The Hazards of Belief

Hotblack Desiato

http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/letters/star-wars-and-skellig-michael-1.2247705


‘Star Wars’ and Skellig Michael

Sir, – I wish to comment on a very serious case of environmental damage carried out some time between the 6th and 8th centuries. A group of Christian men made their way by boat to an island off the southwest coast of Ireland and proceeded to erect numerous stone buildings.

The men clearly felt they had a God-given right to do what they did. However, they neither sought nor obtained planning permission for the work they carried out, which was totally unsympathetic to the character of the island. They did immeasurable damage to the once pristine environment by quarrying for stone, levelling surfaces, erecting non-vernacular structures and building long staircases. No doubt they trampled over the local flora and preyed on the resident bird population for eggs and meat. When they finally left they made no attempt to put things right, so the island has remained defaced ever since. Given the renewed interest in this island, perhaps now is a good time to remove the stone structures and return Skellig Michael to its original state. – Yours, etc,

TOMÁS

MAOILSEACHLAINN,

Lettermacaward,

Co Donegal.

robindch

^^^ Speaking as a kerryman, I have to say that's nowt but Donegal jealousy.

Eeden

joseph brand wrote: »

Pat Robertson to Grieving Mother: Baby Could Have Grown Up to Be Hitler (or Stalin or a serial killer).

Pat is really pushing the envelope of obnoxious lunacy.

...And yet, God actually DID allow Hitler, Stalin, etc. to be born.

Hotblack Desiato

I feel sorry for those students in Malaysia, they didn't think they were doing anything wrong and there was nobody else around to see them, how were they supposed to know the mountain was supposedly 'sacred' and that some feckwit would blame them for an earthquake!

Another country goes onto my 'do not visit ever' list (even though I've never been naked in a public place )

Peregrinus

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

I feel sorry for those students in Malaysia, they didn't think they were doing anything wrong . . .

They had been told about the cultural significance of the mountain before the started, and of the expectation that they would treat it with respect. And I struggle to think that it never occurred to them that stripping naked on the mountain and (some reports say) urinating on it might fall a little short of the degree of respect expected.

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

. . . and there was nobody else around to see them . . .

There are photographs of the event, Hotblack. Did you think they were taken by angels?

The group was accompanied by at least one guide. It has he who reported them. I don't know it it was he who took the photographs, or whether that was members of another group.

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

. . . how were they supposed to know the mountain was supposedly 'sacred' . . .

They were briefed about that before the ascent. Everyone is. Plus, when they decided to strip the guide pointed out that it was inappropriate and instructed them not to do it. They had previously signed undertakings to follow the guide's instructions during the climb.

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

. . . and that some feckwit would blame them for an earthquake!

The person who was reported as having said that has denied that he said it. Be that as it may, they weren't in court for causing earthquakes, but for obscenity (the stripping in public) and niusance (the urinating).

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

. . . Another country goes onto my 'do not visit ever' list (even though I've never been naked in a public place )

If you're happy to respect local standards regarding public nudity and respect for places of cultural significance, I don't see why you'd be concerned about visiting Malaysia. Those who are not happy to do that would probably be wise to stay at home.

Nodin

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

I feel sorry for those students in Malaysia, they didn't think they were doing anything wrong and there was nobody else around to see them, how were they supposed to know the mountain was supposedly 'sacred' and that some feckwit would blame them for an earthquake!

Another country goes onto my 'do not visit ever' list (even though I've never been naked in a public place )

The pictures - that would have been a bit of a give away (though they were very disappointing I have to say. (I wouldn't have rumbled and got seismic over it, meself).

Hotblack Desiato

Still, ridiculous to fine people heavily and imprison them for several days for a victimless minor misdemeanour.

the photos were taken by one of their group, the British woman's father said a Canadian student was responsible for publicising them, he said nothing about the presence of a guide.

Smartass comments like 'taken by angels' just make you look arrogant.

recedite

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

Still, ridiculous to fine people heavily and imprison them for several days for a victimless minor misdemeanour.

Very effective though, from the point of view of the Malaysians, and getting their message across.

obplayer

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

Still, ridiculous to fine people heavily and imprison them for several days for a victimless minor misdemeanour.

the photos were taken by one of their group, the British woman's father said a Canadian student was responsible for publicising them, he said nothing about the presence of a guide.

Smartass comments like 'taken by angels' just make you look arrogant.

They do not appear to have been harmed, their lives have not been wrecked. The Malaysians have made their point and possibly put some manners on those visitors (and perhaps future visitors also).

The Black Oil

In case you didn't get the memo, British Christians are being oppressed.

Take the case of Victoria Wasteney, an occupational therapist in the NHS. She was accused of bullying a Muslim colleague. Telegraph coverage.

And the inevitable narrative that follows.

Andrea Williams, the chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said the case demonstrated that “the NHS is increasingly dominated by a suffocating liberal agenda that chooses to bend over backwards to accommodate certain beliefs but punishes the Christian”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyz0Vv9vYkY

Funny thing, those pesky folks over at the National Secular Society have a rather different take on things.

She started work in the hospital in 2007. In 2011 she approached her line manager, Mr Wilson and asked whether "the Trust could provide a Christian Worship Service at the John Howard Centre." She suggested that this could be provided by her church – The Christian Revival Church.

After consulting the chaplain, Mr Wilson agreed to the idea for a probationary period, only on the understanding that the services would be "ecumenical" in nature, so it would have broad appeal and that all Christians who wanted to could attend.

Within weeks of the church arriving in the hospital complaints began to arrive on Mr Wilson's desk about the nature of the services it was conducting. The Matron said that staff who were escorting patients to the services were being pressurised to participate in the worship and give their personal details.

and they have a copy of the employment tribunal which dismissed her claims.

We have set out this passage of events in some detail as, whilst it does not give rise to specific justiciable issues of discrimination or harassment, it is said by the Claimant to be evidence of a general hostility to Christianity in general and the CRC in particular within the Trust. We do not accept this. The evidence shows that the Respondent was receptive to the idea of establishing regular Christian worship at the John Howard Centre: it was the way in which that worship was conducted which gave rise to allegations of improper pressure on staff and service users. It is notable in this context that service users are vulnerable persons with mental health conditions. Furthermore, there was cogent evidence that services were not broad based and ecumenical as the Respondent had requested but were more narrowly focused on the Charismatic and Evangelical strands of Christian belief. Mixed in with all of this was the Claimant's own conduct in respect of RH which she persisted in despite being told by her line manager to desist because of a potential conflict of interest.

Nodin

Isn't it odd that neither the mail or the telegraph mention what particular church she's a member of?

Hotblack Desiato

It is notable in this context that service users are vulnerable persons with mental health conditions.

They always go after the vulnerable.
Young children, the destitute, the lonely, the mentally ill, the physically ill.
Easy targets.

PopePalpatine

Daesh are running a "Quran memorisation" competition. The top 3 win sex slaves:

Hotblack Desiato

Yet we are led to believe that islam abhors all sex outside of marriage - are there verses in the koran condoning sexual slavery? (there are in the bible.)

moving swiftly on...

A hazard of belief - the state granting privileges to religion then gets caught up in the nonsensical debate of what is a 'valid' religion or not.

Druid school in Castlerea granted charitable tax-exemption status

The school, which is on a farm near Castlerea, Co Roscommon, offers a variety of courses relating to Druidism, such as baby namings, pagan weddings and "life-path guidance".

Mr Connor said the process with the Revenue Commissioners lasted over two years as attempts were made to define what constituted a religion and what did not.

"There is no advice booklet on how to become recognised as a religion in Ireland," he added. "We would prefer to be seen as a spiritual tradition. We are non-hierarchical and do not have a book of rules."

legspin

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

Yet we are led to believe that islam abhors all sex outside of marriage - are there verses in the koran condoning sexual slavery? (there are in the bible.)

Maybe it operates a bit like a whipping boy. Rather than you having to go out and have all that evil sex, you have a slave to go and have it for you.

obplayer

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

Yet we are led to believe that islam abhors all sex outside of marriage - are there verses in the koran condoning sexual slavery? (there are in the bible.)

moving swiftly on...

A hazard of belief - the state granting privileges to religion then gets caught up in the nonsensical debate of what is a 'valid' religion or not.

Druid school in Castlerea granted charitable tax-exemption status

They probably offer the girls / women as wives. Which if you follow the Koran are basically sex slaves. Oh sorry, and cooking and cleaning slaves as well.

Pawwed Rig

obplayer wrote: »

They probably offer the girls / women as wives. Which if you follow the Koran are basically sex slaves. Oh sorry, and cooking and cleaning slaves as well.

Does anyone read Arabic? I find this translation slightly hard to believe

anothernight

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

Does anyone read Arabic? I find this translation slightly hard to believe

Apparently the translation is correct. I find it harder to believe that the competition is real.

Pawwed Rig

I am sceptical of any news originating from that part of the world.

Shrap

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

I am sceptical of any news originating from that part of the world.

Which part? The part controlled by Isis, or the part controlled by the U.S.?! ie. the origin of the competition or the origin of the translation....

Can't say I've much faith in either to be rational/truthful.

Pawwed Rig

Shrap wrote: »

Can't say I've much faith in either to be rational/truthful.

This exactly. I don't think there is any credible news from the region that isn't through the prism of someone's agenda.

robindch

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

I don't think there is any credible news from the region that isn't through the prism of someone's agenda.

I've found the BBC broadly reliable in the past.

recedite

Even though it can't really be confirmed, I wouldn't be at all surprised if it was true.
Given that escaping Yasidi refugees already reported that a large number of their young men had been killed and their young girls abducted.
And given that similarly divinely inspired Boko Haram in Nigeria abducts young girls for the same reasons.
And given that such behaviour is condoned in both the Quran and the OT Bible.
This is an allegation of atrocious behaviour, alleged to be happening in a land where atrocities are known to be commonplace.

Cabaal

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-33225466

The name of a Spanish village that translates as "Fort Kill Jews" has been changed following a referendum and local government approval.

The controversial name may have been adopted in Medieval times by Catholic converts from Judaism keen to show their loyalty to the state.

Oh those Catholics, at it again

anothernight

As a Spanish person, I'd like to point out that it doesn't sound to me nearly as bad in Spanish as it does in English. It might be because it's similar to matamoros ('kill the Moors', in English) which is not that uncommon as a place name and surname. Saint George is colloquially referred to as San Jorge Matamoros (Saint George the Moor killer) for example.

Spanish is a bit too colourful.

silverharp

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/18/sweet-baby-jesus-beer-pulled-grocery-store_n_7617958.html

An Ohio grocery chain has pulled a popular beer from its shelves because of its controversial name.

Sweet Baby Jesus! is a chocolate and peanut butter porter by the Baltimore-based DuClaw Brewing Co. According to Fox News, Heinen’s, a grocery store chain based in Cleveland, recently decided to stop selling the beer after customers complained that the name was "offensive."

Heinen’s began selling the porter two months ago. The chain has 22 outlets in Ohio and Illinois.

Peregrinus

They put chocolate and peanut butter into porter, and the only thing people find blasphemous about that is the name?

"Sweet baby Jesus!" is right. In a truly just and enlightened society, the brewers responsible would be dismembered with blunt hacksaws and boiled down into glue for their own bottle labels. Just sayin'.

robindch

Peregrinus wrote: »

They put chocolate and peanut butter into porter, and the only thing people find blasphemous about that is the name?

In all fairness, in the USA, that would be considered two of your five a day.

Peregrinus

robindch wrote: »

In all fairness, in the USA, that would be considered two of your five a day.

Whereas in Ireland the porter on its own probably counts as three out of the five.

silverharp

Ive just lost my only opportunity to say Sweet Baby Jesus is good for you