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Original poster

Cameron on Christianity

38 replies

tuffie · 18/12/2011 16:16

Good to see David Cameron is recommending a return to Christian values. I certainly don't agree with a lot of his policies ,but nice to hear him have the courage to say this.

OP posts:
DandyDan · 19/12/2011 08:29

I don't see how Cameron can call for any "return to Christian values" when his govt is doing their best to lay the burden of the deficit on the vulnerable and creating at least 100,000 more children in poverty. Or when his govt serves Mammon by allowing for the wealthiest to become wealthier and only penalising and blaming the poor for being poor. His govt is profoundly unChristian in its attitudes: how are the old, the sick, the children, the unemployed being cared for by his govt? With contempt.

He should not be allowed to hijack the notion of Christian values any more than Mrs T did when she obnoxiously uttered that quotation from St Francis of Assisi.

faeriefruitcake · 19/12/2011 13:36

I don't think Cameron has a full and detailed understanding of the finer points of any faith least of all Christianity.

HedleyLamarr · 19/12/2011 16:08

So, he wants this country to return to xian values. In which case, why is he ripping away support for the poorest? How is that christian? When will he ask the banks, amongst the others who caused this recession, to act in a "christian" manner instead of blaming us for the problems they created.

nikos · 19/12/2011 19:09

Yes, when he takes all he has and gives it to the poor I might listen to his talk of Christian values.

Original poster
tuffie · 20/12/2011 19:54

Only just managed to return to thread.
I didn't mean in any way to imply that one has to believe in God to know right from wrong. Of course that is ludicrous. But it IS possible to believe in, and follow Christ's teaching - love thy neighbour, do unto others etc etc, without believing in God ( Christian Humanists do just that). I believe that Christian principles are usually cited not because Christians believe they have a monopoly on doing right, but because as a traditionally Christian country more people tend to know what they are rather than say the teachings of Buddha.
No offence to anybody was intended.....

OP posts:
slug · 21/12/2011 16:31

Am looking forward to Gideon "rendering unto Caesar that which is Caesar's"

No more of that tax avoidance Gid

NotADudeExactly · 21/12/2011 17:21

Actually, having thought about this a bit more I'm guessing he must be referring to the bit where Jesus says that the poor will always be among us. And he's intending to make absolutely certain that Jesus isn't proven wrong on that one.

Now that makes sense!

LynetteScavo · 26/12/2011 20:00

Christian values

  1. Worship only God
  2. Respect all people
  3. Be humble
  4. Be honest
  5. Live a moral life
  6. Be generous with time and money
  7. Practice what you preach; don't be a hypocrite
  8. Don't be self-righteous
  9. Don't hold a grudge
10. Forgive others

Yes, Mr Cameron, I agree with you, now show us all how it's done (May I refer you to no 7 on the above list)

GrimmaTheNome · 26/12/2011 20:15

The christian church manages to fail massively on (7) often enough that I don't really think it qualifies as a 'christian value'.

Doesn't do to well with quite a lot of the other numbers either come to think.

madangelhairday · 26/12/2011 22:28

Doesn't mean that they are not central values to the Christian faith though Grimma. You know as well as I do that people fail all the time to live in the way Jesus modelled, but that failure doesn't mean that these tenets are not part of what he meant and how he lived - just means that mostly we're pretty crap at being like him, unfortunately.

There's many that keep aspiring to such though, and not only Christians - I'd of course say that's because we're all made in the image of God, and therefore all have goodness deep within us. Being Christian doesn't make someone 'better' - simply makes them more aware of the responsibility to act as above, whilst knowing that nothing they do can save them.

But you know all the spiel...Xmas Smile

DC saying all this just makes me feel a little bit sick. Say that to the most vulnerable members of society who are being sacrificed. Christian values? Xmas Hmm

GrimmaTheNome · 27/12/2011 12:18

Yes - but 7 was 'practice what you preach' so we're in a bit of a logical loop here!

HolofernesesHead · 01/01/2012 09:32

I've come very late to this one but Grimma, just wanted to say that the Thessalonians verse you quote isn't so much about the 'workshy', it's about those who thought that the second coming of Jesus was so imminent that there was no need to work. A little bit like all those poor people who sold all their stuff on Harold Xamping's say-so. That's what Paul is writing about, not a general boot up the backside to the people in Thessalonica! :)

GrimmaTheNome · 03/01/2012 09:46

Yes, I knew that was the context for them thinking working wasn't necessary. Smile Its tragicomic, the way some fools fall for the apocalyptic nonsense and forget that nugget of commonsense.

I was just speculating in response to AmberLeaf's question - its one of those verses which gets trotted out as an anti-welfare pose. (Though I probably heard it most from my DM when she wanted help in the kitchen Grin)

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