It's funny to see England and religion in the same paragraph.  Religion just isn't talked about here.  God knows what planet Cameron was on.

 winter wrote: 
Never mind that whole Church of England is the state-established religion thing.  I know, they don't pay it much mind anymore... still, it's there.

I never intended my post as any sort of insult to you, but I'll try to be more careful about my links to news stories in future now that I'm aware of your sensitivity. 

 arighter2 wrote: 



I'm not on a crusade. But I'm not convinced that a nation is defined by history, tradition, or law. Britain is no more inherently Christian than France or the US. And yes, I feel the slap of it here on the far side of the globe because there is no justification for saying that as an atheist I am less of a citizen, less of a patriot, less a member of society than anyone else. So to hear someone (especially a friend) take the position that it may be offensive but it's true nonetheless bothers me, frankly.

 oldslabsides wrote:  Never get in the way of a man on a crusade.

 winter wrote: 
I'm not saying I think it's a good idea - I don't.  I'm saying that it is the reality.

But, well... schlabby's wrong again.  He should know to just stfu by now.   Never mind.

 mzpro5 wrote: 



Gotcha. Same problem here. ;)

 winter wrote: 



Yes it's the limitation of the iPad, I was just kidding.

 mzpro5 wrote: 



I am going to assume you forgot to put the appropriate smiley after that.

 winter wrote: 



The fact that you are an atheist automatically makes you immoral.

 winter wrote: 



Not me I'm only 60. :)

 islander wrote: 



I agree.

My atheism makes me no more or less moral than anyone of any other belief.

 mzpro5 wrote: 



300 years ago we were British subjects over here. ;)

 oldslabsides wrote: 

Legally we are, practically we are not if that makes sense.  For example the queen is head of state and head of the church of england, however whilst all the political leaders do the formal stuff like church at christmas they dont't talk religion.  Actually the labour leader is an aetheist and it is a non-issue here as it doesn't play as a voting for him or not matter.

and loads of what Cameron says is twaddle, pity us.

 oldslabsides wrote: 



History shmistory. The US is historically a white nation, by that logic. And it's no less offensive to say so than it is to blather about being a Christian nation. Cameron isn't giving a history lesson, he's advocating for Christianity.

 oldslabsides wrote: 
From the article:
"But what I am saying is that the Bible has helped to give Britain a set of values and morals which make Britain what it is today."
 

It really bugs me when people say crap like this. Sure maybe the bible enumerates some of these things. But morals and values come from people, not from words in a book. It's not like we wouldn't have morals and values without the bible. If you want to base your beliefs on a book, that's all well and good, but I don't need some ancient text (that's been transcribed by people with an agenda for a few hundred years) to tell me to be nice to the neighbors.

 winter wrote: 



Didn't you guys fight a civil war partly over that subject 300+ years ago?

 winter wrote: 
Oh, I agree.  What I'm saying is that historically, England is a lot closer to being an officially "Christian nation" than not - I think that's the PM's position.

 oldslabsides wrote: 



Disagree. To pick one religion over the others as the nation's "real" faith is to call non-adherents second-class citizens.

sadly, he's probably correct in saying so.  certainly far moreso than when some claim America is one, anyway.

Someone posted this on my forum. I think it's kinda cool.

The Egg
By: Andy Weir
http://www.galactanet.com/oneoff/theegg_mod.html

You were on your way home when you died.
It was a car accident. Nothing particularly remarkable, but fatal nonetheless. You left behind a wife and two children. It was a painless death. The EMTs tried their best to save you, but to no avail. Your body was so utterly shattered you were better off, trust me.
And that's when you met me.
"What... what happened?" You asked. "Where am I?"
"You died," I said, matter-of-factly. No point in mincing words.
"There was a... a truck and it was skidding..."
"Yup," I said.
"I... I died?"
"Yup. But don't feel bad about it. Everyone dies," I said.
You looked around. There was nothingness. Just you and me. "What is this place?" You asked. "Is this the afterlife?"
"More or less," I said.
"Are you god?" You asked.
"Yup," I replied. "I'm God."
"My kids... my wife," you said.
"What about them?"
"Will they be all right?"
"That's what I like to see," I said. "You just died and your main concern is for your family. That's good stuff right there."
You looked at me with fascination. To you, I didn't look like God. I just looked like some man. Or possibly a woman. Some vague authority figure, maybe. More of a grammar school teacher than the almighty.
"Don't worry," I said. "They'll be fine. Your kids will remember you as perfect in every way. They didn't have time to grow contempt for you. Your wife will cry on the outside, but will be secretly relieved. To be fair, your marriage was falling apart. If it's any consolation, she'll feel very guilty for feeling relieved."
"Oh," you said. "So what happens now? Do I go to heaven or hell or something?"
"Neither," I said. "You'll be reincarnated."
"Ah," you said. "So the Hindus were right,"
"All religions are right in their own way," I said. "Walk with me."
You followed along as we strode through the void. "Where are we going?"
"Nowhere in particular," I said. "It's just nice to walk while we talk."
"So what's the point, then?" You asked. "When I get reborn, I'll just be a blank slate, right? A baby. So all my experiences and everything I did in this life won't matter."
"Not so!" I said. "You have within you all the knowledge and experiences of all your past lives. You just don't remember them right now."
I stopped walking and took you by the shoulders. "Your soul is more magnificent, beautiful, and gigantic than you can possibly imagine. A human mind can only contain a tiny fraction of what you are. It's like sticking your finger in a glass of water to see if it's hot or cold. You put a tiny part of yourself into the vessel, and when you bring it back out, you've gained all the experiences it had.
"You've been in a human for the last 48 years, so you haven't stretched out yet and felt the rest of your immense consciousness. If we hung out here for long enough, you'd start remembering everything. But there's no point to doing that between each life."
"How many times have I been reincarnated, then?"
"Oh lots. Lots and lots. An in to lots of different lives." I said. "This time around, you'll be a Chinese peasant girl in 540 AD."
"Wait, what?" You stammered. "You're sending me back in time?"
"Well, I guess technically. Time, as you know it, only exists in your universe. Things are different where I come from."
"Where you come from?" You said.
"Oh sure," I explained "I come from somewhere. Somewhere else. And there are others like me. I know you'll want to know what it's like there, but honestly you wouldn't understand."
"Oh," you said, a little let down. "But wait. If I get reincarnated to other places in time, I could have interacted with myself at some point."
"Sure. Happens all the time. And with both lives only aware of their own lifespan you don't even know it's happening."
"So what's the point of it all?"
"Seriously?" I asked. "Seriously? You're asking me for the meaning of life? Isn't that a little stereotypical?"
"Well it's a reasonable question," you persisted.
I looked you in the eye. "The meaning of life, the reason I made this whole universe, is for you to mature."
"You mean mankind? You want us to mature?"
"No, just you. I made this whole universe for you. With each new life you grow and mature and become a larger and greater intellect."
"Just me? What about everyone else?"
"There is no one else," I said. "In this universe, there's just you and me."
You stared blankly at me. "But all the people on earth..."
"All you. Different incarnations of you."
"Wait. I'm everyone!?"
"Now you're getting it," I said, with a congratulatory slap on the back.
"I'm every human being who ever lived?"
"Or who will ever live, yes."
"I'm Abraham Lincoln?"
"And you're John Wilkes Booth, too," I added.
"I'm Hitler?" You said, appalled.
"And you're the millions he killed."
"I'm Jesus?"
"And you're everyone who followed him."
You fell silent.
"Every time you victimized someone," I said, "you were victimizing yourself. Every act of kindness you've done, you've done to yourself. Every happy and sad moment ever experienced by any human was, or will be, experienced by you."
You thought for a long time.
"Why?" You asked me. "Why do all this?"
"Because someday, you will become like me. Because that's what you are. You're one of my kind. You're my child."
"Whoa," you said, incredulous. "You mean I'm a god?"
"No. Not yet. You're a fetus. You're still growing. Once you've lived every human life throughout all time, you will have grown enough to be born."
"So the whole universe," you said, "it's just..."
"An egg." I answered. "Now it's time for you to move on to your next life."
And I sent you on your way.