To ask why religion is declining in Britain

[Jackieweaver2024]

Just that really I would be interested to hear everyone’s opinions?

I believe some people become insulting because they’re unable to compose a convincing argument and so they end up embarrassing themselves by becoming belligerent/rude/insulting.

Please compose a convincing argument for the mutilation of new born babies for the sake of your sky daddy, please compose a convincing argument for the denial of contraception to 3rd world countries, please compose a convincing argument for telling gay men and women that they can 'pray the gay away' and the hate they face because of their sin

"Dont believe in my sky fairy then im going to kill all of your population said no secularist country ever"

Yet Nazi Germany took great pains to remove certain religious groups because they believed Nazism and religion were ideologically incompatible.

Check your history.

@AnitaB888 - ha ha ha! I want to promote Islamophobia because I believe schools should be secular? To quote you, "Wow!" You are making a complete fool and bigot of yourself here. You have actually said that people who aren't Christians should not live in nice little villages, but big towns, leaving the villages for good Christian folk who don't want nasty atheists or Hindus spoiling their area with their desire for a broad, factual, secular education for their children and to buy groceries. You are a disgrace quite frankly.

So in your mind fascism = secularism? Quite a leap

"Please compose a convincing argument for the mutilation of new born babies for the sake of your sky daddy, please compose a convincing argument for the denial of contraception to 3rd world countries, please compose a convincing argument for telling gay men and women that they can 'pray the gay away' and the hate they face because of their sin"

^Neonatal circumcision has long been debated (I presume that is what you are talking about)
Opponents of male circumcision argue that the procedure constitutes genital mutilation performed with parental consent but not the infant’s assent and recommend that male circumcision be delayed until 18 years of age when the man can provide individual informed consent to the procedure. However, parents provide consent for preventive procedures such as immunization including hepatitis B vaccination, acting in the best interests of their children. UNAIDS recommends providing information on risks and benefits of early infant neonatal male circumcision so parents and guardians can make informed decisions on behalf of their children with the best interests of the child as the primary consideration. Additionally, a ban on neonatal male circumcision denies religious freedoms to Jewish and Muslim parents, which would be potentially unconstitutional.^

'please compose a convincing argument for the denial of contraception to 3rd world countries,'

^Particular challenges about accessing contraception in the developing world include, lack of access due to inadequate number of trained providers, fewer method options, and lack of contraceptive supplies.
These factors are a failure of logistics and are not linked to religion.^

"please compose a convincing argument for telling gay men and women that they can 'pray the gay away' and the hate they face because of their sin"

I know of no religion that has this viewpoint - please enlighten me.

@JustAnotherPoster00 - apparently I'm spreading Islamophobia by wanting schools to be secular too. And discriminating against Christians by wanting to deny them the choice of sending their child to s church school. Of course it's not discrimination to only have church schools available in many villages and smaller towns because only Christians should be able to live there. Goodness, who'd want to be like @AnitaB888? She gets to pretend to be morally superior though because she's in the God club.

"You have actually said that people who aren't Christians should not live in nice little villages,"

I never said that at all. Please read my reply again.

"You are making a complete fool and bigot of yourself here"

and that bothers you because.....?

Yet Nazi Germany took great pains to remove certain religious groups.

Nobody on this thread is wanting to remove religious groups. Comparing us with Nazis is ridiculous and offensive.

Besides, secularisation of the state is pretty normal. Or are you suggesting that this huge list of secular states are all ruled by Nazis? world map with secular states in green

@AnitaB888

"Please compose a convincing argument for the mutilation of new born babies for the sake of your sky daddy, please compose a convincing argument for the denial of contraception to 3rd world countries, please compose a convincing argument for telling gay men and women that they can 'pray the gay away' and the hate they face because of their sin"

^Neonatal circumcision has long been debated (I presume that is what you are talking about)
Opponents of male circumcision argue that the procedure constitutes genital mutilation performed with parental consent but not the infant’s assent and recommend that male circumcision be delayed until 18 years of age when the man can provide individual informed consent to the procedure. However, parents provide consent for preventive procedures such as immunization including hepatitis B vaccination, acting in the best interests of their children. UNAIDS recommends providing information on risks and benefits of early infant neonatal male circumcision so parents and guardians can make informed decisions on behalf of their children with the best interests of the child as the primary consideration. Additionally, a ban on neonatal male circumcision denies religious freedoms to Jewish and Muslim parents, which would be potentially unconstitutional.^

'please compose a convincing argument for the denial of contraception to 3rd world countries,'

^Particular challenges about accessing contraception in the developing world include, lack of access due to inadequate number of trained providers, fewer method options, and lack of contraceptive supplies.
These factors are a failure of logistics and are not linked to religion.^

"please compose a convincing argument for telling gay men and women that they can 'pray the gay away' and the hate they face because of their sin"

I know of no religion that has this viewpoint - please enlighten me.

Ah well done @AnitaB888, you can use Google. Maybe use it to enlighten yourself about the wicked practices and hate towards gay people by your church. You seem to know alarmingly little about it yet have so much to say. Waffle, twaddle and nonsense the lot of it.

"She gets to pretend to be morally superior though because she's in the God club."

Oh, more insults I see.
When all else fails and you don't have a convincing argument then attack the poster - very erudite.

So which 'God club' do you have a problem with ? There are several.

Let's face facts.
In rural areas often the only Primary school you'll get is a C of E one. If you don't like that then don't live in a village.

You literally did say it, though.

I do have a 'convincing argument', it's you that's failing on that.

So which 'God club' do you have a problem with ? There are several

Erm, surely you believe there is only one God? Or did you not know that about your religion either?

'you can use Google.
Maybe use it to enlighten yourself about the wicked practices and hate towards gay people by your church. '

As you don't know what church I belong to you cannot claim to know what 'my church' promotes. You are making assumptions based on your own biases.

'Waffle, twaddle and nonsense the lot of it.'

If that's what you think why are you even here on this thread throwing verbal brickbats at me?
Something about what I post my be getting under your skin otherwise why not disengage?

[quote BrumBoo]@CherryRoulade

So you accept that it 'evolved' from a pagan belief to a Christian one, yet cannot accept its now 'evolving' into an athiest/sociological celebration. Its ok for the Christians to hijack it, but very rude for anyone else to continue to change it's meaning for their own wants? Right.[/quote]
Not at all. It isn’t evolution though. The Christian fast continues across the globe, doesn’t it?

If you want it to create something else, change the name. Make it something different. Using Easter, the biggest Christian feast on the planet as simply a chocolate fest is slightly offensive to the third of the world who are Christians. Move it a few days, call it something else, dance around trees.

I appreciate when someone disagrees with me and provides quality feedback about something I’ve written, what I find unworthy are comments from those who lower themselves from intelligent debaters to hecklers.

I don't particularly care what yiu appreciate ir find unworthy. I said your argument was batshit (i.e. crazy) because it was. I didn't say you were batshit. The use of one term you don't like does not alter the logic of my comments.

Besides, I'm a little baffled as to how you can criticise others for being insulting rather than engaging in reasonable debate when you are comparing people to Nazis for wanting a secular state (which much of the world has).

If you belong to a church, you are a Christian.

"Church, in Christian doctrine, the Christian religious community as a whole, or a body or organization of Christian believers"

Good grief. I can't work out if you're just on the wind up now or if you really are just woefully ill informed or willfully ignorant.

"Erm, surely you believe there is only one God?"

What makes you assume I belong to a monodeistic religion?

@CherryRoulade

If you want it to create something else, change the name. Make it something different. Using Easter, the biggest Christian feast on the planet as simply a chocolate fest is slightly offensive to the third of the world who are Christians. Move it a few days, call it something else, dance around trees

That was what Celts originally did, though. The Christians hijacked it, moved it a few days, called it something else...see where I'm going with this?
What you're suggesting is that it's fine for Christians to do this but not anyone else. Because it's been appropriated as a Christian festival that should be respected by everybody and is sacrosanct. You're against people now doing what the Christians did centuries ago. Yet more hypocrisy within in the church.

Many people today understand "the church" as a building. This is not a biblical understanding of the church. The word “church” is a translation of the Greek word ekklesia, which is defined as “an assembly” or “called-out ones.” The root meaning of church is not that of a building, but of people. It is ironic that when you ask people what church they attend, they usually identify a building

@CherryRoulade

Firstly you know 'evolution' in the Christian sense was to steal from, then attack and kill anyone who wouldn't change their dirty pagan ways to the good and wholesome Christian one? Or in the third world you mentioned where those good old white missionaries gave the poor these celebrations by denying food and help until they accepted Jesus.

If you want it to create something else, change the name

Why didn't/doesn't Christianity change the name of Easter, since they stole it to begin with?

@AnitaB888

Many people today understand "the church" as a building. This is not a biblical understanding of the church. The word “church” is a translation of the Greek word ekklesia, which is defined as “an assembly” or “called-out ones.” The root meaning of church is not that of a building, but of people. It is ironic that when you ask people what church they attend, they usually identify a building

Yep, as I mentioned a couple of threads above yours. But thanks.

"Clutching. At. Straws.
I'm really cringing for you. Thoughts and prayers."

I am at a loss to understand this comment, I really am.

I'm not sure there's much point in engaging further with this poster. Anyone who thinks that secular states are fascist/Nazi, that people shouldn't live in villages if they aren't Christians, denies the Christian church's past (and in some cases present) attitudes towards gay people, and generally displays very patchy and selective knowledge about their own religion, is not really worth continuing to argue with imo. I'm out (because I've been defeated by @AnitaB888's stunning rhetoric, obvs).

@lazylinguist

I'm not sure there's much point in engaging further with this poster. Anyone who thinks that secular states are fascist/Nazi, that people shouldn't live in villages if they aren't Christians, denies the Christian church's past (and in some cases present) attitudes towards gay people, and generally displays very patchy and selective knowledge about their own religion, is not really worth continuing to argue with imo. I'm out (because I've been defeated by *@AnitaB888*'s stunning rhetoric, obvs).

Amen to that!

Let's all bash Anita!

Addressing the non-believing community - what is it actually that you're afraid of? That there just might be a God?

How was the world created?
A big bang which magically brought life to the world??

The order and complexity points to a creator.

I don't need to prove there is a God as I have had the experiences, so therefore I know of His existence.

I just want you to prove there is no God.