I've always wondered about the 'merciful' bit of god as well. Compared with him, satan is an angel.
Re: Christianity Offially on the UP in England and Wales
I've always wondered about the 'merciful' bit of god as well. Compared with him, satan is an angel.
There are times I wish they’d just ban everything- baccy and beer, burgers and bangers, and all the rest- once and for all. Instead, they creep forward one apparently tiny step at a time. It’s like being executed with a bacon slicer.
“Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it whether it exists or not, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedy.”
To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticise.
"The purpose of a university education for Left / Liberals is to attain all the politically correct attitudes towards minorties, and the financial means to live as far away from them as possible."
Re: Christianity Offially on the UP in England and Wales
lol, HERESY.Originally Posted by InsaneApache
Where's the Spanish inquisition when you need them? Cue python.
Last edited by al Roumi; 09-10-2010 at 17:49.
Re: Christianity Offially on the UP in England and Wales
Let's hope for Christian 'Research' that the pope, like them, will be blissfully oblivious of the fact that while church attendance has stabilised, population has sharply increased, thus decreasing church attendance as percentage of the population. Here you go:Christian Research: Church attendance in the UK no longer in decline - exclusive guest post from Benita Hewitt
This is actually rather earth shattering.
This will no doubt be very welcome news ahead of the Papal visit.
UK population:
2001: 58,789,194 (Census)
2010: 63m (Estimate)
= 7.2 % growth
Catholics:
2001: 980.000
2005: 920.000
2010: 920.000
decline, stable from 2004/5
The Baptist Union of Great Britain:
2002: 148,835
2008: 153,714
3.2% growth.
Church of England:
2001: 1.2 million
2008: 1.145 million
decline
So the percentage of churchgoers has declined the past decade. The best that can be said, is that the decline seems to have mostly halted the past few years.
Worthy of note are:
The CoE, which can not increase its numbers with immigration, has declined most sharply of all percentage wise.
The decline of Catholicism in the UK stabilised from 2004/5, the exact year Poland joined the EU and a massive migration of Catholic Poles to the British Isles ensued. I wonder if there's a connection there...
All in all, we still seem to manage to enlighten them faster than they can breed and import.
Re: Christianity Offially on the UP in England and Wales
Lies, damned lies and statistics. I wonder when people will learn to doublecheck their data and not jump to the first conclusion they see...
Also, I'm happy to note that Christianity is still declining. To me, that can only be a good thing.
EDIT: I do wonder, will the financial crisis create more christians? I mean, I'm sure the number of alcoholics and junkies are on the rise now, and seeing as that's the primary breeding ground for potential christians, will we see a boost to the flock in a few years?
Last edited by HoreTore; 09-11-2010 at 00:30.
Still maintain that crying on the pitch should warrant a 3 match ban
Re: Christianity Offially on the UP in England and Wales
The Old Testament God is very different from the New Testament God in terms of personality. You might even read the New Testament after the Old and think that they're talking about a completely different God.
"A lamb goes to the slaughter but a man, he knows when to walk away."
Re: Christianity Offially on the UP in England and Wales
The overriding theme in the Old Testament is how God chooses a small, defenceless people and leads them out of slavery, provides for them in the wilderness, and gives them a bright and prosperous future in the 'Promised Land'.
On the other hand, the much more apocalyptic viewpoint of the New Testament is based around the idea that God is going to completely destroy the earth and all its inhabitants.
The God of the Old Testament is really not more brutal than that of the New.
Last edited by Rhyfelwyr; 09-10-2010 at 22:35.
At the end of the day politics is just trash compared to the Gospel.
Re: Christianity Offially on the UP in England and Wales
You probably understand it better than I do seeming your a practising Christian but I always thought the general theme was that OT God smited those on a regular basis who disobeyed him whilst the NT God is more "do what you like, just remember your going to hell for it".
Guess that has something to do with the OT God intervening directly in our world and the NT God working through Jesus though.
Last edited by tibilicus; 09-11-2010 at 03:00.
"A lamb goes to the slaughter but a man, he knows when to walk away."
Re: Christianity Offially on the UP in England and Wales
Are we editing out how God's chosen systematically slaughtered others near and far in the Old Testament with God's help?
An enemy that wishes to die for their country is the best sort to face - you both have the same aim in mind.
Science flies you to the moon, religion flies you into buildings.
"If you can't trust the local kleptocrat whom you installed by force and prop up with billions of annual dollars, who can you trust?" Lemur
If you're not a liberal when you're 25, you have no heart. If you're not a conservative by the time you're 35, you have no brain.
The best argument against democracy is a five minute talk with the average voter. Winston Churchill
Re: Christianity Offially on the UP in England and Wales
I like Numbers 31, where they committed genocide, leaving only the virgin young females, which they took for themselves. Even conducted Human Sacrifice as well.Are we editing out how God's chosen systematically slaughtered others near and far in the Old Testament with God's help?
Days since the Apocalypse began
"We are living in space-age times but there's too many of us thinking with stone-age minds" | How to spot a Humanist
"Men of Quality do not fear Equality." | "Belief doesn't change facts. Facts, if you are reasonable, should change your beliefs."
Re: Christianity Offially on the UP in England and Wales
Of course not, I was just pointing to examples of God being 'nice' in the OT. Also remember despite the perception below:Are we editing out how God's chosen systematically slaughtered others near and far in the Old Testament with God's help?
God doesn't intervene directly in much of the OT. Indeed the God felt the Israelites were becoming too confident in their own abilities to win the conflict, and that's why he told Gideon to purge his army before they fought the Midianites. When God did intervene directly, it was stuff like parting the Red Sea or the Jordan River, or providig manna to eat etc.
At the end of the day politics is just trash compared to the Gospel.
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