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Thursday, December 27, 2007

Pray for France!

 
This is a public service announcement for all the creationists who have been visiting Sandwalk lately.

France is in trouble. It needs your help [Pray for France]. The country is almost 30% atheist and less than 1% evangelical Christian. This is a problem because, as everyone knows, France is a very special country.
"The kingdom of France is predestined by God to defend the Church of Christ Our Lord. This kingdom will be great among all the kingdoms of the earth. In as much as it is loyal to its calling, it will be victorious. If it proves unfaithful in this, it will be punished harshly. Nevertheless, it will remain until the end of time."

               -St. Remi at King Clovis' baptism in 498
Your task, should you choose to accept it, is to pray for 40 days.
Rampant secularization has made the spiritual battleground in France difficult. Yet, God is on the move – working through His people and drawing in the French people – one soul at a time.

Did you know that for the past 7 years thousands of French people intercede for France during the 40 days preceding Lent?

Pray for France is your access point to join French believers during these 40 Days of Prayer.
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, which falls on February 6th in 2008. You should start praying on Feb. 6th—if you have trouble thinking of anything good to say about France the website will sell you a brochure of prayers for $3.50.

Not being religious, I can't really get into this effort to support France but I'd really like to see the rest of you participate. As it turns out, I'm going to be in France for the first half of lent and I'd sure like to think that your prayers will make for good weather, good food, and good wine.


[Hat Tip: Hemant Mehta at Friendly Atheist]

18 comments :

Anonymous said...

Maybe they should be praying for us in the UK too. Despite polls in which a few people still respond that they have faith, here are the actual figures for church attendance:

861,000 Catholics
852,000 Anglicans

Chuck in some hindus and muslims and you've probably got around 3 million out of 60 million!

We're in big trouble.

Anonymous said...

I suppose someone will start a Pray for the USA site when Dawkins starts his Bible Belt tour. That should be lots of fun.

Anonymous said...

If they are going to waste their time praying, then pray for Sweden!

The Key Question said...

Your task, should you choose to accept it, is to pray for 40 days.

Will this message self-destruct in five minutes?

Antoine Vekris said...

Be confident, the French president is working to re-inject spirituality in public life!

Steve LaBonne said...

I think this campaign will inspire me to celebrate the heritage of the Church in France by drinking a nice bottle of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. ;)

Ned Ludd said...

As you know, I live in France. One of the great joys here is that you almost never meet anyone who will evangelize you. In twenty years, that has not happened to me even a half-dozen times.

A few JW's and Mormons, and even a muslim moron. But I am so disagreeable, that I have almost provoked them into attacking me. Cooler heads around them have taken them away.

OT, but you might like this account of a personal experience in Canada.

http://wmtc.blogspot.com/2007/05/better-living-through-canada.html

"Normal, normal, normal. Not just in the normal range, but actually normal.

Is it a coincidence that my blood pressure dropped to normal after I left the US? There's evidence that Canadians, on average, live longer and are healthier than Americans. But on a very personal level, as I've said before, I feel markedly happier and calmer living in Canada. I feel more at peace. And there is actually a health benefit - possibly a life-saving or life-extending health benefit - to feeling at peace with oneself.

I wish I could give everyone this gift I've found."

Anonymous said...

And things are working out so well in France, right? Ask the owners of those burned cars. Ask those french people who had to move out from their homes thanks to the atheistic pipe dream of "multiculturalism".
There use to be a multicultural nation in europe. It was called Yugoslavia, and we all know how it ended, right?
Multi-ethnicism? Yes, by all means. It's great to get along with people from various races.
Multiculturalism? No! never worked, and never will.
The most sucessful nation in the world today (USA) is a multiethnic nation, but one in which everyone used to work to promote the Judeo-Christian, anglo-saxon culture and way of life. Today we are told that such views (the superiority of western Judeo-Christian values) are "bigotry" and "racism".
Oh well. We will see how godless France is in a few decades.
Sweden is next. Malmoe is pretty much handed over to the islamo-nazis. In Norway the majority of rapes done against the natives (as young as 13) are done by the..."foreigners" (which in fact means Muslim).

Isn't atheism and godlessness doing wonders in Europe?!

Anonymous said...

It's kind of nice to see that someone who thinks like this would also be a young earth creationist

Steve LaBonne said...

"I wish I could give everyone this gift I've found."

Any time he'd like to offer me a job and a work permit, he should feel free. ;)

Ned Ludd said...

as usual, Mats talks about things he hasn't a clue and even makes things up. France is one of the European countries that doesn't promote multi-culturalism and has continually made efforts towards assimilation.

Mats also doesn't remember that there have been far more serious riots in the U.S. in places like LA and Detroit and several other cities. Houses and apartments were burned to the ground and those people did have to leave. I don't know of any French people who have had to move out of their home because of supposed multi-culturalism.

In fact, multi-culturalism is usually promoted by religious people in countries like Britain which has gotten on the Bush faith-based bandwagon for schools for example.

It is strange that Mats links two different things, judeo-xian culture and anglo-saxon culture. It is also strange that he doesn't mention Greco-Roman culture, which is the real base of European enlightenment.

I don't see where anything good has ever come from judeo-xian culture. It has always been backward and reactionary. It has always been opposed to progress and enlightenment and has given us such great things as the Dark Ages and the Inquisition.

Mats also makes affirmations about Sweden and Norway without any evidence to back them up.

But really, I don't expect a xian to know anymore about history and society than he does about science. The highest value in xianity is ignorance.

Anonymous said...

as usual, Mats talks about things he hasn't a clue and even makes things up. France is one of the European countries that doesn't promote multi-culturalism and has continually made efforts towards assimilation.

huh, not really. France is the major responsible for the huge influx of lazy Muslims into europe, as means of "cheap labor". Turns out that such a labor became quite expensive, specially in the welfare system.


Mats also doesn't remember that there have been far more serious riots in the U.S. in places like LA and Detroit and several other cities. Houses and apartments were burned to the ground and those people did have to leave.

I never said that there were never riots in the USA. I said that the present push that our atheist european leaders are doing in europe, is taking us to the wrong way. Things are not getting better socially, but much worse. Violence (done by Muslims, not Hindus, or Chinese) is increasing. Rapes (done by Muslims, not Hindus or Chinese) is increasing. If they are going to import people from other cultures, at least invite the Chinese, who are hard working and productive elements in whatever society they get into. But, no. France with its dreams of having a favourable position near the arab world has allowed millions to move to europe, with the results we all know.

I don't know of any French people who have had to move out of their home because of supposed multi-culturalism.

Strawman. Let me make it clear to you:
1. European atheistic leaders are promoting multiculturalism. This means that no culture is better nor worse than the other.
2. This gives the Muslims a free hand to advance their cause. One of the consequences we see are the burned cars, and massive rape levels, and the distruction of the Western way of life in many european nations.
3. One of the consequences of this is that the local native populations are moving out.

In fact, multi-culturalism is usually promoted by religious people in countries like Britain which has gotten on the Bush faith-based bandwagon for schools for example.

Yes, liberal "CHristians" in europe are quick to adopt atheistic pipe dreams, without realizing the purpose of such dreams. Don't put too much faith in european "Christians" leaders. They are as rotten as Bush's foreign polic.

It is strange that Mats links two different things, judeo-xian culture and anglo-saxon culture.
There is nothing strange in that. The dominatn culture in the USA, for over 200 years, has been the Judeo-Christian plus anglo-saxon culture.

It is also strange that he doesn't mention Greco-Roman culture, which is the real base of European enlightenment.

Yet, the majority of scientists during the scientific revolution were.....Christians. I wonder why!

I don't see where anything good has ever come from judeo-xian culture.
Apart from the abolition of slavery, freedom, science, human value, women's value, linear history, progress, absolute laws which became the foundation of the western code of law: The Ten Commandments are the religious fundation of the Western moral code. Well, it used to be. Now it's the Darwin commandments.

It has always been backward and reactionary. It has always been opposed to progress and enlightenment and has given us such great things as the Dark Ages and the Inquisition.

And it has given us backward and reactionary people like Isaac Newton (young earth creationist), Mendel (monk), PAscal, Maxwell, Faraday and Louis Pasteur. All those Judeo-Christian men have been a total disgrace for the advance and development of the West, right Ned?

Mats also makes affirmations about Sweden and Norway without any evidence to back them up.

Well, even though I disagree with Fjordman on many important things, here is a place wherein you can find ample documentation for the claims rearding the epidemic rape done by Muslims n Scandinavia):

http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/1754

See all his articles in here:
http://kleinverzet.blogspot.com/2006/02/fjordman-files.html

But really, I don't expect a xian to know anymore about history and society than he does about science. The highest value in xianity is ignorance.

Tell that to the founding fathers of modern science who were almost all of them Christians, NOT atheists.

Ned Ludd said...

Mats, you a such a lovable clueless jesus freak.

I said that xianity's highest value is ignorance. That doesn't mean that some people raised in that society can't overcome the restrictions imposed by the preachers and the church hierarchy. But they do it in spite of the moronic superstition. You can hardly claim abolishing slavery as your good point since xians established it in the New World in the first place. Duh!

This is ahistorical, "The Ten Commandments are the religious fundation of the Western moral code." They are not the foundation of our moral code. Do you even know all ten? Nothing good has ever come from judeo-xian superstition.

The West was Greco-Roman. Judiasm and xianity are eastern religions.

As to the French riots, there was nothing religious about them. They had nothing to do with "muslims" burning cars. They were were about angry young men expressing their anger.

You should get out of church more and actually learn something.

Larry Moran said...

Mats is a real piece of cake.

It's interesting seeing that the same mindset leading to rejection of science also leads to a totally ignorant understanding of everything else as well.

Canada likes to think of itself as a multicultural nation. In the beginning it was the mixture of anglo-saxon and french cultures that co-existed but now it's much more than that.

Mats thinks that the USA is the most successful nation in the world today. I think its far down the list but perhaps still in the top twenty. Mats, why do you think that the USA is more successful than, say, Australia, Japan, or Swizerland?

Anonymous said...

And things are working out so well in France, right? Ask the owners of those burned cars.

Dude, compared to this, the average US "race riot" is a nuclear war. I live in a Parisian "suburb" (though not in one where cars burned), and every day I hear at least three languages in the subway, as well as almost the full spectrum of skin colors (really fully pitch-black darker-than-every-chocolate people are rare, but that's it).

If they are going to import people from other cultures, at least invite the Chinese, who are hard working and productive elements in whatever society they get into. But, no.

See, you don't know our Algerian lab technician... "The muslims". "The Chinese". "The", "the", "the".

France with its dreams of having a favourable position near the arab world

Huh?

European atheistic leaders are promoting multiculturalism.

Where do you get the idea that they're all atheist? Have you asked them?

This means that no culture is better nor worse than the other.

Not even. It merely means that there's no reason to strip people of their entire culture.

This gives the Muslims a free hand to advance their cause. One of the consequences we see are the burned cars

I call bullshit. The guys who burned the cars were doing so out of misguided desperation: even though they are French* -- if you're born in France, you're French, and the people in question are often third-generation immigrants who speak French natively --, they have no future, no chance to get a job.

* Not only are they French, they see themselves as French. One guy was asked on TV why others of his age and background burned cars; part of his response was "on est Français, quoi".

Apart from the abolition of slavery,

The Bible upholds slavery throughout. No surprise that this was an important argument in the US civil war.

freedom,

Ah, really.

science,

Eppur si muove.

human value, women's value,

Read Paul's epistles...

linear history, progress,

Huh?

absolute laws which became the foundation of the western code of law: The Ten Commandments are the religious fundation of the Western moral code.

Bullshit. The foundation of the Western codes of law are not the Ten Commandments but the law code of Justinian and the even more secular code of Napoleon.

Oh, you meant "moral code" as opposed to "code of law"? Well, is there a moral code anywhere in the world that says "lie, steal, plunder, murder, fuck anyone that strikes your fancy, and run roughshod over your parents"?

Well, it used to be. Now it's the Darwin commandments.

"Say never higher or lower"? I wish.

One of the consequences of this is that the local native populations are moving out.

I'd love to see evidence for this surprising claim.

Mats, why do you think that the USA is more successful than, say, Australia, Japan, or Swizerland?

Or France, which has a higher productivity than the USA, as well as <drum roll> a birth rate of 2.1 children per woman.

Steve LaBonne said...

Not only are they French, they see themselves as French. One guy was asked on TV why others of his age and background burned cars; part of his response was "on est Français, quoi".

Indeed, anybody even modestly familiar with the history of France since 1789 would recognize such rioting as a quintessentially French form of political expression. Plus ca change...

Anonymous said...

USA is the most sucessful country currently does not prove anything mats said.

If mats has any knowledge in history, he should know that 1000 yrs ago, China was the most successful country in the world. However, were those Chinese then religious/Christian? Nope. I would like to see how mats explain the case above.

(Don't tell me that the lack of religious activities in China is a result of communist control. China, traditionally, did not have any form of religion until buddhism was introduced from India. It is just a radically different world. In East Asia, people worship "super natural humans", such as "sages". Any human being, as long as he is superior in one kind of skill (even theft), and be regarded as a super natural human being and enjoy his own temple. Confucius is just one prominent example.)

Eamon Knight said...

Why am I not surprised to find that, as well as being a hopelessly obtuse creationist, Mats is also a racist bigot?

Time to crawl back under your rock, Mats, with all the other slugs and creepy-crawlies.