paul arden - god explained in a taxi ride

5/19/2018 Paul Arden - God Explained in a Taxi Ride

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GOD EXPLAINED

IN A TAXI RIDE.

Paul Arden


2/60

WHERE TO?

There arent many people who go through lifewithout wondering what it is all about.

The worlds smartest thinkers have mulled it over

time and time again. Billions of words in millions of books have been

written on this subject and yet no one is any closer toan answer.

!ts about time a less wordy version was madeavailable a book on "od that you can read in thelength of a ta#i ride.


3/60

THE METERS RUNNING

$arwin says there is no such thing as "od.

There is only science and evolution.

That is too stark for most of us. %e need asoulmate& we ga'e upwards to find him.

(ost of us need something spiritual to believe

in. (an cannot live on bread alone. That is the nub of this book.


4/60

I DUNNO

Because we dont know what life is all about

we spend a great of time seeking answers.

There are no answers. %e will never findthem.

"od in his infinite wisdom has made it that

way so that life becomes infinitely interesting.

!ts the unknown that makes life so rich.


5/60

WHATS GOING ON?

GOD KNOWS


6/60

SO HELP ME GOD!

%hen things go wrong in normal life we get

by with a little help from our friends.

%hen we need help that our friends cannot

provide we seek consolation in an idea and

the name we give to that idea is "od.


7/60

CUTTING OUT THE MIDDLE

MAN

%e all have our own direct line to "od.

%e dont need preachers or prophets.

%e just have to believe that a power or forcee#ists that is in itself perfect.

But not many people will accept this.

!ts too simple %e have to make things

complicated. And heaven know does the )hurch ever make

things complicated*


8/60

WHERE THINGS GO WRONG

%hen things dont work out the way we want

them to we maintain our faith by shrugging

our shoulders and saying+

,"od works in mysterious ways.


9/60

YOU DONT NEED A

RELIGION !n the book -ife of Pi a young !ndian boy

comes across three good men. ach has a

different faith.

ach in turn e#plains their religion to him.

All are e/ually valid and he doesnt know

which to choose.

0o he doesnt choose.


10/60

THE TRINITY

%hen ! was young ! went to church every 0undayand the rector spole of the Trinity& "od the 1atherthe 0on and the 2oly "host.

The reverend never e#plained these things& they were

read out and we would join in parrot3fashion notknowing what we were talking about.

4evertheless ! accepted there things in the name of"od.

! am certainly not the only person to have pu''ledover this conundrum.

0o ! thought ! would make a stab at understanding it.


11/60

SO WHO OR WHAT IS GOD THE

FATHER?

4o one has ever seen him.

(aybe he doesnt e#ist.

!f he didnt e#ist man would have to inventhim.


12/60

WHAT IS THE HOLY GOST?

There is no e#planation for what is the 2oly

"host.

(aybe thats because nobody understands.


13/60

WHO IS THE SON

5esus actually e#isted.

2is life has been recorded glorified and dramati'ed.

1rom what we read in the Bible he was an intelligent

and charismatic man who could pull a crowd of.

-ike "andhi (artin -uther 6ing and 4elson

(andela he was a pacifistic and from what we

know a good man who gave his life for his people. 2is story has been told and retold so many times that

it is difficult to separate fact from fiction.


14/60

IT AINT NECESSARILY SO

!m not saying the events described in the

Bible didnt happen.

(aybe they just didnt happen the way the

0criptures tell us.

The things that youre liable

To read in the Bible

Just aint necessarily so.


15/60

THE GREATEST STORY EVER

TOLD The Bible is a great read but like )hinese whispers

the truth of it has become distorted.

!ts hard to tell where history stops and legend begins.

!t was written long after the death of 5esus from wordof mouth and hearsay.

Translated from 2ebrew int "reek and -atin againfrom -atin into nglish and the retranslated into

what we know today as the 6ing 5ames Bible. !t is a book the )hurch wants you to believe in.

!t is the )hurchs Bible not "ods.


16/60

MIRACLES

They are a bit of problem but can be e#plained in termsillusions.

As today we have conjurors and illusionists who performmiracles on television so there were clever people in 5esussday who could magic up a few tricks.

Take walking on water. A broadwalk just under the surface provide an e#cellent

platform for a miracle.

%hen someone is a star as 5esus was people latch on to them&

often clever people who want a bit of light to shine on themtoo.

5esus had disciples and like any star roadies to manage histours.


17/60

IS THIS WHAT REALLY

HAPPENED? )hrist was taken down from the cross by his friends

whilst still alive.

2e was then placed in a cave and a boulder wasrolled across to block the entrance. 2is friends

attended him and tried to keep hime alive. Three days later he died.

(etaphorically this could be regarded as hisascension into heaven.

2is friends rolled away the stone and buried him inan unknown location.

!ts a possibility.


18/60

BLIND FAITH

2ow can you have blind faith in something fro

which there is not a scrap of evidence7

%ell the answer is you cant.

!f you could prove it it wouldnt be faith.

8ou can only have faith in what you dont

know. Thats what faith is.


19/60

THE ANSWER IS BLOWING IN THE

WIND

A young child asked his father if he could

prove there is a "od.

,! cant prove it he said.

,!ts like the wind. 8ou can feel it but you

cant see it.


20/60

PROOF OF GOD

In the fifteenth century, St Anselm was made a saint for his proof of Gods eistence. It might ta!e anothertai ride to get your head round this"

9. %e define "od as that for which there is nogreater.If you agree, go to point #

:. "od is perfection.If you agree, go to point $

;. Perfection that actually e#ists must be greater thatmerely the idea of perfection.If you agree, go to point %


21/60

ARE YOU BRAVE ENOUGH

NOT TO BELIEVE IN GOD?


22/60

GOD HELPS THOSE WHO HELP

THEMSELVES %e are "od.

%e are made of the same matter that makes theuniverse.

0o when we pray we also pray to ourselves. !ts not about prayer.

!ts about wanting.

!f we pray lightly and for many things they probablywont come to us because we dont really want them.

!f we pray hard and long enough for one thing weoften get what we want.


23/60

GRAVEN IMAGE

5esus is nearly always portrayed with highcheekbones and a kind e#pression in a way that wewould consider handsome.

Thats how we see him today. !ts the way he isdepicted on film. Today 5ohnny $epp would be castas 5esus.

%e dont know what he looked like. 2e could have

been a little fat man s/uatting like the Buddha or abald man like "andhi.

2e might even have looked like =sama bin -aden.


24/60

SUNDAYS THOUGHT FOR

THE DAY 2indus do not eat cows.

Anglicans eat beef on 0undays.

=ne mans sin is another mans roast dinner.


25/60

HEATHENS

They may have been barbaric but they were verysmart in the way they thought about religion.

They had many gods.

!f they wanted rain they prayed to the rain god and itrained or maybe it didnt.

!f they had a tummy ache they prayed to the god ofpain and if they were favoured the pain went away.

They were talking to "od through things they

understood. >ery simple very truthful.

4ot so heathen.


26/60

AN AWKWARD PARISHIONER

The skimo asked the missionary ,%ill ! go

to heaven or hell7

The missionary said ,To heaven.

,%ould ! go to hell if ! didnt know anything

about it7 asked the skimo.

,4o the missionary said.

The skimo said ,%hy did you tell me about

it then7


27/60

ATHEISM

(ankind does not really want to live without a

"od.

As the )ommunists have discovered atheism

is too barren an outlook to live with for very

long.

0piritually we need dear old "od but we want

him on our terms under out control.

,I need a comrade


28/60

FIGHTING TALK

8ou will know the story of the tower of Babel where men were building atower to get closer to "od.

!t was really built for their own self3glorification. 0o "od decided to restrain them by making them speak different

languages.

0uddenly they started to argue and pass judgement on each other. The project collapsed.

0peaking different languages leads to misunderstanding which leads toanimosity which leads to fighting.

There have been many wars in the name of religion simply because peoplespeak different languages.

(ost religions are different ways of saying the same thing. But we hearthings differently because we all speak different languages.

That is why we have misunderstanding and that is why we have wars. %e fight out neighbours because we dont understand them not because

we disagree with them.


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THE HISTORY OF WAR

$ifferent people different terrain different weatherdifferent food different customs different housesdifferent religions.

As man travelled more he told others of his religionand others told him about theirs.

Thats when the problems started*

(ore blood has been shed over religion than any

other issue. =ur refusal to understand the beliefs of others is why

we continue to have religious wars to this day.


30/60

WHY DOES GOD NEED YOU TO

DEFEND HIM?

!t must be because you think you are more

powerful than your "od.

!f you think your "od is weaker than you

thats not much of a faith.

$oes it not follow then that people who fight

wars for religion dont have much faith7


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SUICIDE BOMBERS

8oung men are asked to strap bombs to their bodies

to blow themselves and innocent people up.

They have been told that this will guarantee them an

early place in heaven. They are asked to undertake what the people asking

them to do have not themselves done.

At least 5esus died himself. !f anyone suggest that you become a martyr say+

,8ou first.


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SEND IN THE CLOWNS

%ars are started by ambitious men and women whose sense ofhumour plays no part in the serious business of running a country.

%hat if instead of sending professional statesmen with their self3importance and deadly seriousness to an international war summitwe were to send some of our top humorists7 0acha Baron )ohen

?icky "ervais !an 2islop and -arry $avid for instance. )an you imagine this gathering of diplomats contriving to start awar7

They wouldnt be able to no matter how hard they tried. Their senseof humour forbids it.

%hen people declare war on others they believe themselves to bejust.They belie&e that God is on their side.

"od knows they are insane.


33/60

A BUILDING FOR PEACE

!f instead of showing strength by spending

billions on weapons of war the %est was to

build a mos/ue on "round @ero it would be a

remarkable symbol of our understanding of the!slamic point of view.

!t would be a major step towards world peace.


34/60

THE FEAR OF GOD

=ften ordinary people dont think they

understand philosophy.

They need simple rules of life.

This is where the )hurch comes in.

!t gets the people to observe societys rules by

putting the fear of "od into them.


35/60

YOU CAN BELIEVE IN GOD

WITHOUT BEING RELIGIOUS

Believing in "od does not make you a

religious person.

!t makes you a spiritual person.

A religious person is /uite different.

A religious person is someone who believes in

)hurch and religiously performs the rites

and ceremonies laid down by their )hurch.


36/60

WHY DO PEOPLE JOIN

CULTS? 4ew religions start up daily. %hy7

Because people are endlessly looking for solutions to lifesproblems and the old religions seem out of touch.

0piritual businessmen identify these people and serve themwhat they are looking for. These salesmen may be charlatansbut they have the charm drive and ambition necessary tosucceed.

2ow else would you get people to join a sect that worships avisitor from outer space or a drunken scoundrel pretending tohave found scriptures written on golden plates7

This all sounds a bit far3fetched but for many millions itseems to work.


37/60

PAYING FOR GOD

(any religions or cults re/uire you to pay money to theirorgani'ation.

This is an important part of the hook.

!f you pay for a service you e#pect to get your moneys

worth. !f what you are getting is free you dont make such big

demands of it.

The )hurches that e#tract the most get the most commitment.

0o the more you pay the more 'ealous you become. !f your local church charged a fiver on the door they would

get a bigger and more commited congregation.

8ou would also get a better service*


38/60

MY GOODNESS

0ome of the best the nicest and most decent

people ! know are religious.

They are good because they spend their lives

trying to be good.


39/60

A COOL RELIGION

!slamic people go to the mos/ue five times a day. This may seem a littleover the top to a non3(uslim.

But the ritual is rooted in something very simple&The draining heat of the sun.

(ohammed knew that for a peasant working the hot fields prayer wouldbe a welcome relief&9. As a break.:. To wash yourself especially your feet for cleanliness and coolness.;. To have a drink of water alcohol is not on the menu.


40/60

THE CHURCH TODAY

=ne hundred year ago or less people went to church wherethey were told how to conduct their lives.

Today we watch televisionD it is our new live guru.%here every house once had a Bible there is now a television.

1or many of us in the %estern world life is good at least interm of basics.%e have plenty of food money for lu#uries access toinformation and enough time to enjoy ourselves.

%e dont feel the need for the church as a social centreanymore.

%e have a new religion.)onsumerism.0upermarkets are the new cathedrals.


41/60

I AM GOING TO DIE SOON

Entil very recently ! had blind faith in a "od

who gave order to all things. ! took a lot of

comfort from that.

?ecently ! had $arwin dumped on me with

such clarity that it has shaken my belief to its

foundations.

!ts very dis/uieting not to believe anything.

"od help me.


42/60

THE GOD FREE CHURCH

Atheism denies the e#istence of anysuprahuman being. All living creatures are theresult of a chance coming together of gases

li/uids and solids. According to the atheist all notions of "od are

fictional. 2e is a mere fantasy living farbeyond the scope of rational thinking.

But isnt a firm belief in the none#istence of a"od a religion in itself 7


43/60

AFTER LIFE

People are scared of the dark because they dontknow whats there.

As soon as they put the light on they can see and feelsafe.

%e are all scared of dying because we are afraid ofthe unknown.

To ease our fear of the dark we invent e#planations

for the afterlife such as heaven and hell andreincarnation.

-ike the light we switch on to feel safe.


44/60

IT WAS REPORTED THAT GOD SAID

LET THERE BE LIGHT

The sun was made by "od.

?eligion is a light bulb created by man to help

him to see in the dark.


45/60

REINCARNATION

veryone has thoughts on what will happen when they die. 8et no one has ever come back to tell the tale. 0ome say that if you behave well in this life you get a better deal in the

ne#t.Buddhism is based on this thinking.!t is just a guess. 4obody really knows.

Probably the most popular theory is the scientific one.

%e are composed of matter and when we die that matter is simplyrearranged in a different form.

'ou die.

'oure buried and fertili(e the plants.

The plants are eaten by snails.)an eats the snails.

*ow you are a +renchman. oila"


46/60

SO, IS THERE A

GOD?


47/60

AND IF THERE IS A

GOD

WHERE DO YOU FIND

HIM?


48/60

I FOUND HIM HERE


49/60

WALKING WITH AN

OLD FRIEND AND

MENTOR I ASKED HIM

IF HE COULD EXPLAINGOD TO ME.


50/60

LOOK HE SAID

POINTING AT THE

SUNSET. WHAT DO

YOU THINK MAKETHAT?


51/60

DO YOU THINK ITS

AN ACCIDENT?


52/60

DO YOU THINK ITS A

TRICK OF THE LIGHT?


53/60

DO YOU THINK ITS A

FLUKE?


54/60

IF YOU DO THEN SAY

I BELIEVE IN FLUKES


55/60

EVOLUTION FATECREATION FLUKE.

YOU CAN CALL IT WHATYOU LIKE.

THEY ARE ALL WORDS WEUSE TO DESCRIBE THE


56/60

THE EXISTENCE OFGOD.


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GOD IS OUR NAME FOR

THE FORCE BEHIND

CREATION


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THATS WHAT IBELIEVE


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I BELIEVE IN GOD.


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BUT IF YOU DONT BELIEVE IN

GOD

THIS IS THE END.

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