Did you know,,,,,?

[Magwitch]

,,, that there exists a parasite so specialised that it lives its entire life under the eyelids of one strain of hippopotamus in Africa?
Why would God do that?

IanW

[MickeyLane]

Check out demodes follicularum.

[Magwitch]

Originally posted by MickeyLane:
Check out demodes follicularum.Would that be the more familiar demodex follicularum, or is that another one?
IanW ;)

[km gresham]

Cause all God's little critters gotta live somewhere. smile.gif Some things we won't know in this life. Some things I don't think I want to know in the next either. :eek: smile.gif

[Hughman]

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid95/pbbad381d57fc5494d1c036b8385d8f95/fa25b4d4.jpg

How 'bout these guys?

[Magwitch]

Originally posted by Hughman:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid95/pbbad381d57fc5494d1c036b8385d8f95/fa25b4d4.jpg

How 'bout these guys?No, please, not the house mites! I'm alergic to those little sods,,,,,,,,,,,

IanW

[Stiletto]

When I'm in Africa I'll keep my eye out for it. :D :eek:

[Jack Heinlen]

Seems to this pilgrim that the image of God is way too colored by five thousand years of Middle-eastern monothesism, and its European extentions.

I like Jung's take, which goes a little like this: God had to imagine creation not so as to be omniscient, but to experience physicallity. To learn, in other words. In this mythology, far from being all knowing God is closer to autistic savant than all powerful tyrant. Though omniscence is a part of it, it's an educable omniscience that actually needs his creation to complete it. His creation of this unfolding mystery is a way of him knowing himself; even as very strange, creepy critters.

Jung, being a creature of perceived European intellectual superiority, post-Darwin, viewed humans as the most interesting carriers of this mission from God. But it is easily extended to all of matter, by me anyway.

And, the creation of us in God's image, contained in the foundations of monotheisms' myths, fits perfectly. We too are extensive, curious, needing-to-learn-creatures who often are lost in matter.

[Jayne Scott-Andrews]

... Does God need a reason???? :eek:

[Meerkat]

Originally posted by Jayne Scott-Andrews:
... Does God need a reason???? :eek: Does reason need a god? :eek: ;)

[km gresham]

Nope - he can do things just because he's God. No reason needed. ;)

[Jack Heinlen]

Jayne,

If you imagine God as an all powerful, Creator, then no, he needs no reason. If, on the other hand, you imagine God as a creative, yet in some way ignorant, power or consciousness then creatures who are capable of asking his reasons make much more sense.

This is a difficult topic. I offered a few tastes of one of the seminal figures of the twentieth century's post-enlightenment attempt at coming to terms with it.

Ken Wilber has taken the question further, in different directions. FWIW.

It's not going away, BTW. I wish it would, and that acid portents of a unity were enough, but they aren't.

Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy ride. Hell, it already is for the vast majority of humans.

[Jayne Scott-Andrews]

Hi Jack....

Interesting concept... U too, Meerkat...

Dunno about psycho-analysing the "does God exist" myth or legend stuff...

All I know - for me - He does!!

Not ready to debate to defend... I just know that I know... But then again, I'm only visiting THIS planet ;)

[Magwitch]

I'm starting to think that God's real name is Nature,,,,,,, or perhaps Clive, whatever...
Those Hippopotimussis , when Noah took a pair into the Ark did he check that they only had one parasite each? Or do the eyelid parasites need a pair in each eye which would make eight wouldn't it? But the Bible doesn't say two by two except for weird eyelid dwelling creatures,,,,,,,? Or have I missed that bit?

IanW smile.gif

[Jayne Scott-Andrews]

Ian ... you DID miss a bit...

SOME went in 2 x 2.. others were 7 of...

P'haps the critters were in gangs of 7???

Dunno, but will ask Papa when I get home :D

[Jim H]

Originally posted by Magwitch:
,,, that there exists a parasite so specialised that it lives its entire life under the eyelids of one strain of hippopotamus in Africa?
Why would God do that?

IanWI don't know, but I'd like to meet the guy who was running around peering under hippo eyelids!

[Victor]

My favorite weird critters: a frog that lives in Australia, basically dead, until it rains, when it comes back to life. Then it goes back underground and "dies", sometimes for years, until the next rain.

Another frog lives in the Canadian Arctic and is frozen solid every winter.

[ 02-02-2005, 01:02 AM: Message edited by: Victor ]

[LeeG]

when I was a kid I thought the stars talked to each other,,they didn't know we were here. Then there's the dust specks floating in a shaft of light by the window,,you breath them.

[George.]

Originally posted by Jayne Scott-Andrews:
... Does God need a reason???? :eek: Does God need us? If so, for what reason?

[Garrett Lowell]

You'd be better off asking God.

[Magwitch]

Originally posted by Jim H:
[QUOTE]I don't know, but I'd like to meet the guy who was running around peering under hippo eyelids!That would be Dame Miriam Rothchild a nice lady, sadly no longer with us.

IanW

[km gresham]

This reminds me - anybody remember "Horton Hears a Who"? Boil that dust spec, boil that dust spec! ;)

[Jayne Scott-Andrews]

Does God need us? If so, for what reason? YES!

.... to worship Him ;)

...... Nothing more, nothing less :D

[Jayne Scott-Andrews]

That reminds me...

What about the critters in OUR OWN EYELASHES???? :eek:

[km gresham]

That's mascara. ;) smile.gif

[Magwitch]

Originally posted by km gresham:
That's mascara. ;) smile.gif Not if it moves,,,,,,,
IanW

[km gresham]

nothing can move when it's coated in mascara. :eek:

[Ian McColgin]

I'll no doubt mangle the spelling but I've always liked the fish that Steinbeck named Winchellis Protalis.

[Jayne Scott-Andrews]

hehehe

Kool Karen.. Kool :D

[km gresham]

:D

[George.]

Originally posted by Jayne Scott-Andrews:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr /> Does God need us? If so, for what reason? YES!

.... to worship Him ;)

...... Nothing more, nothing less :D </font>[/QUOTE]You mean the reason we exist is that God is on an ego trip? :eek: :D

[Jayne Scott-Andrews]

Yep.. that's about the size of it...

Being Omnipotent has that privilege I guess ;)

Let's face it... You gotta serve "somebody" ... It's just a question of choice :D

[doorstop]

Originally posted by Jayne Scott-Andrews:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr /> Does God need us? If so, for what reason? YES!

.... to worship Him ;)

...... Nothing more, nothing less :D </font>[/QUOTE]Arrogant Sonofabitch aint' he?
Worship schmership, rack off you vicious old barsteward and take yer wars, tsunamis, poverty and disease with ya!

[Wild Dingo]

Agro little blighter aint yer stoppers me ol cobber ;) I mean what little tichberry jumped up and knocked yer gronicles together mmmm??? tongue.gif grumpy ol phart :D :D

[Jayne Scott-Andrews]

Now see here, Doorstop...

Don't confuse the two!!

The havoc -wreaker is the 'enemy'... y'know that one that 'doesn't exist' in so many minds.. the devil!!

True, God calls us to worship and serve him.. and in return, he promises to bless the work of our hands, our fields, our families, our everything (pretty good payoff if you ask me...)

The devil, on the other hand, simply wants to usurp - to maime, kill and destroy

"Acts of God" should be properly renamed !!!!!!!!!! :eek:

[George.]

So why doesn't omnipotent God just swat the nasty bugger into oblivion?

[Wild Dingo]

oh dear :rolleyes: ... now look at the can of worms yerve opened ol doorstop :eek:

Actually Jayne me dear speakin purely from me own self and experiences... God as such "exists"... ONLY within the mind of whoever chooses to beleive that he/she/it exists... otherwise its just superstition superimposed on hyperbole mixed in with mystisim and stories from history and a danged good line of showmanship to get the suckers in... so choose to believe or not as you will

Personally I chose not to be a part of that "religion" based on experiences of churches and so called people of god... I prefer the honest love from people who simply care because they can not because some dictum tells them they should so they get cudos in "heaven".

sigh ****e this is an old argument :rolleyes:

Still it do manage to suck me in every time! :D tongue.gif

[Jayne Scott-Andrews]

Hi Dingo!

firstly, George... You haven't read the book have you??? Thats the finale ;)

Dingo me ol' cobber :D

Them 'churches' would call me a heretic - I HATE religion !!!!! :eek:

I don't love/care for fellow mankind coz I'm told to.... It's something that comes from inside - I am consumed with compassion, and that prompts me to act...

As for 'brownie points'... there are none !!! :D :D

Love Ya !!