“The work of God”?

[Two Gun Bob]

Father Ban .. it may just have potential!

 

[Ban-jani]

I don't believe them to be on below average earnings when you factor in all the extras like housing allowances, stipends, bonuses and other benefits. It's a nice life and the work is sweet. And for the sake of argument lets not mention the collection plate : / I have to go now .. Take care pal. Adios

Goodbye Bob, nice to converse with you as always.

 

[Ban-jani]

Father Ban .. it may just have potential!

People don’t want to listen to me, it’ll never catch on.

 

[PannickAtTheDisco]

Father Ban .. it may just have potential!

but does he have a Banfather?

 

[Two Gun Bob]

People don’t want to listen to me, it’ll never catch on.

They'll have no choice...you'll have the power of that collar. If they ask you anything difficult all you have to say is
That would be an ecumenical matter!

 

[Two Gun Bob]

but does he have a Banfather?

In the brexit threads they will name him the Codfather.

 

[sniff]

Not to me he isn’t and nor is he to the 1 billion Protestants around the world and 220 million Eastern Orthodox Christians around the world.

I didn’t say you blamed them for all the bad in the world, I’m just saying criticism of the church for bad, needs to be balanced by the good.

I am glad you see the good done too, I agree that religion generally has a lot to answer for but the bad being done cannot be blamed on the Gospels, the Gospels is anti persecution, anti war, anti hatred, anti discrimination, anti sex crimes, anti murder, anti thieving, anti hypocrisy and many more.

Those committing atrocities as Christians aren’t following the word of the Lord.

That said, the most atheist societies in the 20th century killed many more than any religious atrocities. The USSR was the least Christian country in Europe and we all know how many were killed there, many for their faith.

Humans beings are flawed and it’s our fault, we often make the wrong choices.

Im not really sure there was that many atheist societies if im honest , i cant think of any that spring to mind other than Russia, and they only practiced state based Atheism, it was never illegal.. even so they would have to go a long way to beating the Crusades and the Inquisition alone. Russia cant be really be used as an example as they have had some genuine lunatics in charge based on the way voting is so corrupt in those countries. You cant put all that on atheism when the country is ruled by a dictatorship. Especially the one most remember in Stalin. That guy was just a dick. But he had corrupt power so was untouchable.

Humans are flawed, in every walk of life. We do make the choices, but at what point is the old get out still used ? in effect you can be Joseph Stalin himself, killed million's, But if he gave the old death bed confession, he allowed in to heaven. That is complete and utter bollox really

 

[PannickAtTheDisco]

In the brexit threads they will name him the Codfather.

and in the LGBTQ threads they'll name him the Motherfather.

 

[Ban-jani]

Im not really sure there was that many atheist societies if im honest , i cant think of any that spring to mind other than Russia, and they only practiced state based Atheism, it was never illegal.. even so they would have to go a long way to beating the Crusades and the Inquisition alone. Russia cant be really be used as an example as they have had some genuine lunatics in charge based on the way voting is so corrupt in those countries. You cant put all that on atheism when the country is ruled by a dictatorship. Especially the one most remember in Stalin. That guy was just a dick. But he had corrupt power so was untouchable.

Humans are flawed, in every walk of life. We do make the choices, but at what point is the old get out still used ? in effect you can be Joseph Stalin himself, killed million's, But if he gave the old death bed confession, he allowed in to heaven. That is complete and utter bollox really

It really can be used, this wasn’t just a society that just happened to not be religious, they implemented atheism as an actual policy and it was major part of societal change.

It also was illegal and many Christians were persecuted.

This is from the Wikipedia page:

From 1932 to 1937 Joseph Stalindeclared the 'five-year plans of atheism' and the LMG was charged with completely eliminating all religiousexpression in the country. Many of these same methods and terror tactics were also imposed against others that the regime considered to be its ideological enemies.

If we’re accounting the number killed during the rule of the USSR was a minimum of 15m, directly from the government, although historians believe it could be much much higher, the Spanish Inquisition was between 3,000 and 5,000 executed and the Crusades is relatively unknown due to the obvious, but it’s likely not anywhere near 15m, maybe 10% of that based on Google sources and counting only civilians it’s like 1% of the USSR’s persecution of their own people.

Now, does that mean atheism should get the blame for the USSR? No.

It also doesn’t mean Christianity should get the blame for an individual Pope ordering wars a thousand years ago.

You’ve also got state atheism in Mao’s China:

The People's Republic of China, proclaimed in 1949 under the leadership of Mao Zedong, established a policy of state atheism. Initially, the new government did not suppress religious practice, but, like its dynastic ancestors, viewed popular religious movements, especially in the countryside, as possibly seditious.

And you’ve got Pol Pot too:

The Khmer Rouge actively persecuted Buddhists during their reign from 1975 to 1979. ... 25,000 Buddhist monks were massacred by the regime, which was officially an atheist state. The persecution was undertaken because Pol Pot believed that Buddhism was "a decadent affectation".

Millions killed in both of these too, all within the same century.

Again, this isn’t to attack atheism generally speaking and atheists, as no one on this forum is being led to these things purely from not believing in God, I should know as a former atheist, I didn’t want to kill anyone.

I am merely pointing out that atheism has lead some societies to atrocities, as religious belief has.

So let’s judge each other on our actions as individuals and in more specific groups today, rather than throwing the crusades at modern day Anglicans as a stick to beat their beliefs with.

 

[Le Havre Oswald]

My parents aren’t religious and I went to a state school, where religion was consigned to the odd hymn.

To say that religion wasn’t pushed on me in any way would be an understatement and I was an atheist.

Of you course you have a point but the “and?” Was to say, what difference does that make for the truth?

Because that 'truth' you believe in would change depending on where you live.