England and Wales, formerly Christian countries

[^woody^]

I'm certain you said you were in Brummagen - so it has to be Happy Winterval, surely, or have thevcouncil stopped that nonesense?

It was Unhappy Winterval. Typical PC idea, with bonus money saving dual-use poxy non-specific decorations undercurrent, that worked in the minds of the jobsworths and petty councillors, but just piissed every normal person off.

A win for the plebs, but the city council soon got their own back by stopping public bonfire night bonfires and then fireworks.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Bah humbug?

 

[Odds]

The history of trick-or-treating traces back to Scotland and Ireland, where the tradition of guising, going house to house at Halloween and putting on a small performance to be rewarded with food or treats, goes back at least as far as the 16th century, as does the tradition of people wearing costumes at Halloween

Originally, pre-Christian Irish would lay food and drink outside the barrow's of the Sidhe to appease their unquiet spirits at the dark moon of Samhain. They would build huge fires to ward away the wandering undead who'd walk the earth looking for unwary souls to steal away into the depths of Annwn and wait for the dawn when all would be well once more in their world of the living.

Have we really been a Christian country at all?

Look around some of the older churches and you'll see glimpses of a pagan past when the two faiths lingered side by side.
You can find more information @The Sheela na Gig Project - There's a fine example just down the road on Haddon Hall, and many more crop up all over the country. Many churches are also built near, or even over, a source of running water as a means of asserting the authority of the new faith over the old...still, we maintain the tradition on All Hallows Eve - just in case.

 

[JP_]

Have we really been a Christian country at all?

The Christian Church only got popular because they decided to infiltrate and hijack non-Christian festivals and beliefs, then over time make people think they are Christian.

Bunnies and eggs are not Christian, they are fertility symbols, birth of new life, Spring etc. Most people celebrate Easter with chocolate bunnies and Easter eggs. A few sing songs in a church.

Midwinter feasting, giving of presents, bringing trees into the house and decorating, are not things Jesus ever did. But we now consider this Christmas. just because you can go to mass and sing about Jesus at the same time of year.

We still do All Hallow's Eve, which derives from Samhain, the end of the harvest season. Thus the pumpkin surplus. The Church even tried to hijack that making it about Saints or something. Bit like Harvest Festival that is still preached about in primary schools - I've always found it odd that the school would invite a local clergy in to talk about Jesus for Harvest Festival, when it would be a great opportunity to teach kids about where food comes from, and getting more kids interested in farming, by instead inviting local farmers in.

The church has infiltrated our society over the last 1300 years, and today, few people question this. The same is probably true of all religions.

Remember, don't open your door to vampires, they'll suck you dry and take over your mind.

 

[Odds]

The Catholic Church became prevalent throughout Europe by continuing the Roman Empire's policy of destroying Sacred Groves where blood sacrifice remained and advocating a One God paradigm to bring an afterlife for all who joined in the Faith. They brought hope for the poor, fed them, clothed them and healed them. The Church brought a new level of understanding for Humanity that may, in turn, be superseded.
Humanism, perhaps.
Maybe Erasmus was right all along.

 

[JP_]

They brought hope for the poor, fed them, clothed them and healed them.

The church must be magical, to be able to both raise huge funds and heal people at the same time.
Maybe the church should run the NHS.

 

[Odds]

The church must be magical, to be able to both raise huge funds and heal people at the same time.
Maybe the church should run the NHS.

I was referencing the origins of the Church, not the nest of vipers it's become. Mammon, however, had other plans for its good intentions.
St. James advocated a Church of the poor for the benefit of the poor, relying on alms and charity for its subsistence. St. Paul disagreed and went to Rome...the rest is history.
And yes, it is magical. The Transubstantiation is evidence for that.

 

[JP_]

The church probably had good intentions at some point, but you only need to look at the lavish lifestyles of its leaders and grand and sometimes gold decorations of its buildings to know that they money went to the wrong places. Tithe was a 10% tax on everything earned, I am not sure the average person found that a good investment.

Where are all the sick people being healed? Hmmmm....

 

[Odds]

Nice pic. I feel better for seeing all that fine craftsmanship. Healing of the Spirit is as important as the body, dont'cha know. There's medical evidence to support the contention that mental illness can lead to physical malady.

And the early Church founded hospitals, a caste of Knights, and researched ways to improve medicaments from old lore using plant, root and herb. Roger Bacon was an early pioneer into using a scientific method within the Scholastic tradition. Alcuin and Abelard, Johannes Scotus. These men were responsible for helping our understanding of the natural world.

I'm sure you can find another gaudy illustration of the vast wealth accumulated by the Church over the centuries but billions of people rely upon their work each day to help those less fortunate than you or i, sitting in comfortable houses, warm and snug.

 

[JohnD]

Red silk slppers, gaudy rings, gold ornaments and fine robes do nothing to heal the sick or feed the hungry.

 

[^woody^]

Is anyone dabbling in Saturnalia this December, as promoted by our previous Italian overlords?

It could get a bit lively ..., and even the slaves got the days off!

Saturnalia and The Romans - The Bath Magazine

Georgette McCready takes a look at the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia and finds links with modern-day Christmas festivities – although flamingo for a seasonal meal might be taking things a bit far…

thebathmagazine.co.uk

 

[JP_]

There's medical evidence to support the contention that mental illness can lead to physical malady.

Yes, when the churches accused you of being a non-believer, akin to mental illness in the old days, they'd burn you, drown you, torture you, hang you or flog you till you die. Sometimes you'd even get the comfy chair!

 

[Vinty]

And before.

It is happening at a much greater rate now.

What does that prove.

 

[denso13]

What does that prove.

It proves climate change deniers are idiots...

‘Case closed’: 99.9% of scientists agree climate emergency caused by humans

Trawl of 90,000 studies finds consensus, leading to call for Facebook and Twitter to curb disinformation

www.theguardian.com

Radware Bot Manager Captcha

 

[Odds]

Red silk slppers, gaudy rings, gold ornaments and fine robes do nothing to heal the sick or feed the hungry.

Shall we then abolish the Church altogether, as they did in Soviet Russia?
That didn't work so well.
You also advocate the abolition of the Monarchy, a la France, and become a republic, as well as removing the House of Lords to replace it with an elected body of government...
How would that work?