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Posts: 7178

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Q: China is officially Atheist.Is there such a thing as a democratic country that does not invoke God?

I mean.. official atheist countries that I can think of number 3. China, Vietnam, and Cuba.

 

These are the countries, that when faced with natural disaster, terror, industrial accidents, road accidents, genetic deformities..... They don't say... " We pray for the victims"

 

Even in secular states, such as the UK, disaster happens... leaders... we pray for the victims.

 

Simple question. Is there such a thing as an Atheist democratic country?

 

6 years 37 weeks ago in  General  - China

 
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I come from what is usually a very democratic country in South America, Uruguay.  The country has been officially laicised for over 150 years.  God is not in the Constitution, God is not present in any state funded classroom, God is not present in the hospital system.  There is no such thing as a Catholic hospital and there is no such thing as a Catholic university.  Weddings are only officially recognized if they are performed in a civil ceremony.  LGBT full rights were voted into existence soon nearly twenty years ago.  Sanctity of life and abortions are considered private issues and are left to the discretion of the parents. There are no state holidays in observance of Christmas, Easter, Good Friday, nor those of any and all other religions.  Carnival is given a wide berth, so to speak and is celebrated for nearly two weeks but as a  folkloric holiday, nothing more, nothing less.  Uruguay is the least religiously observant country in the Western hemisphere.  50% of all Uruguayos have no faith at all, and of the remaining 50%, only 25% attend any kind of religious observation on a regular basis.  Education is free and compulsory through the end of middle school and the literacy rate in the country is about 95%. Life expectancy is one of the highest in the world and its system of fully socialized medicine is open to any and to all.  If there is any segregation in the hospital system, it is by nationality of origin ... there are hospitals for the Italians, where treatment is available in Italian, and hospitals for Germans, where treatment is available in German, and American and British hospitals, ditto.  The current unemployment rate is about 6.5%, much lower than in most of Western Europe, but higher than in Germany and the United States.  There is practically no standing army any more as it was eviscerated at the end of the last bloody dictatorship.  We are at least 100 times more laicised then France.  The country has a small but sizable Jewish population that organises special schools but under strict supervision of the Ministry of Education.  The current government is considered to be extremely left wing by the standards of the Trump administration and the U.S. Embassy regularly tries to meddle in the affairs of the country.

 

Christmas Mass is transmitted on television through the Catholic Radio Maria Channel and not on state run TV.

 

In most South American countries, the Apostolic Nuncio, that is the Pope's Ambassador, is the dean of the diplomatic corps.  In Uruguay the position falls to the longest serving ambassador.

 

So yes, there are some very democratically elected countries where religion has been minimised.

 

Saludos y abrazos a todos los lectores del foro.

 

Marcos Cisneros

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6 years 37 weeks ago
 
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Shifu

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_irreligion

 

The above map shows the distribution of non-religious population by countries, with china being the world's most. North Korea, due probably to the unavailability of data, is not included but we all know it likely exceeds prc in this regard.

 

Interestingly, quite a few developed countries like Norway, Germany, and other European developed countries also have a high % of people who claim no religions.

 

It is important to distinguish brainwashed atheists like communist zombies (who can just as easily be brainwashed to become religious fanatics), and the ones with the freewill to choose.  Of equal importance is to differentiate being religious from being spiritual. 

 

Most of the most spiritually advanced, or evolved people I have met over the years do not join any organized religion, some used to be members while others are born gifted in this area. But hey, I suppose you have to start somewhere if you are not gifted and religions are supposed to give you a hand, except many get stuck and stagnated there.  LoL.

Hotwater:

Who would you define a brain washed aethieat or one who decided if their own free will?

6 years 37 weeks ago
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earthizen:

Classic example of a brainwashed atheist would be a daluren being brainwashed by ccp's education system to become an atheist, subjected to built-in censorship within the system, and severe punishment when s/he attempts to explore other systems of his/her choice, as in the case of falong gong practioners. In places where no such censorship or punishment exist, where a person can explore spirituality and comes to his conclusion (or no conclusion), should he choose to be an atheist he is exercising his free will.

6 years 37 weeks ago
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ScotsAlan:

Intersesting.

 

6 years 37 weeks ago
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6 years 37 weeks ago
 
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Ain't it funny how France has taken such an anti-religious stance (officially) by banning so much in the way of symbols and dress... and then when a disaster strikes, it's all "Pray for us"...

 

Scots, you're mixing up 'state' with 'personal'.

ScotsAlan:

Yup Shining.

 

I agree.

 

France has gone too far with secularism.

 

Its one thing to say no religious symbols in Government... but come on... banning what people wear in the street or beach... not good.

 

6 years 37 weeks ago
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Governor

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I come from what is usually a very democratic country in South America, Uruguay.  The country has been officially laicised for over 150 years.  God is not in the Constitution, God is not present in any state funded classroom, God is not present in the hospital system.  There is no such thing as a Catholic hospital and there is no such thing as a Catholic university.  Weddings are only officially recognized if they are performed in a civil ceremony.  LGBT full rights were voted into existence soon nearly twenty years ago.  Sanctity of life and abortions are considered private issues and are left to the discretion of the parents. There are no state holidays in observance of Christmas, Easter, Good Friday, nor those of any and all other religions.  Carnival is given a wide berth, so to speak and is celebrated for nearly two weeks but as a  folkloric holiday, nothing more, nothing less.  Uruguay is the least religiously observant country in the Western hemisphere.  50% of all Uruguayos have no faith at all, and of the remaining 50%, only 25% attend any kind of religious observation on a regular basis.  Education is free and compulsory through the end of middle school and the literacy rate in the country is about 95%. Life expectancy is one of the highest in the world and its system of fully socialized medicine is open to any and to all.  If there is any segregation in the hospital system, it is by nationality of origin ... there are hospitals for the Italians, where treatment is available in Italian, and hospitals for Germans, where treatment is available in German, and American and British hospitals, ditto.  The current unemployment rate is about 6.5%, much lower than in most of Western Europe, but higher than in Germany and the United States.  There is practically no standing army any more as it was eviscerated at the end of the last bloody dictatorship.  We are at least 100 times more laicised then France.  The country has a small but sizable Jewish population that organises special schools but under strict supervision of the Ministry of Education.  The current government is considered to be extremely left wing by the standards of the Trump administration and the U.S. Embassy regularly tries to meddle in the affairs of the country.

 

Christmas Mass is transmitted on television through the Catholic Radio Maria Channel and not on state run TV.

 

In most South American countries, the Apostolic Nuncio, that is the Pope's Ambassador, is the dean of the diplomatic corps.  In Uruguay the position falls to the longest serving ambassador.

 

So yes, there are some very democratically elected countries where religion has been minimised.

 

Saludos y abrazos a todos los lectores del foro.

 

Marcos Cisneros

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6 years 37 weeks ago
 
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Governor

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Oh and the country still maintains an open immigration system .... if you make it to the country, you have the right to be considered for permanent status. Last year, this small country absorbed about 60 000. And unlike in the United States, immigrants are allowed to avail themselves of all of the benefits granted to full citizens.

Hotwater:

From what I've seen the way Uruguay is run is quite open and democratic. Seems a good place to live but I need to read more abou tit.

6 years 37 weeks ago
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Governor

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you forgot Laos

ScotsAlan:

Not forgotten.. just waiting for them to make the world stage by starting religious war.

6 years 37 weeks ago
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Shifu

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I want to visit angelUruguay

BHGAL:

better start planning

SOUTH AMERICA

The Amazon Basin in the north and the Paraguay River Basin in the south would become Atlantic inlets, wiping out Buenos Aires, coastal Uruguay, and most of Paraguay. Mountainous stretches would survive along the Caribbean coast and in Central America.

in 5000 years most of Uruguay will be underwater

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2013/09/rising-seas-ice-melt-new-shoreline-maps/

but if we impregnate an asian elephant with a mammoth embryo thingy    ..  we may save the ice. and the perma frost

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/07/woolly-mammoths-extinction-cloning-genetics/

 

6 years 37 weeks ago
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Marcos_Cisneros:

La respuesta de vos es de pura locura gringa ... en 5 000 años el país se quedará inundado ... me pregunto por lo que vos has fumado hoy por la mañana ...  me trae disgusto el reportaje de vos ... 

6 years 37 weeks ago
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Shifu

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France has been separating the state and the church for over a hundred years now. Public institutions and politicians are basically forbidden from speaking of or funding religions in any way whatsoever.

Marcos_Cisneros:

True enough Random Guy but in France there are still Catholic universities and there are all those Catholic holidays like Christmas and Easter and Assumption all over the calendar.  The President of France regularly attends mass at Notre Dame Cathedral and once a year the Cardinal Archbishop of Paris offers a Te Deum in honor of the government which the President attends.  The Apostolic Nuncio in Paris is head of diplomatic corps.  The French Republic laicizes itself in whatever manner is convenient at the moment.  

At home the President of the Republic never attends a Te Deum orchestrated by the Cardinal Archbishop of Montevideo.  In Argentina, yes.  In Chile, yes.  In my country, never.  And we don't care if you want to wear a burka, or a kippa or dress like a Jew from the 16th century, or wonder around in a hajib.  Dress is a matter of personal identity and not an infringement upon the state.

In France there is no gay marriage .. and I personally have no stake in this matter one way or the other ... but Uruguay, through a national vote, sanctioned gay marriage, gay adoption, gay everything, nearly 20 years ago.  We were the second in the Americas, after very Catholic Argentina (what a surprise that was).

There are no Catholic newspapers as there are in France.  There is a Catholic radio and television network, piped in from Brasil, and strictly regulated by the authorities.

 

I myself am a practising Catholic and a member of Opus Dei but it would never occur to me to force my views upon the nation, even less my neighbours. 

Religion is best when it confines itself to church, to liturgics, to universally recognised works of good and it is at its worse when it seriously meddles in national affairs.  The founders of the Republic in the early 19th century were mostly Free Masons, believe it or not, and they imposed a very non religious constitution upon the state.  Even in the darker moments of the country's history, usually as a result of U.S. intervention, the military never this course.

 

France, in my opinion, is still somewhere in the middle... at times, going forward, at times, stuck in the water.

6 years 37 weeks ago
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Shifu

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As there is no god it needs no further comment except:-We are here by random chance. We had no choice in the matter. It took almost four billion years to evolve man. Everything on the planet is in a constant state of evolution. We are in life's window for a very short time. Before we were born we new nothing, after we die we will no nothing, in fact we will not know we are dead or even existed. As we will not know we are dead, death is no big deal. god was an invention of man. After all someone must have created all the trillions of stars. They could not have been there for ever??????

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