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Christianity in the States vrs. Christianity in the UK

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    Christianity in the States vrs. Christianity in the UK

    I have said many a time that there is a HUGE difference between the way religion is viewed here and in the states. Si here is where we can ask questions of each other (me and a few others being the UK side of things) about Christianity on both sides of the pond.

    One thing that I have always wanted to know is whither atheists are as shunned as I have been told. I have a friend who stayed in the states over the summer past and was sacked from his temp job the day after saying he doesn't attend church over here and was an atheist. Now I always thought he exaggerated (he does that) but it would be nice to know how the church reacts to atheism in the states. Over here atheism isn't the churches biggest problem really. Aye they try and encourage people to attend, but the biggest religious obstacle they have is probably all the young new age religions that more young people are experimenting with (from paganism to Buddhism) which takes them away from the Church.

    X
    "You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me"- CS Lewis


    https://www.facebook.com/KimberlyHagenART

    #2
    Re: Christianity in the States vrs. Christianity in the UK

    Honestly most people are lazy Christians here. So being an Atheist is pretty much like being a Lazy Christian. Unless you mean in the bible belt...most people don't care. Probably because it's sorta shunned to talk about your religion or your politics at work.
    Satan is my spirit animal

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      #3
      Re: Christianity in the States vrs. Christianity in the UK

      Medusa's right...it really, really depends on where in the US you live. In Utah and SE Idaho, you'll have a lot of people say that people were friendly with them until it became obvious that they weren't interested in converting. Then they were more or less ignored.

      FW, one thing I've always been curious about: A lot of American traditions are very concerned about proving that they are the "right" way to practice Christianity. How do stalwart members of the Church of England deal with their church being founded because Henry VIII needed a divorce or three?
      Great Grandmother's Kitchen

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        #4
        Re: Christianity in the States vrs. Christianity in the UK

        also depends on who exactly you run into, or who your working for.

        I work with a few people that i can openly discuss religion with, and theres a few people that you wouldnt wanna go anywhere near that conversation with... its choosing your battles over here...
        "Sometimes bad things happen, and theres nothing you can do about it, so why worry?" ~ Timon

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          #5
          Re: Christianity in the States vrs. Christianity in the UK

          [quote author=FantasyWitch link=topic=1077.msg19648#msg19648 date=1291417052]
          I have a friend who stayed in the states over the summer past and was sacked from his temp job the day after saying he doesn't attend church over here and was an atheist.
          [/quote]

          In the US, this is illegal. Of course, it's hard to prove that your employer fired you over religious reasons and not say, performance/attendance, etc.
          The forum member formerly known as perzephone. Or Perze. I've shed a skin.

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            #6
            Re: Christianity in the States vrs. Christianity in the UK

            Most people already said it -- the US is a big place -- New York City and LA, you will get a FAR different reaction than if you were in Tennessee or Mississippi or Texas, even.

            It's far too general to say 'in the USA'.
            Allow me to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket. ~ Captain Jack Sparrow

            sigpic

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              #7
              Re: Christianity in the States vrs. Christianity in the UK

              Christianity in the US varies dependent on location and sect. Speaking vaguely of the area I know, there are multiple sects vying for attention within a 30 min drive of my home but the varying churches don't figure loudly into life. They're present and active but unless you are either benefitting from them or looking for them, the churches are easy to forget. Most people have other things to do then strike up a chat over religion out of thin air. There are exceptions but they don't last long before moving on to be nuisances elsewhere.
              life itself was a lightsaber in his hands; even in the face of treachery and death and hopes gone cold, he burned like a candle in the darkness. Like a star shining in the black eternity of space.

              Yoda: Dark Rendezvous

              "But those men who know anything at all about the Light also know that there is a fierceness to its power, like the bare sword of the law, or the white burning of the sun." Suddenly his voice sounded to Will very strong, and very Welsh. "At the very heart, that is. Other things, like humanity, and mercy, and charity, that most good men hold more precious than all else, they do not come first for the Light. Oh, sometimes they are there; often, indeed. But in the very long run the concern of you people is with the absolute good, ahead of all else..."

              John Rowlands, The Grey King by Susan Cooper

              "You come from the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve", said Aslan. "And that is both honour enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth; be content."

              Aslan, Prince Caspian by CS Lewis


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                #8
                Re: Christianity in the States vrs. Christianity in the UK

                Same as above. I find it funny the lazy christian who haven't been to church in ten years and have never even picked up a bible are so ready to discriminate. Its that way in parts of my town.
                Circe

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                  #9
                  Re: Christianity in the States vrs. Christianity in the UK

                  [quote author=Deseret link=topic=1077.msg19675#msg19675 date=1291422661]
                  How do stalwart members of the Church of England deal with their church being founded because Henry VIII needed a divorce or three?
                  [/quote]

                  Stalwart members of the C of E don't really mention god if they can help it..... [it's a bit of a standing joke here.... after all the Archbishop of Canterbury , who is head of the C of E is also a Druid.... I kid you not]
                  www.thewolfenhowlepress.com


                  Phantom Turnips never die.... they just get stewed occasionally....

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                    #10
                    Re: Christianity in the States vrs. Christianity in the UK

                    [quote author=Deseret link=topic=1077.msg19675#msg19675 date=1291422661]
                    FW, one thing I've always been curious about: A lot of American traditions are very concerned about proving that they are the "right" way to practice Christianity. How do stalwart members of the Church of England deal with their church being founded because Henry VIII needed a divorce or three?
                    [/quote]

                    I have never heard it debated, so I guess it has never been considered an issue. And as Mrs.P says
                    [quote author=Tylluan Penry link=topic=1077.msg19752#msg19752 date=1291444387]
                    Stalwart members of the C of E don't really mention god if they can help it..... [it's a bit of a standing joke here.... after all the Archbishop of Canterbury , who is head of the C of E is also a Druid.... I kid you not]
                    [/quote]

                    She is bang on.

                    Honestly being Christian or not being Christian is has never seemed to be a big deal over here (until someone challenges Christianity on a national level, like paganism and druid practises at Halloween) probably because we have such diversity in people. Think about how low our population is in comparison to the states, and the amount of people that move to the UK every year, about 1 fifth of the people in Scotland have not been here more than one generation.
                    "You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me"- CS Lewis


                    https://www.facebook.com/KimberlyHagenART

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                      #11
                      Re: Christianity in the States vrs. Christianity in the UK

                      Michigan (where I live) is a good case in point bout the regional differences in attitude toward Christianity. Michigan is in the north, which, technically, puts it outside the Bible belt.

                      In the area around the big cities (Detroit, Pontiac, Saginaw, etc.) most people are pretty cosmopolitan - they really don't' give a hoot about your religion. There are exceptions, of course, but for the most part it's a matter of casual curiosity, if that.

                      However, up here in the rural part of the state, the assumption most people make is that you are a member of one of the Christian churches. Which one doesn't matter so much, but if you let it be known that you aren't a Christian, or are an atheist, you'll get evangelized - the tone of the evangelizing depends on the people who are doing it, but you will get it.
                      Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

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                        #12
                        Re: Christianity in the States vrs. Christianity in the UK

                        [quote author=Tylluan Penry link=topic=1077.msg19752#msg19752 date=1291444387]
                        Stalwart members of the C of E don't really mention god if they can help it..... [it's a bit of a standing joke here.... after all the Archbishop of Canterbury , who is head of the C of E is also a Druid.... I kid you not]
                        [/quote]


                        Archbishop becomes Druid


                        However he does state, for the record, "It is not a Pagan Ceremony"


                        M
                        In the end, only you know if you were right or wrong, so tolerate others beliefs, no matter how wrong, they may be right...

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                          #13
                          Re: Christianity in the States vrs. Christianity in the UK

                          [quote author=Maulus link=topic=1077.msg19776#msg19776 date=1291466198]

                          Archbishop becomes Druid


                          However he does state, for the record, "It is not a Pagan Ceremony"


                          M
                          [/quote]

                          For whatever Druid organisation he's a member of, he's probably right...they do seem to fall into the religious vs. philosophical designation, depending on which type of Druidry (perhaps as opposed to Druidism) you are looking at.
                          Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryPagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
                          sigpic

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                            #14
                            Re: Christianity in the States vrs. Christianity in the UK

                            It looks more like a "Secret society" like Free Masonry than a religious group. Looks like they are more about supporting Wales' Celtic history and arts than anything religious. and he was Archbishop of Wales at the time.


                            M
                            In the end, only you know if you were right or wrong, so tolerate others beliefs, no matter how wrong, they may be right...

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Re: Christianity in the States vrs. Christianity in the UK

                              I can honestly say i know nothing really about the differences between the christian views. Ive only ever known 3 people my age that attended church as children, and i dont even know if they still do as adults. I dont know anyone in the UK who would say they are christian. We have such a laid back view of religion that no one cares. Ive had people ask me about my necklace (pentagram) before and ask if i was pagan and sometimes ive said yes, sometimes ive said kind of, but everytime someone asked they were always really interested and at the end all of them has said "its really cool you follow that dsort of path" or words to those effect.

                              Anyways, my point being, people dont care about religion here in the UK. And although you ask someone about islam here, they might start ranting "were not a muslim country, blah blah blah" theyve only got this view because of the minority of extremists and hate preachers we have in the UK, most people dont care what you worship as long as you dont throw it in their faces.

                              (this is all what i have found to be true, i know things vary city to city)

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