A country run by the church. Of course we are.

[Nibble]

The whole no marriage and celibacy rule for some members of the church is not in fact to keep them pure for God, married to God etc as the Church espouses but to ensure there was no wife or children for them to leave their money to and left it all to the Church.

 

[Buzzer]

To think of Christmas as a Christian festival is so ridiculous.

My best mate is a Muslim and his family "celebrate" Christmas.

It's a time for families to get together and have a good time.

As someone else said, it most certainly it is a Christian festival and the clues are all there. Just because atheists like yourself pick and choose parts that they like and adopt those doesn't stop it being a religious festival.

And the fact that atheists are happy to perpetuate the tradition rather than outright refusal to play along reinforces the importance of the Christian religion in our society. I'd also add that if you're going to be cheeky enough to cherry-pick the parts of the festivals that you quite like then it doesn't seem a particularly bad trade-off if your children are then taught what the meaning behind those festivals is.

 

[Buzzer]

"Hence today I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator: by defending myself against the Jew, I am fighting for the work of the Lord."

Quote from Hitler. Religious or racial? Make your own mind up.

Another quote from Hitler: 'You are either a Christian or a German, you cannot be both.'

Devout Christian or bad man who said all sorts of scollobs to whatever mattered to his target audience? Make your own mind up.

 

[Silk]

My 8 year old son does.

Whereas my ten year old son is equally convinced there is no God, and Jesus never existed. If the C of E is trying to indoctrinate him, they are doing a very poor job.

 

[piersa]

Another quote from Hitler: 'You are either a Christian or a German, you cannot be both.'

Devout Christian or bad man who said all sorts of scollobs to whatever mattered to his target audience? Make your own mind up.

He was a hypocrite, much like religions are. Make your own mind up.

 

[Buzzer]

He was a hypocrite, much like religions are.

So basically, he was human. A bad one I grant you but human. And that's what causes all the injustice in this world: human behaviour. Remove religion and people will still be good or bad. People will still get slaughtered in the name of dogma; religious, political or whatever.

 

[Nibble]

Christmas is of course a Christian festival. It is, if I'm not mistaken, to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, none les than the son of God.

I think it's a shame that The Spring Awakening and other such festivals to celebrate life, nature and the earth as a whole at this time of year were swept off the table by the Christians and replaced with celebrating their Saviour's resurrection. Christianity used to be one of the most intolerant ideas going.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

So basically, he was human. A bad one I grant you but human. And that's what causes all the injustice in this world: human behaviour. Remove religion and people will still be good or bad. People will still get slaughtered in the name of dogma; religious, political or whatever.

Spot on.

Communism has been repsonsible for the loss of more human life than any other ideology the planet has known. An ideology where no Religion is present.

 

[piersa]

So basically, he was human. A bad one I grant you but human. And that's what causes all the injustice in this world: human behaviour. Remove religion and people will still be good or bad. People will still get slaughtered in the name of dogma; religious, political or whatever.

Have to agree with that. I still believe more social conflict is caused by religion than anything else.

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

Yes, you are right it can and does operate in community centres, so why do sections of the church need so much wealth? It's proven it can be done without the money. Well, as I said, the upper echelons of the church are profiteers and happy to let the community leaders and estate parishners strive away in their tumble down buidlings while they prat about in robes worth hundreds of thousands preening themselves in self importance.

Does it ever occur to you that some of the buildings you are talking about are national monuments of enormous importance, cost a small fortune to maintain and that the Church might actually prefer to be relieved of that responsibility so that they could do something more useful.

Have you not noticed that the Churches and the faith Communities are some of the most vociferous opponents of the government at the moment.

And your comment about "preening themselves in self importance" shows your in-depth knowledge of the personalities of senior Church figures - NOT. What a load of cobblers.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

I would argue that 6 million murdered Jews is a religous issue.

It was a racial issue.

They were butchered because they were Jews, not because they practiced Judaism.

 

[Nibble]

Does it ever occur to you that some of the buildings you are talking about are national monuments of enormous importance, cost a small fortune to maintain and that the Church might actually prefer to be relieved of that responsibility so that they could do something more useful.

Have you not noticed that the Churches and the faith Communities are some of the most vociferous opponents of the government at the moment.

And your comment about "preening themselves in self importance" shows your in-depth knowledge of the personalities of senior Church figures - NOT. What a load of cobblers.

Yes, the churches are magnificent buildings. I know a fair bit about the personalities of senior church members thanks. Among many church members in my family, my Uncle is a Canon in Belfast, my Grandfather was the Dene of Belfast and my Great Uncle was The Archdeacon of Belfast. Their family name is Crooks. Feel free to look them up. I would wager that one visit to a family do for me would have me in the company of more senior members of the church than you will likely meet in your entire life. So, um, there! ;-)

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

Fair enough, but as I actually work for the Churches (not an Anglican), I meet a fair number of senior thingies myself.

The best meeting being on election day in 1997 when I was at a day conference chaired by the then Bishop of Liverpool, the true Sussex hero, David Sheppard. A nicer, more genuine, mor humble person I have yet to meet. And there are plenty of other bishops who are equally as genuine.

 

[Nibble]

Fair enough, but as I actually work for the Churches (not an Anglican), I meet a fair number of senior thingies myself.

The best meeting being on election day in 1997 when I was at a day conference chaired by the then Bishop of Liverpool, the true Sussex hero, David Sheppard. A nicer, more genuine, mor humble person I have yet to meet. And there are plenty of other bishops who are equally as genuine.

I know there are some good 'uns out there. Didn't mean to insult your people, it was more an illustration of the gap in wealth etc.

 

[piersa]

It was a racial issue.

They were butchered because they were Jews, not because they practiced Judaism.

It's certainly a divisive issue

 

[Nibble]

The holocaust was not a religious thing at all. Most wars are about territory and power. A few Khat munching warlords may try to justify it by spouting religious rhetoric but that's BS. Money, power, land, women. Which is oddly what the corrupt element of the church is after, except they prefer children to women.

 

[CheeseRolls]

I would just like to throw the French Revolutionary Robespierre into the mix here.

A politician known as the incorruptible, he renounced all the trappings of political power and lived a simple life in lodgings. He was instrumental in removing the role of the church from the state, replacing it with the cult of the supreme being. This is not really a case of replacing one religion with another, more the acknowledgement that there is some form of order to the universe see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cult_of_the_Supreme_Being for a basic explanation. This is the only example I know of other than those that have attempted to replace religion with the cult of personality. It seems there always has to be something.

Oh I guess I should also mention Robespierre's role in the terror, which resulted in 40,000 opponents and dissidents being murdered, in the name of continuing the revolution. Who needs religion ? Well it seems that we all do, even the non-believers amongst us.

 

[The Truth]

The holocaust was not a religious thing at all.

It also included people with disabilities, homosexuals, Jehovah Witnesses, Slavs, Poles, Romani people, prostitutes, vagrants, alcoholics, drug addicts, open dissidents, pacifists, draft resisters, common criminals, Gypsies etc.

 

[Nibble]

It also included people with disabilities, homosexuals, Jehovah Witnesses, Slavs, Poles, Romani people, prostitutes, vagrants, alcoholics, drug addicts, open dissidents, pacifists, draft resisters, common criminals, Gypsies etc.

Quite, If you weren't a productive, able, loyal Aryan who fitted into the Nazi ideals of looks, behaviour and ancestry in all likelyhood you would be murdered. He probably hated religious people too though the little prick.

 

[Silk]

Christmas is of course a Christian festival. It is, if I'm not mistaken, to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, none les than the son of God.

I think it's a shame that The Spring Awakening and other such festivals to celebrate life, nature and the earth as a whole at this time of year were swept off the table by the Christians and replaced with celebrating their Saviour's resurrection. Christianity used to be one of the most intolerant ideas going.

You are perfectly free to celebrate whatever festivals you like.