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St George was not English
Thursday 23rd April 2009, 9:15AM BST.
LETTER - From a very early age many of us have been told fairytales and stories, many of them quite innocent and without any serious connotations.
Except for one story that is a blatant lie. Many children and adults still believe that St George is English.
St George was born in Epiphania in Cilicia, which is now part of modern day Turkey. How St George the Cappedocian became patron saint of England should have been challenged years ago.
Georgia has St George as its patron saint and it is more credible that he should belong there because Georgia was part of Cappedocia as was Turkey and part of modern day Iraq.
For us English to have a patron saint it is only logical that the patron saint of England should be English.
Mark Norwood, Oswestry
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This old chestnut Mark? Trust someone from the borders to try and upset the apple-cart!
Yes, we know the history, but he is our patron saint, so just celebrate the day.
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St Andrew wasn’t Scottish. St Patrick wasn’t Irish. Looking at this from a Christian perspective (not unreasonable, seeing as it is a Christian phenomenon), I’m not sure it matters. Saints transcend such things as nationality, as does the church. And though it is stretching the point, Jesus wasn’t English either. These things remind us that though we can be rightly proud of our nation, we mustn’t turn that pride into a religion or try to ‘nationalize’ Christianty. The trans-national community of the saints and the church reminds us that there is something higher and wider which can unite all people.
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What a silly letter Mark if I may say so.
St. George is the patron saint of; Amersfoort, Netherlands; Aragon; agricultural workers; archers; armourers; Beirut, Lebanon; Boy Scouts; butchers; Canada; Cappadocia; Catalonia; cavalry; chivalry; Constantinople; Crusaders; England (by Pope Benedict XIV); equestrians; farmers; Ferrara, Italy; field hands; field workers; Genoa, Italy; Georgia; Germany; Gozo; Greece; Haldern, Germany; Heide, Germany; herpes; horsemen; horses; husbandmen; Istanbul; knights; lepers; leprosy; diocese of Limburg, Germany; Lithuania; Malta; Modica, Sicily; Moscow, Russia; Order of the Garter; Palestine; Palestinian Christians; plague; Portugal; Ptuj, Slovenia; riders; saddle makers; saddlers; sheep; shepherds; skin diseases; skin rashes; soldiers; syphilis; Teutonic Knights; Venice.
He’s a rather popular saint – so he wasn’t born in England, big deal. St. Andrew wasn’t born in Scotland, St. Patrick wasn’t born in Ireland.
I’m pretty sure he didn’t slay any dragon either.
If we go along with this English patron Saint must be born in England can I suggest Saint Diana of Althorp or Saint Jade of Burmondsey, or would you prefer something a little bit more controversial why not have Saint Enoch Powell of Wolverhampton or Saint Oswald Mosley of Blackshirt?
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May I wish a Happy St Georges Day to all English patriots.
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It matters not where St. George came from, what IS important is that on St. George’s Day we can be proud of our English roots and heritage. Do you not have anything better to do than pick apart traditions?
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Saint Jade Goody?
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Greetings from sunny Spain where there are a lot more St Georges day celebrations than there is over there.
We fly the flag of St George WITHOUT HAVING TO WORRY if it offend anyone !!
It is best we remember England as it WAS and not how it is NOW.
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what on earth is there left in England to be proud of, it’s all gone to pot!!
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he was orginally turkish – but our George was a Romano-Turkic mercenary called Georgii of Lydda so probably had Italian ancestry. He lived and died a Palestinian.
Lydda which was renamed LOD by the occupying Israelies, its located between Bethlehem and modern day Tel Aviv. He’s a palestian martyr who fought a holy struggle. That’s why the Muslims also venerate him.
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English Exile
There is much about England that has gone to the dogs and I, like you, would rather remember the England that was. As a patriot however I feel it is left to us to try an repair the damage.
Quiting our once great country is easy. Having the guts to remain and fight to put it right is something else.
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Well said, James Whittall.
Happy Saint George’s Day to all fellow Shropshire patriots!
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People, people, people. Who gives a stuff what nationality St George was? I’m a proud Englishman, he’s my patron Saint, nothing else matters. This is still a great country and ordinary, honest, and decent English folk are beginning to find their voices (at last.) With a cheery, mischievous and bold grin on my fizzog, I wish all like minded English folk – a very Happy St George’s Day!
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James Whittall fine words.
Just remind me what it is you doing to put right that country?
Like you said James, our once great country.
I would love to see England as it once was but I am more of a realist than you and got out for a better life.
It is beyond repair without a major revolution and that will never happen.
Stay there and keep getting ripped off because you are welcome to it.
Meanwhile back to the celebrations over here and more memories of years gone by in ONCE great England.
If you want to reply you could tell what’s good about England now………….
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IN REPLY TO MARK NORWOOD FROM OSWESTRY. WE SHOULD HAVE A ENGLISH SAINT. THE FIRST ENGLAND MARTYR WAS ST ALBANS ( 3rd CEN). HE HID A PRIEST IN HIS HOUSE DURING THE PERSUCUTIONS OF CHRISTAINS. THE JUDGE FOUND OUT WERE HE WAS HIDING & SENT HIS SOLDIERS TO CAPTUE HIM. ST ALBANS CHANGED CLOTHES WITH HIM & GAVE HIMSELF UP INSTEAD. WHEN THE JUDGE FOUND OUT HE WAS FURIOUS. HE SAID THAT HE WOULD RECIEVE THE SAME AS THE PRIEST WAS GOING TO GET. WITH THIS HE WAS WIPPED & THEN BEHEADED. HIS SAINTS DAY IS JUNE 22nd. WE SHOULD CHANGE OUR SAINTS DAY ACCORDINGLY
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well said frank, a wonderful story of a lovely man who should definately get more recognition and possibly why not even be our main patron saint
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Does it matter if St George is not English when the English are not English.
The English are descended from the following
Germans – Saxons
French – Normans
Italians – Romans
Danish/Norwegion – Vikings
The true Inhabitants of this island are the
Welsh (Britains) and Scottish.
so please do not get too upset about St George not being English
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St Alban wasn’t English. He was British or Roman. In fact there were no English in his time – they hadn’t been invented.
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May I just take this oportunity to say how extremely sorry I am that yesterday was St Georges Day, I apologise for wearing my red shirt with the St George Cross on it, I do sincerely hope I have not offended too many people by celebrating the fact that I am English and living in England.
There you go, saying sorry for everything is the English way. Sorry.
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Sorry, but I spelt opportunity wrong.
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I can’t believe peopel moan so much about how this country has gone to the dogs. Try living in the USA. I have family out there, they have to get their insurance documents ready before rushing to A&E with a sick child, crime is completely out of hand and their quality of food is terrible (try buying anything but processed cheese in a can out there). I also have family in Spain, New Zealand and Australia, none of these places are better off than us (except the weather). Stop moaning and appreciate what we have got in the country.
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I think Jade Goody would be a suitable choice, at least for the unpleasant extreme-right groups and football hooligans who make a show of waving our flag and undermining it in so doing. After all, she was poorly-educated, had a low IQ and was known for her racist views – they’ve got so much in common!
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Comment 21 Peter – “she was poorly-educated, had a low IQ and was known for her racist views” Peter I must correct you
1) Jade made over 3 million pounds in her lifetime how about yourself? If having a low IQ makes you a multi millionaire it does not seem such a bad thing.
2) Jade is a of mix race origin how on earth does that make her racist? yes she made a few poorly timed comments on live TV but she was not racist.
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Y Mab – it was an attempt at humour. She made a lot of money, but was, by her own admission ‘fick’. Sadly, having a decent IQ and/or working hard are not necessarily a guarantee of financial success in our celebrity-obsessed culture.
For what it’s worth I don’t believe she was a racist – just rather silly in her choice of comments. And anyway – being of mixed race doesn’t necessarily make people immune from being racist does it?
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Jade does represent all that is wrong with this country.
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Another nasty sneeering comment from Peter. How typical of a Nu Labour fanatic.
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The Queens Family were German her hubby is Greek so who cares if St George was a Turk! probably did a mean kebab :-)
Poor Jane Goody she gets no peace evn though she has gone!
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Maybe it should be ‘Peter’
After all the clown that posts on this site, is typical of the pseudo intellectuals that live in our medicre dump!
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my patron saint is st alec issigonis who probably did more for gb than all the saints put together.
morris minor, mini, 1800., maxi etc
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