Picked up the papers a couple of days ago and an article on my favourite author, Anne Rice, caught my eye. To my surprise - not unmixed with horror - the report said that Rice was putting her vampires to rest. Permanently. And that she'd be writing novels with Christian themes from now on. Apparently she's already writing the first of a new trilogy which will be about Jesus.

Thoughts, anyone?

I read that too. And I was completely horrified.

She goes from writing dark to writing gospel! Ye gods!

(Yes, I am an atheist, heathen, whatever you want to call it.)

I never could understand people who undergo a sudden great change in faith, but that might be because I haven't undergone any experiences that would make me want to. If anything, all this talk about religion and faith (recently some stuff about proselytisin' in hospitals) has pushed me farther away from wanting anything to do with one.

Haha oh well... I'd buy the book(s) anyway. Tis her writing that appeals to me most.

I dunno... sometimes it strikes me as being comforting. Having true faith, I mean.

Do -you- have faith?

It could be comforting. Being delusional could also be comforting. Imo the main thing that causes this comfort is having the feeling of knowing what's next, or what's going to happen, or having a valid explanation for things based on your faith. Human faith can be a powerful thing - not only in terms of religion, but also in the incarnation of willpower and belief in self.

The only Anne Rice novel I've read is IwtV.

Hmm. Define faith? Faith that there's a God? Yes. But the rest... it's complicated. Faith in a God that saves us and that we all have eterbal souls and an afterlife? Nope. So...

Eterbal! *winks* Hmm I was asking about faith in the conventional, religious way. Not necessarily Christian (aren't you more Buddhist?).

Lol... somehow the phrase 'more Buddhist' cracks me up... Aren't people supposed to be either Buddhist, or not?

But in this case... I don't know. Haha. I am one muddled creature.

No, I was meant to be Christian (mom was baptised) but she changed her mind recently and became Buddhist. All through my life I've been kinda 1/3 Christian, 1/3 Buddhist, and 1/3 Atheist. I.e. I went to churches occasionally, temples too, and obligingly went to "pray for good results" in places like HK or Bangkok, while having the bible as bedtime reading. Aspects that more-or-less oppose each other, so I don't quite know how it works. Now, though, it might be closer to 1/7 Christian, 1/7 Buddhist and 4/7 Atheist. And 1/7 Uncertain.

So you see, I'm probably more muddled than you are. *smiles ruefully*

Ok so in Christian doctrine, doesn't that make both of us 'faithless' anyway? Since we don't believe totally in the one true God... Then again, Fiona was telling me the other day that it shouldn't matter if you don't take on the trappings of organized religion so long as you believe in God and your actions show that... I think she's got a point. But what if, like us, you don't totally believe?

Your immortal soul floats in limbo? *tries for helpful and fails* Ah well. I think Fiona's right (by the way, would she be interested in joining our discussions at the forums? It's getting quiet, with just the two of us..), but I doubt several have enough mental strength/will to believe without having someone to help them along the way and all that. That means the routines of going to places of worship, the rituals, etc. Men are complicated beings.

It is my opinion that in Christian doctrine, one is viewed as either Christian or a would-be convert. I don't mean this in a demeaning way -- it's just something I've come to notice, might not be true at all times though.

Oh great. Undecided for eternity. Can it be considered true faith if you're gonna be relying on rituals and relics? Doesn't that, in a way, mean you're belief is anchored in worldly things, and not on God, which is the whole point?

I thought, strictly speaking, one was either Christian or pagan haha...

Yeah pagans = would-be converts, i.e. poor misguided people.

Well, that depends. You could have faith in things. One might even argue that God manifests Himself within objects and occurrences, which are, of course, worldly. No one's a saint, dear, no one can have true, unalloyed faith. Least, I don't think it's possible..hmm...maybe unless you're mentally unstable? Even then it might be debatable whether the faith of such can be considered true.

Again, I'm not being against religion and/or calling religious people insane (far from that!). I just think no one can be perfectly faithful. (Maybe I should just say, "Disclaimer: just my opinion" in the future..)

Lol... This is a thorny topic ain't it? Then again, maybe we're overcomplicating matters. Maybe it's just a matter of either you do, or you don't. No gradations, no shades.

So we would fall into the "don't" section?

I find it hard to believe that the world is so simple, though. Everything's complicated, even if you choose to see it simply. Then again, human will may be such that if you wish something to be simple, it would become so. Circular argument, argh.

Aye, we'd be don'ts. Because we aren't sure, you see. A true believer would be SURE.

Well sure, the complication, to me, lies in the details. But when you get right down to the utmost basic, I believe that all the complications can be resolved such that... well... we'll be able to see that there only a few vast rules. It's like fine fabric. The colour, the texture, all form the complications. But underlying all that, the warp and weft of the fabric... that's what people would call Universal Truth, I guess...