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

[Nibble]

You sound very cross today. Too many Easter eggs last night?

OOOh yes, I'm simply fuming.

 

[Beach Hut]

Oh do calm down. You seem to be giving it rather a lot of attention for such a rubbish topic. Now, move along, the grown ups are talking.

Getting a bit rattled now are we, grumpy boy ?

This is just a showcase thread you have created to have a go at the Tories and I have every confidence if I started an anti-labour thread you would no doubt react the same.

Move on everyone this is a nothing thread

 

[Silk]

Speaking as a non-christian i'm pleased there are bishops in the lords. As long as they speak for the common good and not their own narrow interests. I think it's important to have people in there who aren't just motivated by the god of money.

 

[turienzo's lovechild]

This is actually quite an interesting, balanced thread....not syre why you're insisting on getting involved Beach Hut

 

[Nibble]

And for all the parents and kids at christian schools - nativity, Easter, Harvest Festival etc those attending funerals and church weddings. They affect most of the people in this country, believer or not.

Faith schools are just another form of socially selective schooling so they will always have people wanting to go to them and seeing as only 13% of people in the UK call themselves Christians I imagine most of those pupils consist of the children of parents who aren't the least bit religious.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

And still they recently blighted thousands of families with Chancel Repair Liability. Before that I was ambivalent but now I find myself hating the Church.

Did they? Genuinely interested to know when this happened. I thought everyone had chancel repair insurance anyway these days?

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

Speaking as a non-christian i'm pleased there are bishops in the lords. As long as they speak for the common good and not their own narrow interests. I think it's important to have people in there who aren't just motivated by the god of money.

But the church is/has been driven by wealth. To do real good it could use its own money.

Don't mind Cameron playing at being a "Christian" as many have to in such positions. However it becomes dangerous when irrational beliefs influence major decisions, such as Blair, God and Iraq.

 

[Nibble]

Getting a bit rattled now are we, grumpy boy ?

This is just a showcase thread you have created to have a go at the Tories and I have every confidence if I started an anti-labour thread you would no doubt react the same.

Move on everyone this is a nothing thread

Yet you've posted on it 7 times in under an hour.

Actually I don't think this is a particularly anti Tory thread, anti - Cameron certainly, cannot stand the man but couldn't stand Blair either and the church had just as much influence over the Labour governments at they do the conservatives. Pease feel free to continue your wind up or perhaps find something more constructive to do than post continually on threads you have no interest in?

 

[Don Quixote]

The House of Lords, they make the majority of the laws don't they? Have loads of power don't they. No, they do not.

The Upper House should have elected representatives anyway. We are supposed to live under a democracy.

 

[Nitram]

The bishops in the House of Lords don't run the country but can have an influence along with the other Lords. They have a role in balancing parliament and can send back legislation for further consideration but ultimately have to bow to the will of the commons. Moves have been mooted to make the Lords more representative of other faiths but Muslims are represented by individuals with that faith.
Parliament is not secular either there is a long history of church and state, in recent years that has been more in name than action as the role of the Queen who is head of state and church testifies.
Edit to add
If Nibble is correct and there are 26 bishops that relates to 3.5% of the total of 763 lords.

 

[Chicken Runner61]

We have always been ruled and controlled by a tiny minority - better the one thats ruled you for 2000 years than the one you don't know?


very soon we will have every drop of freedom squeezed out of us anyway and its the world state thats in control of that not the church.

 

[Triggaaar]

this shouldn't cloud the fact the various Christian churches perform an important day to day function in our society.

And for all the parents and kids at christian schools - nativity, Easter, Harvest Festival etc those attending funerals and church weddings. They affect most of the people in this country, believer or not.

I don't fully disagree, but I also don't agree with all of your examples. Parents and kids at Christian schools could get the same thing without the faith element, as could church weddings. And we can still have chocolate at Easter without god poking his nose in.

 

[Silk]

But the church is/has been driven by wealth. To do real good it could use its own money.

Don't mind Cameron playing at being a "Christian" as many have to in such positions. However it becomes dangerous when irrational beliefs influence major decisions, such as Blair, God and Iraq.

Did I say anything about Cameron? The Church DOES do a lot of good with its own money. Yes the Church does have money, but that is because a lot of people donate a lot of money to it. That does not mean it is "motivated" by money.

 

[franks brother]

Thank God I'm an Atheist

 

[The Andy Naylor Fan Club]

Thanks for sharing that with us Wolfie Smith

:guitar: POWER TO THE PEOPLE..

 

[Nibble]

If the church is such a force for good I'd like to see them give up their wealth and tax breaks and seats in The Lords and property and see if they feel so strongly that they could sustain faith and a congregation that they'd be willing to do so without the accumulated wealth.

 

[Nitram]

If the church is such a force for good I'd like to see them give up their wealth and tax breaks and seats in The Lords and property and see if they feel so strongly that they could sustain faith and a congregation that they'd be willing to do so without the accumulated wealth.

Don't stop there, plenty who have accumulated wealth and property through history the Queen, Duke of Westminster and other landed gentry. Most bishops are targeted as being too left wing by politicians so I'm sure they will be glad you are putting up a counter argument.

 

[Chicken Runner61]

If the church is such a force for good I'd like to see them give up their wealth and tax breaks and seats in The Lords and property and see if they feel so strongly that they could sustain faith and a congregation that they'd be willing to do so without the accumulated wealth.

How would they operate without money (wealth)?


The church is only a mirror of the state of religion in the country

 

[Nibble]

How would they operate without money (wealth)?


The church is only a mirror of the state of religion in the country

I thought their God provides? He's certainly been very generous thus far.

On a serious note why should a faith have to "operate" in the first place. You believe or you don't. Hold your sacraments in a community hall not a priceless building filled with gold and silks. Just a thought.

 

[Nitram]

I thought their God provides? He's certainly been very generous thus far.

On a serious note why should a faith have to "operate" in the first place. You believe or you don't. Hold your sacraments in a community hall not a priceless building filled with gold and silks. Just a thought.

Many of the places are closing down anyway due to lack of interest, many have historical interest. Good luck on closing St Paul's, York minister and Westminster Abbey and relocating to the Nelson Mandela community centre.