Douglas Adams

[Hari]

So, how many Douglas Adams fans are on here?

The cult classics, from the five-volume trilogy (let that speak for the author!) to the detective tales, to the pretty much irreverent stuff, Douglas Adams is good in MOST of his writing.

Just as a heads up, he is an atheist, and very strongly reflects that in his writing. However, if I make a new friend and they've never read the Hitchhiker's trilogy... They usually get a nice omnibus edition for Christmas. I haven't met a DA fan I didn't get along with well!

So Long! (and thanks for all the fish!)

[Scribs]

I did like Hichhikers guide to the galexy, but the middle three books in teh trillogy arn't my favorite. I like how the series ends though.

dosn't he also have some books about a dectective agency or something?

[Technomancer]

That's right. "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency" and its sequel, "The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul". Of the two, I think the first is much better.

[Ducky]

Adam's rocks!! I read the big ol' collection with all the hitchhikers guide books and I was hooked after the first page of the introduction. I loved the part with the asylum too... priceless...

We're reading it in my math class and the teacher has been drawing some really interesting comparisons to the Christian life out of the book (I mean I know Adams is an atheist but the point of characterization is to capture human nature and when done well (which Adams does) that is going to lend itself to teaching truth lol) one example of this is when Zaphod was talking about his two heads being in conflict and the stuff about his brain and the hidden planet ... this is somewhat comparable to the spirtual versus the flesh.

The detective agency books are also well written. The first was better, but the abstract nature of both books was excellent and food for thought.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

awesome writer!!!

9 x 6 = 42!!! IN BASE 13 though!

[blkmage]

Dolphins pwn all.

[uc pseudonym]

Well, I am quite a fan of a variety of his books (primarily the Hitchhiker's trilogy and Dirk Gently) but not of the man himself. From what I have read of his atheistic material, I don't particularly respect his disbelief, either.

[greyscale42]

I have all six books to the Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy in one volume. Theyre absolutely hilarious.

[termyt]

I loved the Hitchhiker's Guide trilogy, but the man himself was too much of a turn off to continue reading his works. I can't help but feel some animosity toward someone who can only be described as an evangelical atheist.

He has led far too many souls into damnation for me to be comfortable supporting him. He's a favorite quote source for atheists.

[Hari]

Agreed, I had some pretty high eyebrows after reading The Salmon of Doubt... Strange that he almost collaborated with Mike Nesmith of the Monkees...

Definitely not a good guy in any spiritual or Biblical sense. But for what it's worth (and wow, comparisons to Christian life! That's awesome!), the trilogy is something else! I too liked the Holistic Detective Agency better than the Long Dark Tea-Time of The Soul (even though I love saying the second title ).

Well -- good to know you all, fellow DA fans!

P.S. Rock on, Mr. SmartyPants!

[Cap'n Nick]

He's a favorote quote source for atheists.

An atheist friend of mine has been trying to devangelize me with The Salmon of Doubt for quite some time. He was not a big fan of the church before but now that he's picked up a healthy dose of contempt for my intelligence from Adams it's been positively maddening.

[Hari]

Yikes!

Sounds like time for an Apologetics course! I've never had someone cite Douglas Adams in a debate, but the contempt factor is pretty huge.

Actually, a good friend of mine whom I introduced to DA is raising many of the same arguments in The Salmon of Doubt. In many cases I'm just finding myself shrugging and saying, "Thus the faith factor." Sometimes, that's where you end up. Wonder of wonders, despite being very intellectual and a self-proclaimed atheist (I keep correcting him, "You're Agnostic."), he's investigating my church this Sunday, Lord willing!

I'll be praying for your friend, and my friend could use prayer right now. God's preparing his soul with depression, actually. The "what am I here for?" thought has really transformed my friend from a "don't evangelize at me" agnostic to a "How do you sleep at night not knowing what you exist for?" friend.

Be strong! God's pretty good about these things!

[Cap'n Nick]

Thanks for the support. I will be praying for your friend as well.

[uc pseudonym]

An atheist friend of mine has been trying to devangelize me with The Salmon of Doubt for quite some time. He was not a big fan of the church before but now that he's picked up a healthy dose of contempt for my intelligence from Adams it's been positively maddening.

I think I understand exactly your situation. Unfortunately, all I can do is pray for you and echo the statement that you should trust God. Many of my friends have exactly that contemptuous mindset, but without even an attempt at defense of their disbelief. In essence, they blindly accept a great deal more than they accuse believers of doing, some of them realize this, and yet this does not matter to them. As you said, positively maddening.

Less sympathetically, "devangelize" is an interesting term. I will have to utilize it at some point.

[Cap'n Nick]

Thanks to you, too, uc. Just about every Christian will have to deal with people like this at some point, but it sure doesn't make it any easier!

[Hari]

Thanks so much for your prayers!

My friend came to church with me this last Sunday! Be strong, God's definitely working in this world. It's slow, and I keep rereading the passage about the seeds on the rocky ground, and the fast-growing/fast-withering faith, but it is certainly visible at times!

I'm doing my very best to be patient now, because I'm so excited and glad my friend attended a service (and the sermon was definitely God-inspired for the occasion!). I'm almost waiting for a phone call or something ridiculous! It could be years and years for him, but I'm praying and I'm fairly confident that God wouldn't bring him this far, only to lose his soul. God's not sloppy, He's got reasons for everything!

Take care, and feel free to pm me if you want to chat, or just exchange encouragement!

[termyt]

A course in apologetics - or even self-study- is a great thing to do. It's definitely part of continuing the work God has started in you with you're confession of faith. (We are called to be disciples, not simply believers) If you are going to stand as intellectual equals with antievangelicals (to expand on Cap'n Crack's term), you must not only know that something is wrong or right, you need to know why.

[Hari]

Definitely -- but as my sig expresses, not to the exclusion of faith!

It's so cool to have a site where a cross-section of believers with anime in common can support one another. I'm so glad!

[uc pseudonym]

I agree, it is indeed a good thing to have such a communion of believers.

[Hari]

Did everyone see the preview for the movie, "Hitchhiker's...?" I was up and out of my seat in the theatre, barely restraining myself from jubilant cheers! I must have mortified my family, we were seeing National Treasure (excellent, btw).

I hope it's great! It's something I'd like to actually see the Midnight showing of! Has anyone heard anything about it?

[uc pseudonym]

I have only heard of the massive number of setbacks that movie project has had in the past. After Adams' death, I had thought that perhaps the movie would be put of forever. Other than this, I know very little. If there is a trailer, perhaps things are not doing badly. Personally, I would be skeptical as to how well the book's events would transfer to film.

[The Doctor]

Not to mention that Disney is doing it....I'm not sure I trust them.

[Bobtheduck]

I also cheered during the previews before National Treasure... Oh, man, did I cheer... My friends got mad at me... I didn't realize he was so evengelistic about his atheism... I had only read Hitchhiker's Guide and half of the second book...

I did pick up on stuff like the argument God has with himself and the thing about notting needing his copy of "Godspell" anymore...

Even so, Hitchhiker's guide is rediculously funny and I hope Disney does a decent Job of it.

[Hari]

Aha, I see. I'll have to look into it further, then. I would dearly love to see a good job done of it! Even if it is Disney... Grrr....

May 2005 is the date I'm recalling, uc pseudonym. I hadn't heard of it at all before the trailer, when did you hear about the setbacks?

[uc pseudonym]

There were several essays that Adams wrote regarding them, at least one of which can be found in The Salmon of Doubt (if my memory serves me correctly). Also, at one point another fan of the series pointed out an online site that had some old information regarding it. That is basically the whole of my information.

[Hari]

Aha - thanks! I'll look around a bit, and see what I can find!