Little known facts: St George, Patron Saint of England, was a Palestinian Christian, with a Turkish father and a Palestinian mother. St George's flag, the white flag with the red cross, symbolic icon for English patriots and official flag of England, is one of the main symbolic elements within the Union Jack, official flag of the UK. St George and his red and white flag are also the official flag and patron saint of Georgia (former Soviet Union republic), Liguria (Italy) and Catalonia (Spain). He is also the patron saint of Bulgaria, and is venerated by Christians across Europe and the Middle East. Europe and Asia have a cultural history that is more intertwined than many might first imagine, especially those who have unfortunately hijacked the flag of St George and turned it into a symbol for white racists and far-right nationalist politics within the UK, which is far from its true religious meaning and origins, and the man from Palestine: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_George Saint George (c. 275/280–April 23, 303) was a soldier of the Roman Empire and later became a Christian martyr. The traditional account of his life is considered to have originated in the 4th century. According to it, George was born to a Christian family during the late 3rd century [in Palestine]. His father was from Cappadocia [modern Turkey] and served as an officer of the army. His mother was from Lydda, Palestine. She returned to her native city as a widow along with her young son, where she provided him with a respectable education... In 303, [Roman Emperor] Diocletian issued an edict authorising the systematic persecution of Christians across the Empire. His caesar, Galerius, was supposedly responsible for this decision and would continue the persecution during his own reign (305–311). It is believed that George was ordered to take part in the persecution but instead confessed to being a Christian himself and criticised the imperial decision. An enraged Diocletian proceeded in ordering the torture of this apparent traitor and his execution. According to the tradition, after various tortures, George was executed by decapitation in front of Nicomedia's defensive wall on April 23, 303. The witness of his suffering convinced Empress Alexandra and Athanasius, a pagan priest, to also become Christians, and so they also joined George in martyrdom as consequence. His body was then returned to Lydda for burial, where Christians soon came to honour George as a martyr.
He's also the patron saint of syphillis Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! I don't think the cross is a symbol for racists in the UK anymore - it was always more the Union Jack anyway. I'm proud to be English and I think we should have a patron saint Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
