P.C.gone mad?

[garinda]

The Britain of today should be a secular society, with the church keeping it's nose out of politics.

You'd think the Archbishop of Canterbury, as the leading primate of the Anglican church, would be more interested in restoring laws from the Christian Bible, such as we shouldn't be wearing cloth woven from more than one material, or that it is against the law to cook a goat in it's mother's milk, plus other very sensible laws, rather than force us to accept the laws of Islam.

Still, what do you expect from a man that looks like Catweasle?

[garinda]

Originally Posted by shakermaker

Cashman, I was making the point that Sharia Law has become an enigma within the British media -

An enigma wrapped up as barbarism maybe.

Sharia law is first and foremost sexist. You never read stories of men being stoned to death, after being sentenced under Sharia law for adultery.

Below is just one example, there are many, many, more.

Sharia law | Today's issues | Guardian Unlimited

And as for respecting peoples sexual orientation, forget it. Public execution is one of the more civilised sentences handed out by the Sharia courts out if you are gay or lesbian.

[blazey]

Originally Posted by Bonnyboy

The Archbishop needs to concentrate on his job, give sermons, spread the word of the lord or whatever it is that he does, why he is poking his nose into what or what not should be the law of the land is beyond me. Maybe his collection plate was down a few bob this week.

We have had our law/legal system for centuries, it’s part of our heritage. Choose to live here, then abide by it, if you don’t like it…bail out, simple.

Religion has always had a strong say in law. Its BASED on natural law which was formed around religion and philosophy. Where do you think 'though shalt not kill' came from for instance? Certainly didn't come from a politician.

I dont know enough about Sharia law to give a solid opinion on this, but if it intergrating the ideas behind sharia law in a way that is acceptable in our culture then its a good idea, after all, its a much stricter discipline than our teachings yet it will not be able to over rule anything the EU law says so why not.

Since religion has become a less focal point of our lives it seems morals have also deteriorated, and as Shakermaker has said it will end up in tears like in France. Religion should always have a say in my opinion.

[lancsdave]

Originally Posted by blazey

Religion should always have a say in my opinion.

As much as a say as anyone else but it doesn't mean to say it should have power. After all you keep telling us what a non-religious country we are now, so surely the majority should have the greater say ?

[cashman]

religion should always be there for guidance blazey. not to dictate the law what ALL in the U.K. are expected to abide by.

[panther]

my personal feelings on this? ..........someone CHOOSES to live in this country that means accepting our laws. if they dont like that then dont come here.....simple

[jaysay]

Its a known thing that most wars are caused through religion, and have been throughout time. We must also remmber that Dr Rowan Williams is a member of the House of Lords, so to say that he has no baring on the legislation of this country is quite wrong, and this is the part that really worries me. A statement like this is bound to cause much debate, as it has, but to me it was very ill advised in the currant climate. Like has been said before in this thread the law of the land is sacrosanct and anyone who does not agree the best place for them is Heathrow Airport

[MargaretR]

The sooner the human race abandons all religion the better.
It is perfectly possible to have a civilised, humane, caring society without religion.
The primitive need to believe in 'a creator' has held back the human race since we emerged from caves.
It has caused more war and human suffering than nationalism ever did.

[andrewb]

Does anyone know the marriage and property laws that he suggests changing? In specific detail?

[cashman]

Originally Posted by Cyfr

Does anyone know the marriage and property laws that he suggests changing? In specific detail?

to me it dont really matter, its the thin end of the wedge, once somethings in- whats next? in a few years would be the aim.no doubt.

[WillowTheWhisp]

I've just been watching the mid-day news and not one muslim interviewed seemed to think it was a good idea. In fact most said it would be divisive and cause many problems.

[grannyclaret]

Originally Posted by panther

my personal feelings on this? ..........someone CHOOSES to live in this country that means accepting our laws. if they dont like that then dont come here.....simple

Mine too, But the rots set in.....
What happened to the saying When in Rome live as the Romans do?

[Neil]

The Arsebishop of Canterbury is obviously an idiot. As head honcho of the Church of England I suppose he is the 'voice' of the Church. Is this really what the Church of England think?
He needs knocking back down to a choir boy for this stupidity.

[MikeSz]

Heard this on Radio 4 the other morning and think it hits the nail on the head...

Thought For The Day - 1 February 2008
As Rudy Giuliani pulls out of the race for nomination, the American presidential contest is hotting up, and it's fascinating to see the differences between American politics and ours.

But there's one historic feature of American politics that I think has relevance to us too. Back in the 1830s a brilliant young Frenchman, Alexis de Tocqueville, visited the United States to see how this experiment in liberty was working out. The book he wrote, Democracy in America, remains one of the classics of political thought.

What surprised him was how religious America was compared to Europe. And what he wanted to understand was how religion and democracy can coexist. 'In France', he said, 'I had almost always seen the spirit of religion and the spirit of freedom marching in opposite directions', but in America they walked hand in hand.

How did it happen? The answer, he discovered, was that religious leaders were careful never to get involved with party politics. They knew that politics is of its essence divisive. And if religion got too involved with politics, it too would become divisive. So religious leaders focused on strengthening families, creating communities and charities, building schools and encouraging active citizenship. It created what he called 'habits of the heart' that were so essential in sustaining a sense of the common good.

A democratic society needs two things: a way of mediating conflicts, and a sense of shared identity without which there is no society at all. Politics, said Tocqueville, must focus on the conflicts, religion on shared belonging. He added, 'In proportion as a nation assumes a democratic condition . . . it becomes more and more dangerous to connect religion with political institutions.'

Those are wise words, for America and for us. Religious organizations must never become pressure groups for this or that contentious item of domestic or foreign policy. Their task, and I include myself, is moral: to strengthen the bonds of human relationship and the sanctity of human life; and to teach us to love our neighbours as ourselves, especially today when our neighbours belong to so many different faiths. When religion becomes politicized, or politics becomes religionised, bad things happen, and we must avoid that if we can.

It's a hard distinction to keep, and neither America nor we have always succeeded. But that remains the challenge. Politics speaks to our conflicting interests. Religion should speak to our shared responsibilities. That's how religion and democratic freedom can walk hand in hand.

[Yolanda25]

Originally Posted by panther

my personal feelings on this? ..........someone CHOOSES to live in this country that means accepting our laws. if they dont like that then dont come here.....simple

I agree with u , im spanish and i dont come here demanding people to speak spanish and adapt to my ways of leaving, instead i came to england, learned the language and adapted to the english life, thats the way it should be done, but then again is just the way i see it.
In Ibiza we have moroccons and we dont do things the way the want, we leave it the way they are and thats it and like you say if you dont like dont come here