There is definitely no loving God. Fact.

I just think you can spend an entire life trying to find an answer to this unanswerable question when you could have been getting on with spreading a bit of happiness and being kind to everyone.

Totally agree- but it cannot be avoided that different religious groups, including Christian ones- believe in being good to their own- and dreadful to others. Thank goodness Catholics and Protestants here now cooperate and join together in prayers, and even for mixed baptisms and marriages (but still, for many, joined in dislike and often hatred of other religious groups- and currently Muslims).

I have read many books on dying and after life because I couldn't see the point in the young suffering and dying
some were very deep and were about before we are reincarnated we choose the life we have and some choose to come back for a short time to teach lessons or help others. I can't say I go along with this but still search for the answers.

teach lessons to 3 year olds- really?

If God reads this thread title, I'm done for.

Just depends whose God it is- if it's Annie's you will be fine ;)

Granjura, Protestants and Roman Catholics have held joint prayer groups here for years,

Great news. Do they however do joint weddings, baptisms and funerals, with both Priest and Vicar taking part, for mixed families? Here it would have been unheard of until the few Catholics were joined by large immigration groups, like Italians in the 50s and 60s, the Spaniards and Portuguese in 70s and 80s. Catholics (like my dad) were a tiny minority until then, about 5%- they are now about 50/50 and most couples are 'mixed' - the Churches had little choice but to align to the new realities- and also many refused the divisions of the past. When my parents married in 1946, my dad one of the small minority of Catholic 'immigrants' from a different part of Switzerland, and mum a Protestand divorcee with a child- it was all hell let loose!

No joint baptism or weddings, how can there be ? completely different services, a child is either baptised into the Anglican or RC church, impossible to have a Protestant Roman Catholic I was bridesmaid at a mixed marriage in the sixties but it was a full RC service

How do they agree on 'The Host' , confession etc? Are you claiming Roman Catholics ignore confession before partaking in The Mass? Or Protestants have had the choice to ignore the fact that confession is their decision and so are expected to trot off to confession before every Mass? What about Last Rights?

Yes, wonderful isn't it

Couldn't agree more Luckygirl. When you think of all the good people and the great minds who have spent many hours of their lives over the centuries in worship, prayer, preaching, theorising, discussion and writing, you have to wonder what great progress could have been made if all this time and goodwill had been devoted to practical humanitarian projects. As a teenager, I was told by the new evangelistic Minister that I should not be helping to run a Youth Club but rather attending his evening bible class and that everything I did to help others was of no value until I had 'got myself right with God'. I never did see eye to eye with the BIG GUY but we did run a very successful Youth Club which helped many youngsters to blossom and carried on with the skills learned to set up and run Mother & Toddler, Playgroup and numerous other useful community/charitable groups.

I know all the arguments that many good things have come from people with religious conviction, I just feel that that they could have done so much more if they had devoted all their time, resources, energy, spirituality to the benefit of humankind.

annie, the Catholic spouse will do whatever is required by the Catholicism, and the Protestants here do not have a specific form of service as for the CofE or W- which are both born directly from Catholicism without the total separation of Continental Reformed Churches. It works- with a lot of goodwill.

My parents btw could not in 1946 marry in either the Catholic or the Protestant Church- so they married in the Christian Catholic Church- which is the closest in Switzerland to the CofE/W.

Thank goodness Catholics and Protestants here now cooperate and join together in prayers
And Muslims and other faiths too joining in granjura - it is so good to see, isn't it:
www.westminster-abbey.org/worship/special-services/upcoming-special-services/2016/march/the-commonwealth-service-a-celebration-of-the-commonwealth

That is just an example of course, but so good that we have inter-faith co-operation here nowadays.

Indeed Jalima- although we are still a long long away from mixed Catholic or CofE wiht Muslim marriage. Or in the case of my DH's parents, Muslim with Dutch Reformed Church- at the time of Aparthheid... or now!!!

Yes, our young friend had to convert to Islam (from C of E) before he could marry a Muslim girl.
People are people and can't help falling in love!

Only thing to do was to move to UK, where grandfather hailed from, and just pretend to be CofE and blend in...

And yet Muslims and Christians believe in the same God...so it shouldn't be impossible.

Granny23, there are many, many atheists who do good work but also have other interests, what difference for a Christian? I think you are seeing everything in practical acts and disregarding that time spent in payer gives many the strength and courage to carry out the most exhausting and for some most dangerous practical acts. I have dear friends in a silent order , they do not leave the convent, have little sleep, when I write I have no idea which sister will reply because forming personal friendships is not permitted. These women give up so much to spend their lives in prayer, I think their work is exhausting, demanding and for the good of mankind so I cannot agree they would do more if they lived a different life, to answer such a calling takes great courage and a deep love for mankind .

Time spent in prayer is a necessity for a Christian , I do what I can to help people but several times a year I enter a retreat house, I need this time of solitude , it's healing. So I think you judge harshly sorry

Granjura, Muslims do not believe Christ is the son of God , they acknowledge him as a prophet so it is impossible

so far- but the jump is not much bigger than joining Catholics and Protestants in common services and marriages- in 1 or 2 generations. Just read 'Dnager to Elizabeth' about religious wars in England (and Scotland and Ireland) the gulf was just as massive, and yet.

Just like to come in on this and say whilst I don't believe there is a god having lost my son in a domestic violence killing and cannot come to terms with it very well. We all have our beliefs and we must learn to respect one another's belief I hope no one has to go through what my family had to go through but it happens and it will keep on happening children dying wars being fought people and children dying of cancer etc I could go on and on get used to the fact that most wars are fought over religion. Man is not a good person greed is good said Mrs.Thatcher. We are living in a shameful world .

Sheilasue, I am deeply sorry to learn of the death of your son.

I don't think religion has been the cause of wars for many a year , I don't even recall the last war carried out for religious beliefs, greed, power yes I agree

Shella I am so so sorry to hear that

My father actually came from a Huguenot family- who had to flee the persecution of Protestants in France. As Huguenots, they were prepared to be burnt at the stake, drawn and quartered and worse- for their beliefs that Popism was hell...

And yet, having emigrated to a part of Switzerland that was staunchly Catholic- they had to agree to farm the lands at high altitude and of little value- and couldn't intermarry or access any of the Guild's professions. Within a couple of generations they just turned coat- and became Catholics in order to access a normal life and have better chances. Many generations later- my dad's family having moved to a staunch Protestant Canton- they again had to go through discrimination in reverse- and had become such strong Catholics themselves ... oh the irony of it all. As said, Protestantism in the form of CofE and CofW (unlike the Scottish Kirk) are much more aligned to the old religion (Catholicism) for all sorts of very interesing reasons- and have very clear order of services and books of prayers- whereas Continental Protestant Churches do not.

Sheilasue How terrible for you I hope the support you feel on this page helps you.