to be really irritated with comments like this

[Leati]

The other day I started a thread about gun policy in the US. I am from the US but agree with alot of you ladies about the US gun policy being to relaxes. One of the ladies suggested that we should change the law. I tried to explain that the law was protected by the United States constitution and therefor it was not very easy to change. Then someone who had not been part of conversation up until that point get on and starts writing outragously insulting comments

Copied from comments of previous

Of course the Americans want guns. They are a huge country with lots of space, animals, wilderness much much less sophisticated and indeed behind the times than the UK and most of Europe with their history of cow boys and some very simple people living there. Obviously they therefore hang on to their guns. Our police can police the 60m people here in the UK without guns on the whole and as there are few guns to be had we have fewer deaths and murders. This is one reason most of us choose to stay in the UK rather than move to the US.

and then the user writes this

Americans are often simple people a bit behind Europe, of course they are. You'll catch up eventually but you even have the death penalty. You and China... we despair over here and so many believing the planet is 6000 years old only. It's a kind of simpleness which in some ways is quite sweet but you've a long way to go to be in the same advanced mindset of most Europeans.

I just have to ask...where does she come up with this crap

bom-i think was broad religions and then the different denominations fall within the religions-there are lots of different types of muslim too aren't there? sufi, shiite etc?

oh I see, yes that is true (memories of not knowing what to say in the confessional box come flooding back)

lol 'Atheists confess directly to their mothers'

Hi Leati - sorry I'm coming a bit late to this thread. I think partly to understand the rest of the world's view you have to do some serious reading. Naomi Klein and Noam Chomsky are a good place to start. They discuss the way the USA is perceived abroad and why, covering US foreign policy, US corporations, the actions of the US military etc etc. If reading Chomsky have a box of tissues with you because som of it is heartbreaking.

Personally, I know (honest!) that there are a huge amount of wonderful intelligent people in the US but I think the fact that I was born in England I can only see the US through the eyes of my own culture. I can't understand how a civilised country can still have the death penalty, think it's OK to go invading other countries, legally class a coporation as a 'person' or elect a man like Bush as president.

On the up side, it's great that California is leading the way to some extent regarding climate change so keep up the good work

Bob - I shouldn't be here - tell me to go get ready

" catholics do believe you communicate directly with God too - the Pope is the head of the church"

As for anglicans is the queen

TBH I don't know what I do preffer if having a pope who is the religious equivalent of George Bush, or a high class woman, and her family, who have never experienced the realities of living the average person life and is in that position because God wanted it that way.

I'm fast moving forward to become an independant christian I suppose. Although I very much respect the archbishop of Canterbury and York.

I am sure there are different versions of most of them.

archobishops

Gibbon, get lost and get ready

I need to go too........DD1 nagging. Must go and be a better mummy

Bye everyone, interesting and civilised discussion- lovely

but comparing the queen and the pope is mad though isn't it? nobody suggests that the queen is infallible and has direct line from st peter etc etc. i think it's more of an administartive role pmsl! i can't believe i'm havng this discussio on a saturday morning!

MMJ - There are different denominations in most religions aren't there? - I know DH is a Buddhist and there are lots of different types of that...

The only thing I'm, comparing is that both seem quite unsuitable leaders for their own particular reasons, and unfortunately both have been "imposed by God" onto us

Ummmmmmmm, I think it's quite possibly just a bit mad to call the pope infallible, as he is still human, but then I am not Catholic so stone me if you will

Am definately going now.

well I don't think the pope is infallible but i do think that is one of the points of catholicism.

edam

I think you are right that it is possible with the vast size of the US to never meet a person with these beliefs. I was just so surprised, to hear this.

Just to clear up on misunderstanding about the US. Religion of any sort is not allowed in school. No prayer or teachings. The only schools that could teach stuff like this are private ones.

I was disappointed with choice of new pope

i think the pope is a mad old bloke who spouts crap from a position that means a lot of people take notice, which unfortunately is very bad for the earth in general.

but the last pope did a lot of good

this one scares me

I think the great majority of catholics don't consider him "unfallible", although there are always some fundamentalists...

Believing that we consider the man unfallible is like assuming that all catholics believe the world was made in seven days.

infallible

no...because that would make you creationists.......

and we come back in a circle!
i have to go now-nice chatting!

Now we have the cycle going lets start again...

What was the origing then?

Oh yes, Adam and Eve...

I also can see why the rest of the world percieves the US so poorly right now. I don't think it right for any country to march to it own tune regardless of all else. Unfortunately, we have the dumbest president ever. If you look at how the majority of Americans feel about our policies they do not coincide with Bush. He just doesn't care what the rest of the country thinks.

Even right after 9/11 the most support the war ever got was a little above fifty percent. And that was with the country being told lies about Iraq hiding terrorist and having weapons of mass destruction.

(I never supported the war, thought that we didn't give diplomacy a chance)

Okay, I showed the ladies last night my myspace to see my family. Tonight, I will let you have a peek to see all my bush is a dumb-ass stuff. Funny cartoons and videos of him actually talking. Great stuff.

www.myspace.com/carterandleati

Poor Leati. I remember what is was like being a socialist under Thatcher: everywhere you went in the world, people assumed you must love Mrs T. I spent a lot of time explaining that I had never voted for her.