking at it differently. I once had lymphoma and was told this was bad. After initially agreeing, I realised it was actually something of an adventure, as I'd never been really ill before.

Like a lot of good adventures, including high-mileage bike rides in the rain and wind, it's nice when it stops mind!

Sometimes, oblivion seems a good option. Certainly better than an eternity in hell! But you and me have been good and can't possibly be sent there, eh? I feel I might get bored in the heaven described above, though. No lymphoma-style adventures and bike rides only in the sun with a following wind!!? No.

Cugel

Good & fair question although one I perhaps cannot fully answer. My initial response was prompted by the death of Jeremy Hardy and formerly Linda Smith who were two people I had met personally and who were both atheists.So my first question to God might be " they got that wrong then, didn't they !
As for me personally as much sense as it makes for life just to end I just cannot imagine all the energy we have just disappearing. I would imagine that most of us would like to meet up with former loved ones but how would that work out !
If your not willing to " take a leap of faith" then there's only Linda & Jeremy's Marxist option which isn't very satisfying either.
All that said I suppose I might just be an agnostic

I do accept the ghost - although not those supposedly wafting about as ectoplasm or thumping the chamber pot under the bed at night. No, the ghosts are also conjured by the imaginations of the living, hanging remembrances up and wondering what various of the departed might do or say in various circumstances. I often imagine what me mam might have said or done; or the opinions of one or two good friends now dead. The acts and personalities of the now-dead when they lived can have force.

The biggest ghosts are those offered to us all via history. Many become quite real as the population of myths, which have sometimes enormous effects on our behaviour.

But these ghosts themselves have no self-integrity or consciousness. The "energy" of humans that you mention is essentially an organizing force that emerges from a fully-functional biological entity. When the biological entity ceases to function or is dissipated, so is the human consciousness. The aforementioned ghost is the only energy left, I think. That abides in the living, not the dead themselves (as they are no longer selves).

I confess to not really understanding, in any visceral way, why anyone would want to be immortal. I think of death as an infinite and dreamless sleep ..... the analogy indicating a restful state during which one is free from the cares and duties of the world as well as it's pleasures. A deep sleeper doesn't miss the pleasures and can't suffer the cares. If that goes on forever, why should we be concerned, especially of there is then no "we" to have a concern?

Cugel