That's my philosophy too.
I want a nice green burial, where I'll compost down nicely and feed the tree growing on top of my resting place. That's my idea of life after death. 

Mind you, my tree may be designated a toxic waste site, but the fruit will be interesting.

yes it gives me great delight knowing that one day in the far distant future, when the earth blows up, all my constituent parts will float about a bit and might end up as part of an alien's arse

I'll bet!

GOOD LORD!!!!! 

*swoons*

Now I understand Eve being tempted by the serpent!

omg... a nob tree!

!!...And to think the poor old Ugly fruit get's a bad rep.

after all these years I've just cottoned on to which serpent they were on about in the bible.. 


extremely lapsed catholic here who blames the church for her guilt complex.. and can't abide their dark ages teachings/creeds...

but is scared will be sent to the depths of hell too so will take the last sacrament if offered... . 


bliddy religious zealots and their scare tactics. .

I haven't been to confessions in about 7 or 8 years, God is everywhere I believe so Ishouldn't have to go like a child and tell all the bad things I have done.

There are different types of Believers DS, there are Fundamentalists- which I would consider myself to be, I believe in the core principals of the faith, but the other subsidiary areas so to speak I don't agree with. Literalists are people like Dave who take everything they read literally, and a lot of things in the bible are written as as metaphors. Eg Adam and Eve, Dave probably believe these were two factual characters but I believe they were two fictional characters created to show how man can be tempted- its basically about adultery. 

As for pick and mix religions- like I say many people will agree with the fundamental areas of the religion but the arses like gay relationships etc are not agreed on (which are not really a massive part of the church imho, as they are more to do with church practice than church beliefs) which is why the Catholic Church is so large. The likes of protestant churches, where people have doubted the fundamental aspect is why there are so many breakaway protestant churches.

Amen to that Squiggle.  If you don't have that belief then what is the point of any of us being here???  That may sound controversial but please, please, please I do not want any come back (I'm scared to say anything on this forum because of that).  It's just what I believe personally.

I agree Joyron and neither you nor I could possibly explain the reasons for a real deep faith on a forum, it would be impossible to try.

I don't want to upset you but I genuinely can't understand being scared to have people disagree with you

So some people might think differently to you, how is that scary?

Ah! Come on! That's not entirely true, there are many denominations under the umbrella of Protestantism because they choose to answer to different authorities, not one big corporate giant like the Vatican. I have great admiration for the Catholic Church, but even within their walls lies doubt and debate, so don't make it a Protestant thing. Pah!

None of the Christian churches are anything like original Christianity, if truth be told.

Well even the early Churches weren't perfect Blizzie, and there were quite a few schisms before the established Churches were organized (Eastern and Western Orthodox). My anthropologist friend says that they practice a very authentic Biblical form of Christianity in some parts of Ethiopia...it's very similar to a Jewish liturgy too. Things change, and adapt. Sometimes for good, sometimes for worse. It's people that corrupt any message.

They're Coptic Christians.

It was only an example. And its true, there are many branches of protestantism, unlike Catholicism which all comes under the one umbrella.

Some of the non-conformist churches are the closest thing I have found.  That's what I was looking for after years of trying CofE churches full of really cold people. Real Christians are nothing like that you may be pleased to know.  And that of course is just one person's experience.  I have heard tell that many CofE churches are vastly different nowadays.

Oh, I know!

My point was, the Catholic church, as well as all other denominations, has been changed beyond recognition from the early church.

As your story shows, and squiggle's, so much depends on the priest/minister/pastor/whateverer, and the congregation.

a psychologist or sociologist  could explain in it to you in quite a reasonably small essay

erghhh - that is wrong! Fancy making someone eat pencil sandwiches!