Facebook Follies of Friends and Families

[Eddie Teach]

I think "culturally Western" works just as well.

[crazy canuck]

I think "culturally Western" works just as well.

Perhaps a few decades ago

[Valmy]

Was western culture destroyed a few decades ago?

[Eddie Teach]

Oh, what do you think changed?

[garbon]

Well we do seem to be a bit of an impasse on which way western culture should go.

[The Brain]

We need to discuss "ethnic Hindu".

[Valmy]

Well we do seem to be a bit of an impasse on which way western culture should go.

I suppose. But I think we will be typically celebrating Christmas and typically have Sunday off work and other random Christian stuff associated with our culture for awhile. I mean the future may be uncertain but the cultural roots of the recent past are not.

[alfred russel]

I think "culturally Western" works just as well.

The problem with "culturally Christian" is that it isn't a synonym with "culturally western". First, there have long been non western Christians, but beyond that...Europeans haven't been universally defined by Christianity for centuries. There were significant atheistic/agnostic movements at a minimum as far back as the French Revolution. The socialist / communist movement has also been quite significant. Europe has been divided by Christians and non Christians, with the clear dividing line being at least lip service to Christianity. Robespierre and Marx were clearly European and western, but were opposed to christianity and i don't think can be meaningfully described as "culturally christian".

[Valmy]

You don't have to like Christianity, and certainly not believe in or practice Christianity, to be culturally influenced by it. I think if you went and lived in some country that did not have that background, like Iran or Japan or something, you would notice the little things you take for granted that just aren't there.

[alfred russel]

You don't have to like Christianity, and certainly not believe in or practice Christianity, to be culturally influenced by it. I think if you went and lived in some country that did not have that background, like Iran or Japan or something, you would notice the little things you take for granted that just aren't there.

No doubt, but then the problem is you end up defining Stalin as culturally Christian which is more than a bit discordant when European would do (skipping the joke about Georgians and Russians not being European). And a corollary problem that someone like an Ethiopian christian may well be scoped out of a cultural Christian definition that is meaningful.

[The Minsky Moment]

I agree there is a cultural concept of Christianity, for example in the sense that America is a Christian nation for reasons having little to do with theology.  In the sense that "It's a Wonderful Life" is a Christian movie despite having very little to do with the Christian religion. But Trump doesn't qualify either on religious or cultural grounds.

[derspiess]

To a lot of people, he does though.

[Valmy]

You don't have to like Christianity, and certainly not believe in or practice Christianity, to be culturally influenced by it. I think if you went and lived in some country that did not have that background, like Iran or Japan or something, you would notice the little things you take for granted that just aren't there.

No doubt, but then the problem is you end up defining Stalin as culturally Christian which is more than a bit discordant when European would do (skipping the joke about Georgians and Russians not being European). And a corollary problem that someone like an Ethiopian christian may well be scoped out of a cultural Christian definition that is meaningful.

Those are only problems if you try to make some sort of Christianity = Western instead of just that Western Culture is a Christian influenced one generally, as things currently stand. There are other cultures that are Christian to.

As for Stalin he was in a seminary for awhile

[alfred russel]

Those are only problems if you try to make some sort of Christianity = Western instead of just that Western Culture is a Christian influenced one generally, as things currently stand. There are other cultures that are Christian to.

I realize this is arguable, but I don't think that the st. thomas christians or ethiopians have a culture that is relevant to define in a group with western countries.

[Valmy]

Those are only problems if you try to make some sort of Christianity = Western instead of just that Western Culture is a Christian influenced one generally, as things currently stand. There are other cultures that are Christian to.

I realize this is arguable, but I don't think that the st. thomas christians or ethiopians have a culture that is relevant to define in a group with western countries.

I would agree. That would be very reductive.

I certainly do not claim to know enough about every single Christianity on the planet that I can start discussing what they may or may not have in common culturally.