To get the joke, below, and the serious point which follows, one needs to know that we Canadians have the reputation for ending many of our comments, especially ones to which we seek a response, with the interjection-like question, eh?

We also like to compare ourselves with our American cousins. Naturally, we modestly boast about our accomplishments, like the telephone, radio with a voice, credit unions, Medicare, etc. But, most of all we love to bitch and whine about what we feel is unfair in our dealings with one another, whether it is true, or not.

Meanwhile, the East, which includes French-speaking Quebec, and the West, which includes British Columbia (my daughter lives here) and the prairie provinces (a sister lives here), are held together by a common feeling of--well you name it--for the central province of Ontario, includes Ottawa (our capital), and Toronto (capital of southern Ontario). We, my wife and I, my son and his family, live, happily, near Toronto.

Ontario, Canada's second largest province (in area) and the centre of manufacturing in Canada, is next to and just west of, Quebec. It is supposed to be one province--much larger, in area (412,000 square miles), than Texas (267,000 square miles)--but Northern Ontarians often feel more akin to the Manitobans, in the west, or to its northern Quebec area, in the east.

And let us not forget that there are vast areas with all kinds of natural resources (water, minerals, oil and gas, etc) in an area stretching from east to west to the North Pole.
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HERE IS THE JOKE
One night, God listened to a certain lugubrious Canadian--who was, ironically, often also ludicrous--saying his prayers, which were filled with lots of whining "ehs?".

When he finished, God asked him, "Why are you Canadians always so down on yourselves? You live in one of the best countries of the world and yet you seem to love to wallow in bad news. And you are always asking me questions like, why me, God?"

The Canadian said, "Don't you understand, it is because most of us are practical eh?theists..."

Atheists? shocked If you're an atheist, why are you saying your prayers then?", God asked, in a state of shock.

"No, I am not an atheist. Here, let me write it for you...EH?theist...There, see that? We may be whiners, but at least we have faith enough to think that you just might be there, or here, or both ... eh?

"I get it." God said, with a smile and a laugh

"I also get the hint. You want answers, and not just ones filled with a lot of doom and gloom, the kind which, too often, make the lead stories in all the media. I must say that there are times when even I question which side they are on. Yeah, they alway argue that they have to cover all the news--the good and the bad--and be as objective about it as possible. Give me a break!
They remind me of the prophets of doom and gloom, especially that Jeremiah. Perhaps I need to tell them to cut it out.

Oh, Me! Oh, My! Jeremiah's book of LAMENTATIONS reads like he was the city editor of the Jerusalem Times, in 586 BCE. It is full of so much bad news.

"Yea! You're really the one with all the answers, aren't you? If so, now that we have the Internet, why don't you set up your own Web Pages and give us the truth as you know it. I for one will be all ears. You obviously know that I did some work in the media, eh?.

God said, "That's not a bad idea. Maybe it is time for me, using the Internet--web cams and all--to call together all the social leaders of the world--political, business and religious leaders, media moguls, educationalists, economists, unionists, philosophers, scientists, and the like, and put them together with all who claim to speak for me--all the synagogue, mosque, temple and church leaders.

Maybe they will be able hammer out a ... well let's go into such details at another time

"BTW, God," I have one final question, for now: "Where the #@%&^ are you speaking from, anyway? Or should I ask, eh?"

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As the Canadian walked away from his prayers--I mean, conversation with God--he thought to himself: I agree, we do need a new philosophy of theology, God and religion. I wonder what He...Or is it She?--has in mind? Perhaps the new thread will reveal it, eh?.


G~O~D--Now & ForeverIS:Nature, Nurture & PNEUMA-ture, Thanks to Warren Farr&ME AT www.unitheist.org