"Art and poetry aren't about establishing facts."

A Point of View: Can religion tell us more than science? - John Gray

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14944470

"What we believe doesn't in the end matter very much. What matters is how we live."

Thanks for the link Anthony. I very much enjoyed the article as it ties in pretty much with my way of thinking. There are zealots either side of the religion/science debate that skew and cloud the issues. We should all be free to follow whatever path we choose without fear of ridicule.

I don't think you can ever define what Art and Poetry are or should be. On the whole I tend to dislike didactic or opinionated art but that is subjective. All poets should free to express themselves however they wish - just so long as it isn't gruesome and splashed across our front page ;-)

I don't think that religion can factually tell us more than science but facts aren't everything, are they?

I think that entrenched atheists laugh at religion because they see it as a prime source of man's weakness, his inability to accept his own mortality. Being atheist equates in some way to being strong enough to take the truth.

I look at what science is offering us in the future and shudder. Everlasting youth has surely to be on the cards, along with massive over population. For me, accepting your own mortality comes hand in hand with religion. That's not to say that I wouldn't hold back the aging process if I was offered the chance - I'm only human....

I'd put myself firmly in the Pago-Buddhist genre.

I really don't mind what someone believes. In fact I have a respect for anyone who holds firmly to their beliefs in the face of peer pressure eg the kid who still goes to Sunday School when others have abandoned it.
I do think however that if my beliefs don't allow for you to have your beliefs, then I should think again.
With regard to A's thread I'm comfortable with spiritual poetry irrespective of its direction. I can enjoy it for the quality of the poetry without necessarily buying into any viewpoint. Call me confused if you wish (or Melanie, I prefer) but I find I feel differently about political verse which I always find too clumsy for my taste, irrespective of the quality of the poetry.
You, on the other hand, can please yourself.

A slanted roof.