Jesus replaced with a Gregg's sausage roll.

How Many Have Been Killed by Communists in the Name of Atheism & Secularism?

None, probably. How can that be? After all, millions and millions of people died in Russia and China under communist governments — and those governments were both secular and atheistic. So weren't all of those people killed because of atheism — even in the name of atheism and secularism? No, that conclusion does not follow. Atheism itself isn't a principle, cause, philosophy, or belief system which people fight, die, or kill for. Being killed by an atheist is no more being killed in the name of atheism than being killed by a tall person is being killed in the name of tallness. Communists Don't Kill in the Name of Atheism...

Communists just kill for power

I am shocked by this advert. Nothing is sacred anymore. Would love to boycott Greggs but as I never buy the sort of products they sell they won’t miss my patronage. Christmas seems to start earlier and earlier each year. Whatever happened to Advent?

Why else do people kill, Annie?
Why did the catholics kill? Why did the Church of England kill?
To gain or keep power.

Fellowfeeling, I think advent now starts in August and Epiphany ends 27th December so Easter eggs can fill the shelves

Jen man kills for many reasons ,

Actually, fellowfeeling, an adnevt calendar has to be bought before advent, otherwise there is no point.

How many people on here have said they are going to buy those very expensive advent calendars from John Lewis or wherever for themselves?
Not quite the idea, is it? I hope you have criticised them on the Christmas advert thread.

I haven't seen their Christmas advert, does it have singing and dancing sausage rolls

I don't think it’s funny or clever, but also not worth getting upset about. It’s just some advertising person’s feeble attempt at a joke. Ignore.

A bit late for that, Grandma70s.

skyBTW the number of people killed by atheist regimes such as Stalin’s or Mao’s far outstrips the number killed in wars or persecution involving religion. (I have seen the numbers counted and no doubt you could find them online.)
No I can’t find such a comparison and I doubt very much if a political movement such as communism has killed more people in the history of the world than religion, since communism was a 20thcentury political philosophy originating from the works of Karl Marx and religion has been around for x thousand years, even if you only take the last 1000 years there has been the crusades, the wars of religion, the Spanish Inquisition, the reformation, pogroms of Jews, the holocaust just to mention a very few from the top of my head.

Advent is a time of preparation for Christmas. To people who follow the Christian calendar it means a lot more than a chocolate calendar, nice though these are. I feel we are losing the special feeling of Christmas by everything starting so early. However, as always, I am sorry if I have offended anyone.

I do not have any religious beliefs.
However, I do have Christianity as part of my history and culture.
It appears to me that quasi-intellectual 'wannabes' (most of the 'media?) who think they are so soooo smart, want to denigrate my culture and promote other cultures as superior.
Why do they want to do that? Damned if I know. It’s fashionable? they think they're clever, far cleverer than just 'ordinary' people? They are biased?
We live in one of the best countries on Earth - we've spent hundreds of years achieving our culture, not perfect, needs a few tweaks, but I think it’s being overwhelmed.
Analyse this -
WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE OFFENDED,
WE DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO NOT BE OFFENDED

I don't like it either. I find it disrespectful. Just a feeble attempt to be different and clever.
Unfortunately like others have said I think it has upped there sales.

I am Jewish and I found it very offensive and disrespectful

I am not a practising Christian, have little time for organised religion and the wealth and trappings that would feed thousands, but like many I attempt to live life as much as I can in a Christ like manner; we have all been taught 'the right way' and know what we should do although I fall down very badly so often! Jesus used parables to explain what He believed was the right way of living to simpler people. The writers of the bible had the same challenge - to get a message across and to appeal to all. The Nativity story shows that Jesus was born into a harsh world with little in the way of comforts - hence the stable and the flight of his parents. Whatever you might think of Jesus he existed, and years ago a bunch of rather sceptical academics delved deeply into the story of his life and work, and concluded, stopping short of saying he was the Son of God any more than all of us are, that 'This was one very remarkable Jew'.
Whatever you believe, surely nobody can criticise His message of 'Love one another, don't fight, and forgive everything'? To insult faith in the way that Gregg's have done is despicable, because as others have rightly said, they would not dare to mock Muslims. Likely they would have their shops bombed - so a soft target is the Christians who will always turn the other cheek. Shame on their advertising agency.

I am a Christian but I totally agree with what Trisher said about the nativity scene being fictional. However, it is strongly linked in our culture to Christmas so although intellectually I know it isn't true or essential to the Christian message there is still an emotional reaction to something like this. Personally I found it in very poor taste but I can see why some would find it mildly amusing. But I am not at all offended. I think Greggs were very insensitive to use this advert but many of the young find it hilarious to 'shock' those they see as staid and old fashioned - why else use all these swear words and vulgar joke about body parts etc on prime TV shows?
Sorry, got a bit off the point there. My main reaction is to ignore this ad and move on. Outrage only causes more hilarity to some.
Pity that as usual this thread has deteriorated into personal insults.

Not appropriate in my view as a non believer - the point is that others are and do not deserve to have the mickey taken for commercial reasons of something that matters a great deal top them

Now, had it been a transgender sausage roll sparks would have flown.

sheila Christianity is about tolerance? Tell that to women and girls forced to give birth in countries where the RC faith holds sway. Tell that to the Irish mother threatened with jail for getting the abortion pills for her 14 year old. Tell that to the widower of the woman who died in childbirth in Ireland because the doctors refused to save her because they put the baby first ( who was going to die anyway). Tell that to the Irish 14 year old raped by her grandfather and who the government banned from travelling to England for an abortion. Christianity being about tolerances? Don’t make me choke - and that’s before I start on their homophobia and the dreadful way they failed to deal with child abuse

Many religious Muslims will dislike what Greggs have done too.Mohammed followed Jesus’ teachings.
In fact many people of faith will dislike it.
I do think that people are ‘allowed’ to dislike something of this kind, without posters telling them to ignore it or saying
What does it matter.......they can say it doesn’t matter to ‘them’ just as others say that it does matter ( to them.)
So yes, absolutely Madgran77 what you say is spot on.

There you go again Maryeliza and what that has to do with Greggs, the Good Lord only knows.

Why have one or two posters decided this is ‘ let’s have a bash at Christianity ‘ thread?
Will they also be having a bash at other religions too?

Well lemn I’m sorry you’re unable to read properly and follow the discussion on a thread but if you could you'd see that sheila said that Christianity was about tolerance - I gave examples that it isn’t and that’s got everything to do with the reactions of some posters on here to the sausage roll

If someone would like that post something in favour of Islam, I’ll happily have a bash at that too.