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Do you believe in God?

Do you believe in God?  

374 members have voted

  1. 1. Do you believe in God?

    • Yes
      104
    • No
      226
    • Not sure
      19
    • Willing to be convinced
      28


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Oh definitely me darlin'!:D

 

You sound a bit like David Cameron, talking to Angela Eagle (can't think why the poor man was accused of being sexist)

 

Notice my signature. :hihi:

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Notice my signature. :hihi:

 

Yes. I look at it every time you make a comment and wonder why you don't take the advice.:P

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Yes. I look at it every time you make a comment and wonder why you don't take the advice.:P

 

Ah well, there's a reason i changed it.Its there to remind me of how i should behave,I think i've done rather well, all things considered. :rolleyes:

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And please, lets keep this respectful to others

 

Its a shame that not everyone took your advice,isn't it?

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Ah well, there's a reason i changed it.Its there to remind me of how i should behave,I think i've done rather well, all things considered. :rolleyes:

 

You're doing fine dear, keeping those emotions under control. I'm very proud of you.

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Yes well i might have to go underground later perhaps :(

 

Especially if they start burning bibles and torturing us like the atheists goverments in North Korea,and like Romania and China were doing until recently.Although i'm not sure whether China has changed that much?

 

Janie, Christianity in China was pretty much seen as Islam is in the UK: a foreign threat to Western politics and culture. Problems with Christianity in China stem back as far as the Opium Wars: when our Christian government forced China to open its ports to Opium(a forbidden narcotic in China) and Christian missionaries; who rejoiced that the trade had opened the gates to fresh converts.

 

History aside, Christians have hundreds of legal Churches throughout China, and are free to practise their faith. China is also the biggest producer of Bibles in the world.

 

What they aren't allowed to do is create illegal Churches (mostly influenced by the crazy faith-healing evangelical types from places like the US) in their basements where people can be exploited. They also aren't allowed to undermine the Chinese government and its laws.

 

When you are hearing stories of Christians being persecuted in China, it's not because they believe in a god - and it's not necessarily because they are Christians. It's because they are breaking the law and screaming persecution when they get caught.

Edited by Ryedo40

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Well if you want to go that far back,you could even go back to the time of Henry V111 and include other monarchs and the the Cromwell period.The Irish had always rebelled against the control of the Ruling classes,and Sovereign power.

The grievances in the last century were nothing to do with religion,they were to do with politics.The religious label was just an identification mark, many of the early IRA leaders were Protestants living in the South of Ireland.

 

The troubles in Ireland were started around the time of the usurping of James II by William of Orange and James' daughter Mary II not Cromwell and definitely not Henry VIII who persecuted Catholics over here but again religion based

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Well if you want to go that far back,you could even go back to the time of Henry V111 and include other monarchs and the the Cromwell period.The Irish had always rebelled against the control of the Ruling classes,and Sovereign power.

Power and religion have only recently been seperated in the west though. Cromwell was a religious despot, no doubt about it. That isn't to say that the history or politics of Ireland is purely about religion, but it is a sectarian divide based on church. It's also about nationalism, and class, and power, and in the 20th century there were people who still made it about religion again.

 

Blaming religion on Ireland is as complex as blaming Korea on atheism. Both ideas are far too shallow.

 

The troubles in Ireland were started around the time of the usurping of James II by William of Orange

James I started it by giving land in Ulster to Scottish presbytarians. He was a Catholic king, ruling Anglican England and a Calvinist Scotland. He had to balance the desires of all religions, and his son was so bad at the task that he lost his head.

 

You're wrong with Cromwell though. He was awful to the irish.

Edited by Chris_Sleeps

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You're wrong with Cromwell though. He was awful to the irish.

 

In Tony Blair's biography he says that the Irish PM refused to have a meeting with him in Downing Street until they took down Cromwell's painting from the wall of the room they were having the meeting in.

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Janie, Christianity in China was pretty much seen as Islam is in the UK: a foreign threat to Western politics and culture. Problems with Christianity in China stem back as far as the Opium Wars: when our Christian government forced China to open its ports to Opium(a forbidden narcotic in China) and Christian missionaries; who rejoiced that the trade had opened the gates to fresh converts.

 

History aside, Christians have hundreds of legal Churches throughout China, and are free to practise their faith. China is also the biggest producer of Bibles in the world.

 

What they aren't allowed to do is create illegal Churches (mostly influenced by the crazy faith-healing evangelical types from places like the US) in their basements where people can be exploited. They also aren't allowed to undermine the Chinese government and its laws.

 

When you are hearing stories of Christians being persecuted in China, it's not because they believe in a god - and it's not necessarily because they are Christians. It's because they are breaking the law and screaming persecution when they get caught.

Yes China does have a complex History as all nations do.Colonialism has a lot to answer for! In more recent times though the Chinese goverment have had to adopt changes due to pressure from human rights groups and Amnesty International.They know they have no choice,if they want to trade with other nations.

The power of Mao Tse Tung has left its mark though.I'm not so sure we know everything thats going on there.

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The troubles in Ireland were started around the time of the usurping of James II by William of Orange and James' daughter Mary II not Cromwell and definitely not Henry VIII who persecuted Catholics over here but again religion based

 

I knew about the William of Orange period,and the battles, we are reminded of it when we see the Orange parades every year,which is a pity.

Have you ever spoken to any Southern Irish Catholics about their History,some of them seem to have more of a grudge against Henry the eighth and Cromwell then they do about William of Orange,for some reason.

Edited by janie48

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