Stephen Fry on meeting God ...

Was he paid a lot of money for highlighting his concerns about homosexuals in repressive countries?

Just wondering.

That career would have been dead in the water without his troubles. And his use of them.

Not paid money. It as the publicity that paid off.

was

He is a very articulate man who, I think, believes in what he is saying when he is supporting his causes, or considering intellectual issues such as this. I wonder what the public response was - this was an Irish TV programme.

I wish I was as eloquent as Stephen Fry and if I had been interviewed I would have said the same as he did. Gay Byrne was the interviewer, I think?
I will never understand or been able to come to terms with the 'ours is not to reason why' attitude that some people may have with regards to the religion they choose to follow - and let's face it, it IS a choice.
Perhaps it's just easier to follow a path where no choices have to be made, because actions carried out in the name of their chosen religion are just that - and not carried out by the individual's own choice?
I don't believe in any god or believe that there was a Jesus. Perhaps there was a man who travelled and was looked on as a healer - perhaps there was more than one man and many women who did this. I'm sure there was.
Surely any 'god' (or ruler) that puts fear into the hearts and minds of his 'followers' cannot be good - and surely anyone who thinks that the 'devil'/Old Nick, whatever, is there ready to jump at any chance to lead us down the path towards the opposite of righteousness......is that not merely a method of controlling the said followers?
If I go out today and ask a beggar on the streets to come to my house for a hot meal and he then steals from me (no reason why he should, but this is just an example), is that me being a Christian and I'm turning the other cheek, or am I just doing it out of the goodness of my heart? I surely am.

For Pete's sake - he was asked a question and he answered it. Gay Byrne must have known the kind of answer he would get, because Stephen Fry has never posed as an obedient unquestioning follower.

You say his career would be nowhere without his problems. He was damn near nowhere with them. The conflict he faced (personal and social) led him into a life of juvenile crime, followed by depression and considering suicide. Yes, he has used his personal life, but so as to demonstrate to many young people that others face the same things and can rise above them.

He has a most intelligent and enquiring mind, and he uses that to entertain. If we had known nothing whatsoever about his sexuality (which he denied anyway at the start of his career) he would still be a genial show host and those who actually know the man, not just the role, would still say that he is a good man and a good friend.

And he has never used what is the most personal part of his life so far - that he has just married his partner, and hopes to live happily ever after.

I do not think he "proselytises" - he was asked a question - he answered it.

Brilliant. I totally agree with every word that he said.

I agree with a lot of it. Just c an't understand why anyone would go out of their way to say it on tv. And yes - he knew what the interviewer on that particular programme would ask. I've no doubt that's a lot of the reason why he went on it

Well, I remember him from before we knew about his personal problems and his honesty about his sexuality.
'A bit of Fry and Laurie' anyone?
And I enjoyed that series he was in where he played the country solicitor. Perhaps not dramatic enough for some but gentle, funny and heartwarming. Lovely stuff.
I don't think his career has depended on making his problems public.

I still think he could have said 'I don't believe in a god so I won't be saying anything to him, how could I?' but he would not have then made the points that he did.

Why wouldn't he go out of his way to say this on TV? - people go on TV to say a myriad of different things all the time. How is this any different?

He was asked and he answered - and very eloquently.

The producers would have known it would make for good television having him on that particular show, and it did.

He verbalised what every person must have thought at some point, if they are the type of person who gives any thought to the big questions in life.

They are just questions after all.

Marelli. It is a healthy fear. I hesititate to put a healthy fear like a person might have for their parent. But a bit like that.
I dont think about fearing God that often, but it is there at the back of my mind.

Others. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+10%3A13&version=NRSV
God is talking to christians at this point, not non believers.

We are not believers or unbelievers we are fellow human beings doing our best to care for each other in an imperfect world. If I, as a mere human, can see that and live by it, surely god could give it a go.

God isn't a person. How can 'he' give anything a go?

Pointless discussion. It's beyond our understanding. Either you have a feeling for it to you haven't. Neither is good or bad.

Juliette. Yours is by far the most difficult post to answer.
And I dont know the total answer.
I dont know where disease comes from. I feel I should do.
It wasnt something I had particularly thought about. It was only a few months ago, that I realised with surprise, that I didnt actually know the answer.
I had a think about it and realised I had thought that it came from God. But that didnt seem right, so thought it had to come from the devil [dont like writing that. Even christians have to be very mindful and careful discussing the subject of the devil].
But that didnt seem right either, so I asked my minister. He said disease was from God. So that put me back to square one really.
I am sorry that I cant give a better answer than that. It is something that I still need to look into further myself.

soon I looked at your link and the Bible verse. My mother was a good person and a pretty good Christian and church goer. As a young wife and mother, God sent her tests that were way more than she could bear and he didn't show her a way out. So that meant her three very small children had to bear that their mother had what in those days was called "a nervous breakdown". Oh, what fun.

Not a person indeed - the use of the word "he" does however seem to be standard practice. As far as I can see, those who believe in god assume that "he" is able to do a number of different things - I simply enquired why "he" does not choose to correct some of the imperfections that make people's lives miserable. Seems a reasonable question to ask.

Mishap, I cant see how you can say that humans are not believers or non believers. You say that you are not a christian?

Grannyknot, I will pm you.

jings I do have a feeling that there must be some purpose and meaning to life. Hence I "test all things; and hold fast what is good" as taught to me by my grandmother.

If that is ok with you?

I admire Stephen Fry for his honesty about his sexuality and his battle with being bi-polar and the subsequent problems such as when he just disappeared from the London stage unable to cope with it all. He was brave and open about it and by doing so, he brought discussion of mental illness out of the dark corners where it had hidden. I totally agree with his speech here about god, and find it really really difficult to read drivel from soon about the devil, sorry but do you really think there is a benevolent old man with a beard and some kind of angry bloke with a pitchfork? As to being tested, what is that all about? I find it very hard to comprehend how anyone, living in the modern world, anyone with a passing knowledge of arts, science, medicine, can really believe in some sort of sky fairy ( my DS's description)? It may be comforting, all the ritual etc., but in your heart of hearts do you honestly truly think that there is one being who controls it all?

soon thanks for asking so politely. I don't think there is much point in continuing this discussion "off-line" because nothing you say will change anything. but I'm okay with most things, including anyone who wishes to PM me. As long as it isn't a sermon . I'm definitely not in the mood for that.