But Runner, given your posts, you would just LOVE the
US bible belt, in the south!

Churches on every corner, tele evangelists on every
tv channel, state govts hanging up the 10 commandments,
trying to ban abortion clinics, denying kids sex education.
They even want to ban the teaching of evolution in
schools.

Tolerance is another question. I had a net friend who
lived in that area. Once she talked about "coming out
of the closet". I was surprised, as she had not mentioned
her sexual preferences before. It turns out that it wasn't
sex, she was on about, but religion. As a humanist, she
was too scared to admit that publicly, in case she lost
her job. Its all bible bashers in that part of the US.

Robertson and Falwell appear on tv, telling people that its
all that fornicating that causes hurricanes and even 911.

Its "true believer" country, bibles everywhere!

Here in Aus, its ex convict country. One of the least
religious countries on the planet. But one of the most
tolerant, I grant you.

runner: "We are a greatly blessed land with opportunities for many people from many different places. I thank God everyday for a wonderful country with a largely tolerant group of people."

Indeed, but aren't you always banging on about how there's too many depraved secular humanists and heathen Muslims here? I'm with Yabby - I reckon you'd be much happier somewhere in the American bible belt.

It doesn't cost that much to get there, really, and you'd only need a one-way ticket :)

Come to think of it, Sells might be happier there too. He could even get a job in Creation Science, thus potentially solving his major existential problem.

"And you, Celivia, are 7. Is that for the seven who went to heaven?"
Oh yes ybgirp, and I'll be an angelic angel and make sure I'll spill enough Heaven ice cream so it will rain Heaven in hell to cool those poor, burning souls.

Yes, Yabby, that Bible belt is highly interesting- did you watch 4corners last week about Friends of God in the US?
All these disturbed evangelicals; I found them seriously scary.
Imagine having to spend eternity in heaven with these freaks- it'll be hell. No wonder nobody wants to be a martyr these days.

'Evolution is from the devil.'
Someone wearing a Tshirt reading: "Former Embryo".
Would there be a market for "Former one-night-stand" Tshirts, I wonder?

The scary and sad part was when all these little kids were indoctrinated about creationism.

Another scary thing is that they think America is the best country in the world- God's country, and that it is worth fighting and dying for.
Potential martyrs market- perhaps Sellick SHOULD move there and place an ad in the Bible belt's local paper: "martyrs wanted", I bet people would line up.

Australian Martyrs?
I doubt it. They might not like the job description or the workers' conditions. Insurance companies might reject them also.
They'd rather be Happy Clappers than martyrs.

Here are some famous Aussie martyrs (straight off the top of my head), Graeme Staines and his two sons.

If I did a few minutes more research I could probably find some more names.

Sellick needs to do more research before he serves us up more under developed meanderings.

www.abc.net.au/am/stories/s97157.htm

Mick

Graham Staines murderer has been sentenced by an Indian court to life imprisonment. It was a shocking murder and given the murderer's alleged motive I suppose it could be regarded as a sort of Martyrdom but I do not believe it is exactly the sort of thing Sells is talking about. It did not happen in Australia and is not likely to be particularly formative of mainstream church life in Australia.

Australia's true martyrs were the indigenous people massacred on their own land by troopers and landowners who either enjoyed state backing directly or indirectly in that they were never prosecuted for their crimes... if indeed they were regarded as crimes.

Given the close relationship between church and state that has existed in Australia since European settlement it seems the Church is actually implicated on the 'wrong' side of the story. Australia's true martyrs will not form the Church but, rather, they are shaking its foundations. Show me a Christian who was executed for speaking out against the massacres of indigenous Australians and I will show you a Martyr for Christ. I dont know of any but, for the Church's sake, I certainly hope there were some.

the Scottish Martyrs were deported to Australia for sedition in 1794, however I think most of these were not strictly Christian, but unitarians, influenced by that 'heretic' Thomas Paine.

Thomas Muir. Convict - Jacobeans - Constitutional Reform
http://www.australiahistory.com.au/zz%20BNP-indexes/1793-thomas_Muir.htm