Recent content by rocala

Yes, possibly, but I am sure we can all remember being patronized for our youthful opinions at some point. Age can certainly play a role, but in debate it is a two-way street. But that can be true for atheists too. It looks to me that if you work in a scientific field and have a religion you...

Welcome. I hope you enjoy your time here.

Thank you Thomas, the third time that I read your reply...there was something. Where is this going?

I tend to agree, although I would probably have said "deeper contact with the divine,"

Luckily I was always encouraged to read and I took to it like a duck to water.. The trouble was that to get to the library, you had to cross a very busy main road. This was forbidden in my early childhood. Quite quickly we were getting letters demanding the books back. My grandmother too busy...

Absolute heaven. A book on the Greek myths was the 2nd book that I took out when I joined the children's library.

I now avoid believer v non-believer debates. I try to be a rational person, but if my personal experiences are indicative of the opposite state of affairs, what can I do?

PART 3 OF 3 About four years after this, David, a close friend, called and asked if I would go to a séance with him. We met up and all he would tell me is that he had been worried by something and that somebody had given him the number of a Spiritualist called Sam. He had met with Sam and that...

PART 2 of 3 We met up quite early the next day. It had become a subject of deep fascination for us, even my cousin seemed to have recovered. Things started quite quickly, a lot of it was the same problem as before. Random letters, circular motion and several times off of the board. Several...

Part 1 I had had an interest in spiritualism since childhood. I was about 18, my cousin had invited a friend over at Christmas, that he wanted me to meet. This guy was passionate about spiritualism and wanted to hold a séance. We met up on the 26th , just the three of us. His friend, Brendan...

Thanks @TheLightWithin and @Thomas , when I get back I will write up on the subject and would certainly be interested in both of your thoughts, and of course anybody else.

It would be a longer than usual post. I am working long hours this weekend, and then I am away from home for a week and will be without internet.

When I was a kid and even into my twenties, Spiritualism was quite common in Britain. It had had a big boost with the deaths of the first World War and slowly dwindled over decades. My grandfather had an aunt who was an amateur medium and both he and my mother were impressed by her. It turned...

When I went to join the army a part of the process was an interview with a sergeant as he went through the application form. All was going well until he got to the part for religion. I had written "none". His attitude changed, "whats this" he said, sounding irritated. I said something like, I...

Yes, I think you and Tony were both lucky. My experience was very different. I was sent to Sunday school by my grandmother. I was furious about this, but all she would say is "it's nice". She was a very simple woman, her world consisted of nice and not nice. In those days you sometimes got...