The Rise of the British Religious Right

[Agelastus]

I think Gordon Brown just had a new found flowering of faith, he might just keep his job yet.

Don't encourage him, he's pulling enough stunts to try and get re-elected already.

[Viking]

I think Gordon Brown just had a new found flowering of faith, he might just keep his job yet.

Don't encourage him, he's pulling enough stunts to try and get re-elected already.

If Gordon Brown frequents Languish I'm leaving and never coming back.

[Agelastus]

I think Gordon Brown just had a new found flowering of faith, he might just keep his job yet.

Don't encourage him, he's pulling enough stunts to try and get re-elected already.

If Gordon Brown frequents Languish I'm leaving and never coming back.

If I was paranoid I'd say he has a dedicated team looking for every reference made to him on the internet every day...

[Viking]

MI-5 spies on Languish for Downing Street!!! I'm important!!!!

[Razgovory]

I imagine this is going to happen more and more in Europe.  It's really the only way to respond to the muslim thingy in Europe.

Not really. In fact it's the opposite - only by adopting a staunchly secular stance (like France does) instead of treating religions as these dotting and a bit whacky but harmless relatives, the way we used to in Europe, we can hope to oppose the "muslim thingy" without becoming like the enemies we despise.

Yeah, the French secular state worked so well against Algeria.  Sorry, but limb wristed grallonism isn't going to solve your problems.

[Pat]

The solution is more rationality - not less.

I can only speak for Sweden, but here anything remotely associated with nationalism has been the Big Taboo ever since the generation of 68; the first generation to grow up without a memory of the time before the forties. They had the pendulum swing to the other extreme. We must return to a place where it's OK to be sensibly nationalistic, at least to a point where it's OK to be sensibly self-preserving. Too little nationalism is probably not a problem in other European countries, but in Sweden I daresay it is. The first step is battling post-modernism, total relativity and other religion-like maladies of the mind.
For this evolutionary psychology can be a useful tool, as I mentioned in another thread. Perhaps it is still possible to have people open their eyes.

It is worth noting that the response has not been a resurgence of religion (though perhaps this is the case in Britain, I don't know). The europe-wide response has been a resurgence of new righ-wing parties, some of them quite nasty. I am, however, considering voting for the Sweden democrats, a party which is really no different from what the Social democrats used to be like.

[Alatriste]

Sorry, Raz, but that's ridiculous. Algerian rebels weren't Islamists. They were leftists and after independence they created a 100% non-religious republic; they weren't Khomeinis nor Bin Ladens, but men like Nasser, Sadat or Assad. You could even say they followed the French model... Further, they have kept this model to this day, even waging a long and bloody civil war against Islamists.

[Razgovory]

The solution is more rationality - not less.

I can only speak for Sweden, but here anything remotely associated with nationalism has been the Big Taboo ever since the generation of 68; the first generation to grow up without a memory of the time before the forties. They had the pendulum swing to the other extreme. We must return to a place where it's OK to be sensibly nationalistic, at least to a point where it's OK to be sensibly self-preserving. Too little nationalism is probably not a problem in other European countries, but in Sweden I daresay it is. The first step is battling post-modernism, total relativity and other religion-like maladies of the mind.
For this evolutionary psychology can be a useful tool, as I mentioned in another thread. Perhaps it is still possible to have people open their eyes.

It is worth noting that the response has not been a resurgence of religion (though perhaps this is the case in Britain, I don't know). The europe-wide response has been a resurgence of new righ-wing parties, some of them quite nasty. I am, however, considering voting for the Sweden democrats, a party which is really no different from what the Social democrats used to be like.

Rationality led to these "maladies of the mind".  Clearly doing more of what is hurting you is the best way to get better.

[Duque de Bragança]

I imagine this is going to happen more and more in Europe.  It's really the only way to respond to the muslim thingy in Europe.

Not really. In fact it's the opposite - only by adopting a staunchly secular stance (like France does) instead of treating religions as these dotting and a bit whacky but harmless relatives, the way we used to in Europe, we can hope to oppose the "muslim thingy" without becoming like the enemies we despise.

Yeah, the French secular state worked so well against Algeria.  Sorry, but limb wristed grallonism isn't going to solve your problems.

FYI, laïcité wasn't enforced in Algeria during the colonial era.

[Razgovory]

Was it enforced in France?

[Ed Anger]

Euros need some snake charmers.

[Duque de Bragança]

Was it enforced in France?

I take it you mean metropolitan France...
Not in all parts, even today cf. Alsace-Moselle.

[Razgovory]

Was it enforced in France?

I take it you mean metropolitan France...
Not in all parts, even today cf. Alsace-Moselle.

By enforced, you mean people are allowed to believe in none material world and not be harassed about it correct?

[Razgovory]

Euros need some snake charmers.

Sadly, all they have is snakes.  Though this line of trolling is a bit fun.  What France needs is men like Charles Martel if they are worried about Muslims so much.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

Euros need some snake charmers.

Sadly, all they have is snakes.  Though this line of trolling is a bit fun.  What France needs is men like Charles Martel if they are worried about Muslims so much.

it's not bad enough to warrant a Karel Martel yet. Though personally I'd prefer it if they chose another tool instead of hammer again... chainsaw has a nice ring to it.