Mr Cameron whose behaviour are they copying?

London's burning but it's more than property damage. The PM was right when he talked about sections of our society that seem to be sick. Its more than sections perhaps it's all of us who are sick in different ways. We are living in a generation that has lost it's way. We've disregarded the road maps of morality and no one knows where to turn. While the three 'Ps' protest about the criminality of these actions. Could they not be contributors to the angst that seems to be gripping the UK. They talk about copycat behaviour, yet the sad thing is that none of them see the significance. Take the politicians two Summers ago. Was it not a corrupt Parliament that was robbing the nation. Did their actions not say something to the youth. Try it. See if you can get away with it? And was that not what they were doing in the the streets 'smash and grab'. Was that not what Murdoch and his Press were doing when they tapped phones. One of his assistant editors is credited with the words "we destroy lives that's our business". And then you've the Police. Most trying to do their job as honestly as they can but then you have all the "cash for stories" and before long people are saying. "Why can't I have a bit of what they've got?" Mr Cameron it sure is copycat behaviour but the question is, who are they copying? I was walking through the Piazza San Michele, my eye was drawn to a young man painting sunflowers. he had no hands and just one arm, yet with a brush in his mouth he was painting his pictures. He could argue that we all owe him a living but he was choosing to make his own way in life. I thought of London burning and then this young man. So who was he copying. One thing I know is that he was making something good and wholesome out of a situation that none of us would like to be in. He was painting sunflowers rather than burning buildings.

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Posted By: Helmut   On: 16 Sep 2011   At: 2:21pm

Albert,  I stand defeated.

I do not know about London, but have a look at this (switching the site to US at bottom left will help):http://www.stoffwechsel.com/ and another look at this:http://www.lordsland.org/

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Posted By: Helmut   On: 13 Aug 2011   At: 9:22pm

Albert, politics aside (I got myself into troubles some time ago), would it not have been nice to have read about the churches’ work? But then I assume writing about the possibly not-worth-a-headline work of the churches is just that - not worth a headline, not “spectacular”.  But perhaps without the efforts of the churches things would would have been even worse?

Also I think this touches on the complicated matter of oikumene (my favourite) - all the various churches working together should have a greater impact - and make the headlines. I know this is touchy stuff -locally round here it would appear we do not speak to the Baptists, but to the Roman Catholics only - I do not know why, but will investigate.

I think the only way ahead for Christianity is Oikumene. Working together, making the headlines out of our cooperation, and (quite publicly) agreeing on not being agreed on everything. I know very well it is happening already, here and there, but we should shout out about it.

Commenting from a distance is easily done - local priests joining ranks against the violence would have made the headlines - more or less dead priests as well, i am afraid. I myself hope I would really have done what I am thinking about - seeing a priest in the road - and joining him or her.

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Posted By: italker   On: 13 Aug 2011   At: 8:28pm

Helmut you make some pretty good points. I’m in no way denegrating the ordinary policeman who is doing an important job in trying to keep

law in order. Orr indeed the honest politician trying to serve. What I am saying is that surely there is a correlation between the morality that had been exposed at the top of our country’s Institutions and what we now see played back on the streets. the ‘copycat effect ’ is more like the trickle down morality of those in power. So it boils over by people literally saying if you St the top can smash and grab so can I.

As to where the churches were? Probably on the streets as they always are. Recently it was pointed out that one of the fastest growing areas of social work development in UK is the increasing number of Youth workers being employed by churches. The truth is many churches do have both ‘ears to the ground’ .

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Posted By: Helmut   On: 12 Aug 2011   At: 12:30pm

Albert, if it were not a world-famous kirk minister writing this, but humble me in my country, it would be a case of lese majeste and see me prosecuted: hindering and denigrating the political work of an elected representative of whoever. So much easier than dealing with the actual problem. And no, I am not trying to be funny.-

Some other question needs to be asked by possibly uninformed me:

Where were the churches, ministers, priests, preachers, Salvation Army, etc.etc.p.p., before, during, after? This might be my lack of information. Maybe from far away I am not getting at the information I want, perhaps the story was not being told, but then, perhaps there really was a lack of Church in the Streets?

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