Yes, it's one of the ironies of religion and government: the US has explicit separation of church and state, and yet religion finds itself in the government and in schools and is very popular amongst the people, with many very devout believers. The UK has explicit marriage of church and state, yet to most people, religion is of little importance, exists politically in a purely ceremonial capacity (which I'm perfectly fine with), and the only touch of religion in schools is again ceremonial, schools have to have hymns and prayers but they don't force anyone to join in. I would probably prefer that religion didn't exist at all but I can live with it if it's kept out of government and schools.
I hope it is not some kind of religious tradition. |
It is, the British monarch is also the head of the Church of England.
¿but don't you think it is a little expensive? |
Well, it costs somewhere between £30 and £200 million depending on who you ask, but the British Tourism Agency claims it brings in over £500 million in tourism, so I would say it was worth the cost.
chwsks wrote: |
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To continue that thought a little, the Christian church is neither static or monolithic. The Church has always been changing and many are rethinking their beliefs regarding the homosexual community. It is wrong to assume that all Christians are against gay marriage.
It is also, wrong to believe that everyone in the Christian Church believes Christian beliefs and mores should be forced on the greater community by law. I belong to a faith that has a history of being persecuted, and as a result there is a strong belief in separation of state and religion which predates the founding of the US. |
It's this "live and let live" mentality that I like. I think most atheists and agnostics would agree that there's nothing wrong with a religious person who understands that religion is a personal matter and not something to be imposed on other people. I don't even mind having people handing out flyers or trying to talk to me about Jesus and that, so long as they aren't pushy, which, in my experience, most are not.
and it is offensive to Churches that believe there is only one universal church and that they are it. |
How can anyone believe that? I mean, I could understand believing their church is the only
true Christian denomination, but that doesn't mean the thousands of other sects somehow don't exist, just that they're wrong (although, IMO, it takes a certain amount of arrogance to believe that of all the religions and all the churches, yours is the only correct one).