Paganism

What baubles and elegran said. The societies of social species (ants, bees, meerkats, wolves, etc) would not work if it were a free for all without morals and ethics. It's a survival mechanism. Fewer individuals would survive without socially cohesive rules or, to put it, positively, more individuals survive in a society where there are basic rules of rightness.

Being antisocial works fine when you are on your own in a cave, or just have your browbeaten mate and subordinate offspring (even they will eventually beat you at your own game or leave to find their own territory) but when you live in a group with others as big and strong as you are you soon find that unless you all work together, someone gets no mammoth meat but is turfed out to eat grubs in the desert. The others don't like it if you chase their mates or tell lies about them either, and if you kill one, his friends make sure you join him.

Possibly because it made living in groups easier?

Why did right largely win over wrong, in your theory?

He's the dumbo of atheism.

I don't think I've ever quoted Stephen Hawkins.

It evolved.

We don't ask who gave use brains. We know they evolved. Our sense of morality did too, in those brains.

Who gave us a sense of morality?

And I did type Dawkins. I swear I did.

Yes, but he's the Archbishop of atheism.

Why do all unbelievers quote Professor Hawkins? Are there no other pop atheists in print?

I think we're the only species to have invented gods though, including pagan ones of course.

All social species have moral values. We aren't unique in that.

What feetle says, with knobs on

Well said, feetle!

What Prof Dawkins called 'cultural christianity'? But no religion can lay claim to morality, although they certainly try - believe or or not, murder and theft were frowned on before any Ten Commandments were promulgated! Mankind has always lived in groups, and for that you have to have evolved some form of acceptable behaviour.

feetle when I say Christian country I meant it in the widest sense. So our laws and values are based on Christianity and I was brought up in the Christian faith. In that sense because it is a Christian country, you sort of absorb what it means to be a Christian.

My daughter's late friend (who was a witch), carried out weddings (hand-fastings), too. When she died, she was cremated and DD and the 'sisters' held hands, surrounded her coffin and sang to her. They all wore beautiful ethereal clothes. Her husband wore a long green cloak and their old lurcher dog also attended the funeral wearing a posy of flowers in her collar. Her friend, who's a priestess, carried out the funeral and it was really quite beautiful. A few days later, when they had possession of her ashes, they had a big party in a field near where she lived and worked, and sent her ashes into the air in a firework! This was what she'd asked for.

Maybe Ariadnes friend is licensed as a registrar?

not sure 'what' that...

Perhaps there is a bit of the pagan in most of us. I have splashed water from an ancient spring in Herefordshire on my leg excema (it worked) and kissed the thorn tree at Glastonbury. (not sure that was supposed to do) (there was no one else near at the time )

Anyone can perform a wedding anywhere but it has to be registered to make it legally valid. If you don't have a church wedding that means going to the register office or having the registrar at the ceremony - if it's in a place licensed to hold weddings.

My friend is a witch - a priestess, so she can perform marriages and so on. I went to her wedding some years ago - a beautiful ceremony on a hillside in Kent (a "significant" place) at sunset on October 21st - a "significant" date.

A week later my daughter (who had also been at the other wedding) was married in a lovely big garrison church, where ancient battle honours hung, with all the military ceremony - swords, uniforms, music.

Both marriages seemed to me to be equally valid, although my daughter's was the most moving because she's my daughter!

Even if there is only one left, that still matters to a city. God took notice of that in the bible.

Well I suppose all these beliefs are harmless enough, but still... can you really see that 'working with candles and herbs' is going to have any effect at all on a planet that couldn't care less about its being able to support this strange infestation called 'life'?

Whitewave - you do know that Christians are a minority in this country now? Or are you perhaps somewhere in the Bible Belt of the USA?

I think Humanism is the way to go. I went to a humanist funeral last summer and it was beautiful.