Stephen Fry on meeting God ...

Well - yes Stephen; sadly you are right. And so eloquently expressed. I love this guy's humanity I really do. That poor interviewer looked as though he might explode!

Interviewer looked dumbfounded

Superb! Made my day. Thank you, Grannyknot!

I really needed to see that today. My wonderful neighbour whom we adore has inoperable cancer of the oesophagus (diagnosed the week before Christmas) and a 43 year old we know was given the news on Monday that he has 6 months to live (brain tumour) and my close friend's sister is flying to the US for a last ditch attempt at stem cell treatment for ALS which is killing her slowly at 51. So I'd have a few questions for God myself.

Sorry for being so gloomy!

I don't want to hurt or insult religious people, but I have to say that Stephen Fry's analysis was pretty persuasive.

I didn't post it to hurt or insult religious people either...

A marvellous link gk.

He misses the point.
God did create it well.
It was the devil who messed it up.

Not sure if anyone wants me to go through some of the points in there, so I wont, for a bit at least.

Grannyknot, I for one am not offended.
And sorry for all the horrible things that are happening around you.

I didn't think for a minute you had that intention Grannyknot

I thought Stephen Fry's response will resonate with many people. Myself included.

I think! Not thought.

I agree with you Grannyknot. However, we will not meet him to ask him unless we change our ideas.
Have just sent it on to all the atheists I know, and probably a few believers as well.

There are some other links on there from the same programme and they too are interesting.

I also thought he'd missed the point, but not in the way that you do, soontobe.

I felt he was confusing the concept of a God with the God of organised religion. No way would the God I envisage expect or demand that people bow down and worship him/her/it!

Stephen Fry at his best- I was very very young when I thought no God merciful would allow so much suffering in the world. Could never understand why I was lucky and loved, and so many were not. When the Vicar told me God allowed so much suffering to test out faith- that was just too much, too unjust and cruel- what Father would do that to his beloved children.

Your vicar was wrong granjura.

God does allow some suffering to happen to people who are christians. But not more than they can bear [which can be at the outer edges of how much they can take sometimes]. And to help them become more christlike.
But that is a different thing to what your vicar seemed to be saying.

Come on, soontobe. Why should god expect all the good publicity but not the bad?

*Grannyknot" I'm sorry - I wasn't suggesting that you were trying to hurt or insult religious people, I was just speaking or myself and Stephen Fry's views very much accord with my own.

I've known children die of the most awful diseases that made their little lives so miserable and painful. But about all the children who are beaten, raped, starving, diying of Ebola without the soothing and touch of their mothers. Is that not more than they can bear- why those children and not mine. What is this all about?

If God wants to test adult Christians, I don't mind- that is fair enough.

The number of times I've heard people who escape a disaster say 'God was looking after me that day'- and I just want to scream and say 'what about all the others who died, or are maimed forever, or ...?' why them- why not me. I am absolutely and totally with Stephen Fry on that one- it is just too cruel and indiscriminate.

I dont understand what you are saying dj?

speaking for myself ....