maturebrit Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 why even ask the question? Thailand is what it is......take it or leave it....nobody is forcing anyone to stay....comparing it to western culture is a pointless exercise Sent from my GT-N7000 using Thaivisa Connect App Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post theblether Posted December 25, 2012 Author Popular Post Share Posted December 25, 2012 why even ask the question? Thailand is what it is......take it or leave it....nobody is forcing anyone to stay....comparing it to western culture is a pointless exercise Sent from my GT-N7000 using Thaivisa Connect App Do you mind?.....asking pointless questions and arguing about them ad infinitum is what we do on the General Forum. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rene123 Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 why even ask the question? Thailand is what it is......take it or leave it....nobody is forcing anyone to stay....comparing it to western culture is a pointless exercise Sent from my GT-N7000 using Thaivisa Connect App Do you mind?.....asking pointless questions and arguing about them ad infinitum is what we do on the General Forum. Thanks for my morning laugh. That is oh so true here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
submaniac Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 ^^ Let us not forget the bickering and insulting. The pointless questions give us a framework for members to bicker and insult one another. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simple1 Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 OP: You need to be a bit more precise. As far as I am aware, all Christian counties outside of Europe are a result of invasion/colonisation. So which European country would you like to select as the occupying nation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 (edited) Christian country, Schmistian country! If Thailand was gentile, it would just be yet ANOTHER such country. Meh. IMAGINE if Thailand was a Jewish country. Now that would have been something. (Happy Festivus.) Edited December 25, 2012 by Jingthing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samtam Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 You mean Thailand isn't a Christian country?! So what's with all those Christmas trees and decorations, those jingen bens, those santa clauses? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeijoshinCool Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 I watched the, uhm, Christmas Pageant at school just now. They read the story of Jesus, in English, rather well, I must say. Then they had a play where they spent twenty minutes stabbing each other with cardboard swords. Thay have a ways to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxme Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 No. Religions don't make people "better" or "worse". THere are "Christian" crooks and there are "Buddhist" crooks. People decide for themselves what life style they want to live. Religions just provide them the cover to rationalise that life style they choose to live. You can't blame or credit "relgions" for the actions of individuals, it's the other way around. So, if Thailand was a "Christian" country ... crooks and scum would still be crooks and scum irregardless. Strange that you have went straight to the heart of criminality in human society to suggest that religion doesn't work?? How about the millions upon millions of people of all religions that are law abiding? Are we to write them off?? Shall we leave out the criminaliy of the RC church and their inquisitions over the centuries, Not to mention the pogroms? Or the crusades that killed thousands all in the name of Christianity, Or even what is happening in the middle east with Muslim fundamentalists. Religion has been the main cause of wars through the centuries Merry Christmas Sent from my GT-P6200 using Thaivisa Connect App ..........................and once again we head straight into the territory of the minority, and forget about the vast majority that live peaceful lives. ....and make statements based on what they learned from some movies. There has been a lot of talk about the Crusasdes and how awful it was but I seriously doubt that many here know what it was really about and how the whole thing got started. If you want to base your facts of movies such as "Kingdom of Heaven" and such, then there are plenty of movie forums where you can hang around. If you want the facts about why it started then do some digging. The Ottomans and the Moslems did the same things as the Christians did and yet we are supposed to apologize for some of our crimes and they are not? Knock it off with associating that violent era to what it is now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendejo Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 Christian country, Schmistian country! If Thailand was gentile, it would just be yet ANOTHER such country. Meh. IMAGINE if Thailand was a Jewish country. Now that would have been something. (Happy Festivus.) Too hot for the heavy woolens and wigs. Also most of the guys would have trouble with the beards. But we'd be able to buy bagels and deli here. I like it that the Jewish religion does not have a concept of crusade/jihad/evangelism. With Sammy and Liz it was like having an infant in your lap while driving and holding the steering wheel -- "see, he's driving!" Pakama could have been inspired by the talis, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendejo Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 There is only one truly Christian country, and here's proof 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 There is only one truly Christian country, and here's proof Those two guys on the right hand side appear to be doing the Gangnam style dance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
submaniac Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 (edited) Picture would be even cooler if Jesus was holding a rifle. Yeah, now THAT'S a picture of Jesus. A bad-ass-kicking kind of Messiah we can get behind. Happy Birthday Jesus! Edited December 25, 2012 by submaniac 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballpoint Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 Based on places like the Philippines and Latin America, it would be just as corrupt, if not more so, and a lot more bloody. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rene123 Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 Based on places like the Philippines and Latin America, it would be just as corrupt, if not more so, and a lot more bloody. My point exactly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt helm Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 Probably similar to Philippines but only if it was Latin Catholic. Lets be honest, Protestant countries might be more wealthy and lawful but they are also more boring. The Philippines has one of the lowest suicide rates in the world despite it's problems and that goes for most Catholic countries. If we stay with Europe all you have to do is compare France and Italy to Germany and Britain and it's obvious which of those is the more prudish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunta71 Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 feudalistic dogma and their own adaptation of Buddhism That's a good phrase........like Selective Buddhist Disorder, just pick the bit's that suit you and ignore the rest. Would Buddhist ladies present more of this disorder than say a Buddhist man? Similar to the selective memory thingy? Would a Buddhist katoey display an "Exaggerated Selective Buddist Disorder? Too many unknowns hurting my small brain.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 Based on places like the Philippines and Latin America, it would be just as corrupt, if not more so, and a lot more bloody. My point exactly. But it would also have a better chance of winning the World Cup. Catholicization could only have happened if our Iberian brethren had moved in and taken control. Spanish Manila actually planned to do this: the consensus was that Ayuthaya could have been taken quite easily. Had this happened, our lovely PM would now be called Yingluck Gonzalez . And her brother would be Mr Taksin Torres. Like I said, Thailand would have a much better chance of winning the World Cup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Somtamnication Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 More bigotry, more hypocrisy, less tolerance of others and more alcoholism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candid Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 It wouldn't even be the same place. All of the things that make Thailand (or all of SE Asia) exotic, interesting, and different from the West, would no longer exist. Instead of "mai bpen rai", you'd have the good old Christian work ethic, the devil makes work for idle hands, and all that good stuff. It's not a Christian work ethic, it's a Protestant work ethic. I know you are from the West of Scotland, and I am sure that this remark was not meant to be inflammatory, but can you please explain it to the readers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarryP Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 More bigotry, more hypocrisy, less tolerance of others and more alcoholism. I don't know about the first three, but the last one would be hard to beat as it is. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiangmaikelly Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 More bigotry, more hypocrisy, less tolerance of others and more alcoholism. I don't know about the first three, but the last one would be hard to beat as it is. Christian monks make better beer and spirits in general I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weegee Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 You mean Thailand isn't a Christian country?! So what's with all those Christmas trees and decorations, those jingen bens, those santa clauses? MONEY!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendejo Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 Regarding that very accurate pic I posted in #41, look at Lincoln (the guy with beard down on one knee second to the right of that Jewish guy holding the document). Is he doing an Al Jolson "Mammy" immitation? So, Lincoln impersonatiing a Jew who is immitating an African-American. Or was Lincoln Jewish? His name was Abe, after all. Xmas last year Bill O'Reiily explained how Jesus hates the unemployed. I think that alone should have earned him a place in that picture. But going back to the premise JT offered, if Thailand were a Jewish country it would be cleaner. And it would be a hell of a lot easier to find a meal that didn't contain pork. The bargaining, refusing to pay retail, etc, would be same-same. And the TV shows would be better, comedy going beyond men dressing as women and bashing each other on the head. Imagine a Thai version of the 2000 Year-Old Man. Or Groucho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 More bigotry, more hypocrisy, less tolerance of others and more alcoholism. I don't know about the first three, but the last one would be hard to beat as it is. Christian monks make better beer and spirits in general I think. Ask the op about buckfast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayboy Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 If Thailand was a Christian country the Thai women would have the same attitude to sex and the age of their partners as the women in the west. In which case, none of us would have come here.. Actually they do.Your comment simply shows that....well perhaps no need to elaborate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fang1081009 Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 if you dont like just move out... good luck Sent from my GT-I9001 using Thaivisa Connect App Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Like Thai Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 But going back to the premise JT offered, if Thailand were a Jewish country it would be cleaner. And it would be a hell of a lot easier to find a meal that didn't contain pork. The bargaining, refusing to pay retail, etc, would be same-same. And the TV shows would be better, comedy going beyond men dressing as women and bashing each other on the head. Imagine a Thai version of the 2000 Year-Old Man. Or Groucho. I'd still prefer Walking St to a Walking wall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Like Thai Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 JC would have had to be a Thai, how could the son of god be of an inferior race? Though Thais believe in all sorts of spirits and demons, I doubt many will buy into the virgin birth story. They'd love the water to wine trick. Is that why he's always portrayed as looking European in Western paintings and statues Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theblether Posted December 25, 2012 Author Share Posted December 25, 2012 @ Candid You asked for it, read this and you will be completely amazed at where this explanation ends, and it has a Christmas theme....... You are correct that I am from the West of Scotland but incorrect to assume that the concept of the Protestant Work Ethic has anything to do with being anti-Catholic. The concept is rooted in the biblical teaching that only 144,000 souls would ascend to heaven, and that the meek would inherit the earth. It was relatively straightforward for the early Protestants to understand that if they were to be part of the 144,000 they would have to live righteous lives according to the teaching of the Bible, and at least abiding by the 10 Commandments, however it was more complex to understand how to make that step into the 144,000. In effect the problem was how to know that you were destined to have your place in heaven? predestined? or in effect under the teachings of John Calvin the concept of Double Predestination. Throughout Europe people picked up on this Calvinist concept and took it on board that if they lived hard working and frugal lives then they would be looked upon kindly. If they were successful in life then it showed that the Lord was blessing them and indicated that they were predestined to a place in heaven. Yes the Scots took to the Calvinists teachings readily, but the idea of the Protestant Work Ethic being a Scottish one is wrong, probably the best and most telling example of living a life according to the ethic was that of the Puritans, the Founding Fathers. Their dedication to the precepts of the teachings set down the foundation of American society, I'm not going to go in to a description of Puritan psychology, most of us can picture it. Germanic societies took readily to the teachings of Calvin too, and when the Germanic societies migrated in vast numbers into the US they arrived in a society that they recognised. Once again picture the atypical immigrant settler family on the frontier as an example of people living by this credo. So it's not a Scottish concept, but there is a unique Scottish twist to it. When Adam Smith wrote the book the "Wealth of Nations" he wrote down the framework of International trade and capitalism. He showed the way for people to become richer by International trade, and he hoped that this accumulation of wealth would be put to good works. He was disgusted when the Merchants of Glasgow in particular but Scotland on the whole used the money to build grander and grander houses, and most offensively, to build large mausoleums. Some people took the wrong teachings from the Ethic, they thought that showing that they were wealthy was showing that they were predestined to be admitted to heaven. Adam Smith believed that the money should be used for good works, to build hospitals and shelters for the poor. Many Scots took on what Adam Smith was saying and redoubled themselves to earn and use the money to improve the life of the poor, what more Christian act could there be? An early pioneer of this concept was a man called Robert Owen, who created a community called New Lanark.......have a read at this http://www.robert-owen.com/ Now the problem of people being wasteful haunted Adam Smith for the rest of his life, his family understood exactly he meant by his teachings and his nephew in particular was a " disciple " of Smiths Work Ethic and Charitable teachings. The nephew was an extraordinarily successful businessman, and I believe he was the first man to have the contract awarded to supply meal ( grain ) to the Royal Navy. he used his profits to improve the life of the poor but on this Christmas Day here is where it get's interesting. Charles Dickens visited Edinburgh to visit the grave of a recently departed friend, while walking through the graveyard with another friend he read an inscription " here lies ............. ......... he was a Meal Man " Due to the weathering on the gravestone Dickens misread it and thought it said " he was a mean man ". He remarked to his friend about being known to posterity as a mean man, and his friend pointed out the mistake, and went on to explain the story of the man lying within the grave. That man?............Adam Smiths nephew, his name? Ebeneezer Scroggie. Dickens held the thought, and went on to write probably the most famous and best loved Christmas fable, The Christmas Carol. By way of tribute he used Ebeneezers name........for so many of us we can picture the miser, the cruel man, however the story is a story about redemption, and a story about how love of family and using your wealth for charitable purposes brings happiness in this life. I believe the real Ebeneezer Scroggie would have been pleased that his name was used to teach this lesson, I know that Adam Smith was proud that his nephew took up his cause to well, and the vast explosion of wealthy men building hospitals and shelters can be partly linked to these teachings. Andrew Carnegie, that young man from Dunfermline, certainly believed in harnessing the profits of capitalism for charitable work. He was at one time the richest man in the World, and he spent an untold fortune on good works, maternity wards, libraries etc. So is the concept of the Protestant Work Ethic a Scottish one? Absolutely not, however many Scots took it on and made it their life's work.........and men like Robert Owen, Adam Smith, Andrew Carnegie and millions of others tried their hardest to improve the lives of others......however today let's remember Ebeneezer Scroggie, his name will live forever as a story of redemption........ Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." It's not how much money you have, it's what you do with it..........and even if you are not religious your money can make a difference to others through charitable work. As the fictional Scrooge discovered........ Scrooge weeps over his own grave, begging the ghost for a chance to change his ways and re-embrace life, before awakening to find it is Christmas morning. He has been given an opportunity to repent after all. Scrooge does so and becomes a model of generosity and kindness, towards his nephew, his neighbours, and the Cratchits. He also lives the time he would have died if he was still selfish. As the final narration states, "Many laughed to see this alteration in him, but he let them laugh and little heeded them, for he knew that no good thing in this world ever happened, at which some did not have their fill of laughter. His own heart laughed and that was quite enough for him. And it was always said of him that he knew how to keep Christmas well if any man alive possessed the knowledge." The true spirit of Christmas............ Merry Christmas from theblether!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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