In England and a few other places, the 5th of November is celebrated by burning a "guy" on a bonfire. This guy is a straw-man that represents a failed Catholic uprising in 1605 against the protestant king James 1st. It was led, not by Guy Fawkes, as some people think, but by Robert Catesby. Guy Fawkes was engaged as the explosive expert and happened to be discovered guarding the gunpowder. He was tortured in the Tower and gave the names of the other men involved, who were tracked down and either killed or captured. The death penalty was given to the survivors, although Fawkes cheated by killing himself. The bonfires were lit to celebrate the fact that king James 1st had survived the attempt on his life. So Fawkes wasn't burnt, although until today, when I checked, I though he was burnt alive. I guess that bonfire night is not very popular in Spain or the Vatican. Of course, many Catholics and Protestants have been burnt alive with very little justification. I cannot imagine the pain. Apparently, your feet burn first. We don't do it any more. Our morals have improved. Religion is not as important as it was 400 years ago. And we've got lots more channels on TV.
Oh we are so fortunate to be free of religious nutters, who, given the chance, would control us using any means. The reason heretics were burnt is that it was commonly thought that they could not be resurrected without a body. It was thought that when Jesus returns, the good people will rise up and meet him in the air. Without a body, this is not possible ! They made the error of thinking that God cannot re-assemble all the components. It is quite common among Christians to underestimate the abilities of their God. They think God needs help in achieving his imagined objectives. They talk about "doing God's work". I think their God is quite capable of doing his work all by himself. Instantly. No help. So new thread idea - "Does God need help"
