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ribozyme
Guest
I guess poverty reduction is a potent strategy for secularism. Another excellent reason what we should seriously focus on poverty reduction.
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KingAlfred
Guest
Definitely. I blame it partially on Western Europe’s socialism. Another factor has been post-modernism, especially in light of WWII. The 20th Century was so destructive and brutal, many younger generations of Western Europeans simply quit believing in God. It’s a scary scenario when one reflects on the large number of Muslims that keeps immigrating to Europe.
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scapularkid8
Guest
…it really isn’t that scary. Come on. Islam is not as commonplace in Europe as many Americans would like to believe. In fact, just recently (within the past year) the Spanish city of Córdoba just allowed the first construction of a Mosque sine the Ummayad Caliphate and the Reconquista…That’s a very long time for a supposedly religiously plural and PC/EU nation to allow Muslims to pray in community in the city that was their largest ever influenced in Europe in the past.
Most Spaniards my age who I’ve talked to about Islam say that their parents have forbidden them to become Muslim. They say their parents don’t really care what religion they are (indifference) as long as they don’t become Muslim. Most of Spanish society, it seems from what I’ve heard, still looks poorly on the religion for “taking” their country from them for centuries.
I’m not sure how this relates to their religious indifference though. It seems polar opposite.
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Cuddy_Duck
Guest
Io parlo italiano fluentemente. 10 anni vivendo li’. Milano, Bergamo e Pisa.
Nihongo mo shaberu. Kotoba wa kirei desu ne?
nan kangae te no?
Che pensi tu?
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Kaninchen
Guest
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santodomingo
Guest
Having lived 11 years in Spain, married to a spaniard, I think I am qualified to speak on this issue. It´s true that the Catholic Church gets a lot of flack over her support for Franco during the Civil War of 1936-´39. Nowadays Franco´s regime is extremely politically incorrect. All our politicians flee from any association with the regime. However, if anybody cares to study Spanish history, it´s easy to see that the alternative was far worse; a Soviet-style dictatorship, bent on the anihilation of the Catholic Church. Thank God Franco won the war, or we would have had TWO iron curtains in Europe!! What else could the CC have done?
Don´t judge history from your present-day persective. Sure, nobody likes a dictatorship, but compared to the communist dictatorships of the time, Franco´s was a party!!
As far as atheism goes, in Spain there are almost no self-delcared atheists. If you question someone who calls him/herself a catholic, you may discover they don´t even know if they believe in God, they think Jesus is just a myth, they despise the CC, they have never read the Bible, they haven´t been to mass in years, etc. BUT THEY STILL CALL THEMSELVES CATHOLICS!!
There is a cultural inertia that for people of other countries is hard to understand. I still find it bewildering, and I´ve been here for 11 years! Being Spanish is identified in people´s sub-conscious with being catholic. In some ways this is good. But I feel it´s now doing more harm than good, because there is the false idea that if you´re baptised a catholic you can cruise through life living in sin, without so much as stepping inside a church or praying a single Hail Mary.
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ribozyme
Guest
Boku wa baka desu. Nihongo wa ore ga shaberu dekinai.
Answer to second question:
Hai!
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ribozyme
Guest
The characters in Pokémon are also secular and irreligious. They do not practice religion in any aspect of their life. Of course, there are a few exceptions that relate to Eastern religion.
I think secularism is spearding to children.
I think secularism is spearding to children.
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Kaninchen
Guest
The assumption that the Republic would have become a communist dictatorship is just an assumption - part of the rhetoric and rationalization of the fascists then and since, of course, but just an assumption. Certainly, from the moment that the Franco insurrection began, it was inevitable that the communists would dominate because of the need for practical support.
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Dempsey1919
Guest
I’m English, so I’ll be able to tell you about the situation in Britain, but I don’t know what it’s like in the rest of Europe.
In my part of the country, about 90% of people would identify themselves as Christian but I would estimate that only 2% of those people actually go to Church or even read the Bible. Christianity has become more of a cultural thing for most people. I’m 21, and I don’t know any other Catholics who are even close to my age, although I do see the odd few now and again at Mass, but they don’t attend regularly. Most young people have never read the Bible, and don’t even know the basic tenets of Christianity; but they still call themselves Christian if asked.
People who are religious are seen as seen as eccentric or wierd. I can’t speak for the rest of the country but that’s how it is in my city. When I was a kid, I got bullied because I went to Church and older kids started calling me a “Bible Basher,” they even ridiculed me because I was a Catholic and not Protestant. This is why I stopped going to Church when I was a kid.
There are youth ministries at Colleges and Universities but I never knew about them until I went looking. I attended the Catholic Chaplaincy a few times but they weren’t very orthodox in their views; they had gay pride flags up on the wall and they disagreed with Church teaching regarding sexuality and contraception. In my opinion, they diluted the Church teaching in an attempt to make it more appealing to young people, but I wanted solid, orthodox Catholicism. I stopped going because, ironically, I found it damaging to my faith.
That’s my opinion on the state of the Church in England. Some may disagree but these opinions are based on my personal experience.
In my part of the country, about 90% of people would identify themselves as Christian but I would estimate that only 2% of those people actually go to Church or even read the Bible. Christianity has become more of a cultural thing for most people. I’m 21, and I don’t know any other Catholics who are even close to my age, although I do see the odd few now and again at Mass, but they don’t attend regularly. Most young people have never read the Bible, and don’t even know the basic tenets of Christianity; but they still call themselves Christian if asked.
People who are religious are seen as seen as eccentric or wierd. I can’t speak for the rest of the country but that’s how it is in my city. When I was a kid, I got bullied because I went to Church and older kids started calling me a “Bible Basher,” they even ridiculed me because I was a Catholic and not Protestant. This is why I stopped going to Church when I was a kid.
There are youth ministries at Colleges and Universities but I never knew about them until I went looking. I attended the Catholic Chaplaincy a few times but they weren’t very orthodox in their views; they had gay pride flags up on the wall and they disagreed with Church teaching regarding sexuality and contraception. In my opinion, they diluted the Church teaching in an attempt to make it more appealing to young people, but I wanted solid, orthodox Catholicism. I stopped going because, ironically, I found it damaging to my faith.
That’s my opinion on the state of the Church in England. Some may disagree but these opinions are based on my personal experience.
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Marc_Aupiais
Guest
The stats say 30% not 5%, on church documents. In JHB we have 10%. We are still under mild persecution from those who abused Apartheid, Europe is largely Catholic- remember- the Russian republics were banned from religion. Europe is not lost, and there is the idea of being Catholic- those who think- not Muslim, would likely say Christian.
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santodomingo
Guest
Hello Dempsey,
Nice to hear from someone in the UK!! Where in Britain are you? It sounds dismal, wherever you are! We were in Newark, England last Summer visiting my mother and it didn´t seem that bad. Admittedly Britain is a post-christian country, yet those who persevere have a genuine faith that is perhaps harder to find elsewhere. In mass I saw plenty of young people, young families with children, people of all nationalities and backgrounds; a really CATHOLIC church! I was also struck by people´s devotion; the church was packed for the Holy Rosary half an hour before every mass. The parish priest was polish! No comment.
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Marc_Aupiais
Guest
A 
divided empire will fall- Jesus of Nazareth- on the Devil not casting out demons- 
Sadly, where there are such disruptive forces within the church in a nation, it is these very things that cause it’s destruction- those fronting non-catholic, or anti-orthodox views- have destroyed almost entirely the church in Britain- it is such people, God will more than harshly annihilate after life- You cannot hold to a religion, and then openly appose it- such makes one look more than foolish. Where the church is Orthodox, the church is large- where confession and piety are encouraged- she is huge- where bishops appose history, the papacy, and right mind and morals in utter scandal- they betray Christ and their flock, who turns away from them, and from Christ for their hypocracy- Whenever I see this in the church- I pray for God to remove such people from power, for one word within will drive us away- when a thousand with threat of death apart, will not.
Such liberalism in clergy has debunked much of the credibility of the local church and of the imprimatur in many countries. There is little hope for those who betray Christ, either for acceptance or for numbers, or ideology. Till death resist- St Paul Hebrews, for there is no hope for those who abuse the church… So far as we are to call her saving. 
divided empire will fall- Jesus of Nazareth- on the Devil not casting out demons- Sadly, where there are such disruptive forces within the church in a nation, it is these very things that cause it’s destruction- those fronting non-catholic, or anti-orthodox views- have destroyed almost entirely the church in Britain- it is such people, God will more than harshly annihilate after life- You cannot hold to a religion, and then openly appose it- such makes one look more than foolish. Where the church is Orthodox, the church is large- where confession and piety are encouraged- she is huge- where bishops appose history, the papacy, and right mind and morals in utter scandal- they betray Christ and their flock, who turns away from them, and from Christ for their hypocracy- Whenever I see this in the church- I pray for God to remove such people from power, for one word within will drive us away- when a thousand with threat of death apart, will not.
Such liberalism in clergy has debunked much of the credibility of the local church and of the imprimatur in many countries. There is little hope for those who betray Christ, either for acceptance or for numbers, or ideology. Till death resist- St Paul Hebrews, for there is no hope for those who abuse the church… So far as we are to call her saving.
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Cuddy_Duck
Guest
Creepy:bigyikes:
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Marc_Aupiais
Guest
Thanks, but I assure you it is correct, as it is, it is very based on theological knowledge- and on the previous post about support of homosexuality within the church, as linked with the fact that the British church has repeatedly ignored, or rebuffed the Vatican. I hope God knows your heart, I certainly will ignore your posts.
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KingAlfred
Guest
I sure hope you’re right.
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edwest2
Guest
A few words from Pope Benedict:
iht.com/articles/ap/2007/11/30/europe/EU-GEN-Vatican-Encyclical.php
God bless,
Ed
iht.com/articles/ap/2007/11/30/europe/EU-GEN-Vatican-Encyclical.php
God bless,
Ed
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Cuddy_Duck
Guest
Knock yourself out.:coffeeread:
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