The Student Room Group

the UK went to war because of God

It was revealed that Tony Blair asked God for help when going to War on Iraq. Secular movements in the UK have started the argument that the PM made a bad move by discussing this.

However, the UAE believes Tony cannot be blamed for following his belief. As Sir Thomas More at his trial in the 1535 said: "I think that when statesmen forsake their own private conscience for the sake of their public duties, they lead their country by a short route to chaos." However, when related to the Iraq war, this is debateable.

What do other countries think?

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Reply 1
Did you mean this to go in MUN...?
Reply 2
dogtanian
Did you mean this to go in MUN...?


Its been moved. Its not a matter for the UN.
This is just an example of innocuous comments being blown completely out of proportion. Blair was being asked about the conscience-side of going to war and there were consequently some references to religion, but it was hardly as if he stood up, waved a bible and yelled 'IT WAS MY HOLY MISSION!'
The media is playing it up and the anti-war crowd is latching on. Complete non-story making me think it was a slow-news-day.
Reply 4
digitalparadox
It was revealed that Tony Blair asked God for help when going to War on Iraq.


except this wasnt what was revealed.
Reply 5
Blair is behaving like the puppet of Bush and I'm pissed off because he is mixing religion with politics which is exatcly what Al Qaida are doing. What a hypocrite.
Reply 6
Bangkok_Tom
Blair is behaving like the puppet of Bush and I'm pissed off because he is mixing religion with politics which is exatcly what Al Qaida are doing. What a hypocrite.

Hahaha, no.
Reply 7
Bangkok_Tom
Blair is behaving like the puppet of Bush and I'm pissed off because he is mixing religion with politics which is exatcly what Al Qaida are doing. What a hypocrite.


Not really.:rolleyes:
Reply 8
Bangkok_Tom
Blair is behaving like the puppet of Bush and I'm pissed off because he is mixing religion with politics which is exatcly what Al Qaida are doing. What a hypocrite.


:rofl:

He just made a simple statement which the media has just twisted around, i dont see him mixing religion and politics at all.
Reply 9
the UK went to war because of God

Rubbish, Blair did not say that at all, he just said God would judge his decision.
digitalparadox
It was revealed that Tony Blair asked God for help when going to War on Iraq. Secular movements in the UK have started the argument that the PM made a bad move by discussing this.

However, the UAE believes Tony cannot be blamed for following his belief. As Sir Thomas More at his trial in the 1535 said: "I think that when statesmen forsake their own private conscience for the sake of their public duties, they lead their country by a short route to chaos." However, when related to the Iraq war, this is debateable.

What do other countries think?



I think he should be sacked. kicked straight out of office. general election tommorow. He really wants to be seen as mr.altruistic mr blair.
You wouldnt see Ghandi sending people to their deaths like that.

This is a last ditch attempt at justifying to himself all the wrong hes done.

I remember watching this american domestic violence information video as part of my course, and one of the 'dramatisations' they had of this bloke abusing his wife when he didnt get his own way was that he'd get out the bible to justify what he'd done.

Blair thinks he can treat us all like that guy treated his wife...

He's gonna get a wakeup call, because the great british public is definitly not his bitch.
oink
Rubbish, Blair did not say that at all, he just said God would judge his decision.



its not rubbish... i've highlighted the important bit in red.

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article349125.ece
Explaining how he managed to live with the decision to go to war in Iraq, Mr Blair replied: "If you have faith about these things then you realise that judgement is made by other people. If you believe in God,it's made by God as well."



follow blairs logic, hes a commited christian, so he thus believes in god. so his decision was made by god as well.

its as bad as when bush said that he went to war with iraq because god told him to lol
Reply 12
El Scotto

its not rubbish... i've highlighted the important bit in red.




follow blairs logic, hes a commited christian, so he thus believes in god. so his decision was made by god as well.

its as bad as when bush said that he went to war with iraq because god told him to lol

Thats a very weak argument, for a start it says if you belive in God,(which BLAIR DOES) BUT he is not claiming we went to war because of God, he is claiming that judgementwill be passed by God on the decision, he did not say that God made the decision himself, christians belive God gave man free will.
Reply 13
oink
Rubbish, Blair did not say that at all, he just said God would judge his decision.



Which is, to be honest, tantamount to saying that he is really only answerable to "God", so would everyone stop bothering him with their silly complaints about breaking international law and whatnot.

I find it pretty worrying that Tony Blair feels himself to be ultimately answerable to something that I believe not to exist.
Reply 14
Johnny
Which is, to be honest, tantamount to saying that he is really only answerable to "God", so would everyone stop bothering him with their silly complaints about breaking international law and whatnot.

I find it pretty worrying that Tony Blair feels himself to be ultimately answerable to something that I believe not to exist.

tantamount to saying that he is really only answerable to "God",

No, he said people as well
"If you have faith about these things then you realise that judgement is made by other people. If you believe in God,it's made by God as well."
Reply 15
Johnny
I find it pretty worrying that Tony Blair feels himself to be ultimately answerable to something that I believe not to exist.

I can't see how matters of his private conscience should affect you. If he said God told him to do it I'd be worried, but he is just expressing his belief that his moral actions will be held to account, if you don't belive they will then so what?
Non-story.
Reply 17
JonathanH
Non-story.
Like a few cartoons published in Demark... oh wait...
Reply 18
Ferrus
I can't see how matters of his private conscience should affect you. If he said God told him to do it I'd be worried, but he is just expressing his belief that his moral actions will be held to account, if you don't belive they will then so what?


It matters because when Tony Blair makes decisions for our country, such as going to war in Iraq, he should be held ultimately to account by our nation and its system of democracy, not by his private adjudicator; "God".

If he were worried about what his "God" would think of something he did in his private life, then fine. I don't care if he wants to bow and scrape and beg for mercy from "God". That is a private matter, for his private conscience.

Because he represents our country, he should not feel ultimatley answerable to his private "God" for judgement on descisions that are taken on a national level; his private conscience should bear no relevance to his prime ministerial role.
Reply 19
JonathanH
Non-story.


No it is a story! An increasing mélange of politics and religion is a story!

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