Them hoodies, down south

So, some youngsters in Invercargill has set about the time honoured tradition of winding up the olds by wearing hoodies with obscene anti-Christian messages and pornographic images of nuns on them (1).

The olds, of course, have risen to the bait.

Both sides should ponder the words of Karl Marx, writing in a letter to Arnold Ruge in 1842:

... religion in itself is without content, it owes its being not to heaven but to the earth, and with the abolition of distorted reality, of which it is the theory, it will collapse of itself. Finally, I desired that, if there is to be talk about philosophy, there should be less trifling with the label “atheism,” which reminds one of children, assuring everyone who is ready to listen to them that they are not afraid of the bogy man ... (2)

If the yoof of today have to be offensive about something, it would be nice if they were offensive about something more important than ancient superstition. Climate change, our horrible rightwing government, child abuse, whatever. There's a lot more to be fierce about than someone who has been dead for two millennia. Talk about kicking a man when he's down.

And the olds shouldn't get so up tight about it. It's just children showing they're not scared of the bogyman. Christians, in particular, should welcome the attention. If there's one thing worse than being talked about ...

1 - "Profane tops 'horrify' in Invercargill ," by Evan Harding. Published in the Southland Times. reproduced by Stuff, 8th of June, 2011. (http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/5112236/Profane-tops-horrify-in-Invercargill)
2 - "Letter from Marx to Arnold Ruge," by Karl Marx (!). Written November 30 1842 and reproduced on Marxists.org. (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1842/letters/42_11_30.htm)

The end of the world

I am not at all surprised the world did not end the other day, as had been predicted (1). I am not at all surprised, either, that those who didn't think it would (though I wonder how many of them had their fingers crossed behind their backs?) have made a lot of fun of those who did (a bit too much fun, perhaps; maybe as if they were secretly relieved?)

But the joke's on us, really. The faithful will continue to hold onto their faith. if you're demented enough to have believed in the last End Of World, you'll almost certainly believe in the next one, which should be being predicted anytime now. The joke's really on us, for wasting so much time on this very silly story.

1 - "'Rapture': Believers perplexed after prediction fails," unattributed story. Published by the BBC, 22nd of May, 2011. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13489641)

British Christians unmartyred

it would appear that British Christians aren't quite as martyred and oppressed as some like to make out.

A recent case, where a Christian electrician was facing disciplinary action for refusing to remove a palm cross from his company vehicle, has been resolved, with his employer backing down (1).

There's been much fulmination in the Daily Mail about this, most of it profoundly (and probably deliberately) missing the point (2).

Mr Atkinson claims he is not being allowed to practise his Christian faith, but in what way? He's being told he can't display a cross in a company vehicle. Being a Christian isn't about making ostentatious displays of virtue and faithfulness.
He should, perhaps consider the words of Jesus:

Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. (3)

They aren't forcing him to pray to Mecca or worship Cthulhu. Just obey the same rules as everyone else who works for them - no personal paraphernalia in company vehicles.

Telling him to remove the cross from his care doesn't stop him 'practising' his faith. Just stops him making an ostentatious display of his piety. Which both Jesus Christ and Wakefield and District Housing disapprove of.

The decision by his employer to let him keep his cross is pragmatic enough resolution, and I'm always in favour of employers addressing the concerns of their employees. But kow-towing to religious special pleading sets a bad precedent. Wonder how many of the people supporting him would offer similar support to a Muslim refusing to handle alcohol?

1 - "Christian electrician wins cross battle," by Nick Collins. Published in the Telegraph, 22nd of April, 2011. (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/8468073/Christian-electrician-wins-cross-battle.html)
2 - Persecuted for his cross: Electrician told he faces the sack for Christian symbol on his van dashboard, "by Jonathan Petre. Published in The Daily Mail, 17th April 2011. (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1377684/Electrician-Colin-Atkinson-faces-sack-Christian-cross-van-dashboard.html#ixzz1JlgOhBLg)
3 - The Gospel According to Saint Matthew, Chapter 6, verse 1. New international Version. (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+6&version=NIV)

Bad day for the Godly

Two egregious examples of (alleged) Christian thoughtlessness have come to my attention in the last 24 hours.

The first is an already notorious Youtube video in which a young woman thanks God for the Japanese earthquake. I'm not linking it because a) it has been pulled by Youtube, and b) I don't want to be seen as joining in the viral hate campaign against this woman.

Since she posted it, her (alleged) identity has been exposed, and her address and contact details have been posted online. It's depressing that she made the video in the first place - though I suspect it is actually a hoax - and even more so that people have responded by aiming hatred and vituperation at someone who is already a rather troubled individual. It's contemptible bullying.

As I said, I'm not even convinced as to the authenticity of the video. I wouldn't be surprised if it was some demented atheist making them, pretending to be a demented Christian, and chuckling at how clever she was being ... not realising that, all along, she is merely demented.

There's no limit to how far people will go when in the grips of some crazed obsession, either pro- or anti- religion. We like to think atheists are sane, rational, reasonable ...people, but there are plenty of fuckhead loons on our 'side' as well.

I'm even less convinced by the address or addresses?) being put up, supposedly allowing people to contact this young woman. People are assuming that they are real, but they have no way of verifying that. I wouldn't be surprised if someone had taken advantage of the furore to get some cheap revenge on a personal enemy, or simply make someone's life Hell for a while.

On one level, it doesn't matter if it is a genuine address or not. People should not be hounded by Hellish hate campaigns simply for sounding an opinion, no matter how dumb. On the other hand, of course, the idea of an innocent person being the target of abuse, hatred and possible violence is disgusting. The people posting the address are, too my mind, worse than the very silly girl in the video.

Far more deserving of contempt is Cardinal Keith O'Brien, the head of the Catholic church in Scotland, who condemned the British government for increasing aid to Pakistan without demanding a guarantee of religious rights for minorities:

Speaking at the launch of a report into the persecution of Christians worldwide, Cardinal O'Brien said: 'I urge (UK Foreign Secretary) William Hague to obtain guarantees from foreign governments before they are given aid.

'To increase aid to the Pakistan government when religious freedom is not upheld and those who speak up for religious freedom are gunned down is tantamount to an anti-Christian foreign policy.

'Pressure should now be put on the Government of Pakistan - and the governments of the Arab world as well - to ensure that religious freedom is upheld, the provision of aid must require a commitment to human rights.' (1)

On the surface, this seems sensible. Why send aid to these reprehensible fundamentalists that are murdering and terrorising anyone who doesn't adhere to their perverse, brutal creed?

But it is also short-sighted and naive. Pakistan has just been buggered ruthlessly by massive flooding (remember that?) and effectively washing our hands of it (religious pun intentional) will just leave more desperate, hopeless people to be recruited by the militants and hate-mongers: "Brother, your life here is over, no-one cares about you. they have left you and your family to die. Take this gone and go and wage jihad against the infidels in Afghanistan!"

And I didn't realise the good Samaritan checked up the worthiness of the people before offering succour.

1 - "Pakistan aid is 'anti-Christian': Stinging attack on Government from church leader," unattributed article. Published in The Daily Mail, 15th of March, 2011. (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1366351/Pakistan-aid-anti-Christian-Stinging-attack-Government-church-leader.html#ixzz1GgoB06zA)