The Hobby Horses of Belief (and assorted hazards)

Igotadose

Nice read for Easter Sunday:
"Church membership is in a freefall, and the Christian right has only themselves to blame"

https://www.salon.com/2021/04/02/church-membership-is-in-a-freefall-and-the-christian-right-has-only-themselves-to-blame/

Not sure I agree with the last sentence about Americans becoming a better people, well, maybe a bit better since the #IMPOTUS lost, but my fellow Americans have a long way to go.

Odhinn

Italy ends censorship of films on moral and religious grounds



“Film censorship has been abolished,” announced culture minister Dario Franceschini in a statement late on Monday.
“The system of controls and interventions that still allow the state to intervene in the freedom of artists has been definitively ended.”
As a result, it will now no longer be possible to block the release of a new film or demand edits for moral or religious reasons. Filmmakers will instead classify their own movies based on the age of the audience.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/06/italy-ends-censorship-of-films-on-moral-and-religious-grounds

antiskeptic

Odhinn wrote: »

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/06/italy-ends-censorship-of-films-on-moral-and-religious-grounds

Debbie does Dallas. Coming (oh aar) to an Imax near you. Rated PG.

robindch

In a moment of rare usefulness, Youtube has suspended the account of Nigerian televangelist 'TB Joshua':

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-56771246

Hotblack Desiato

In May 2004 the National Broadcasting Commission banned TV stations from showing programmes of pastors performing miracles on television unless they had been verified.

:rolleyes:

Also:
Nigerian preacher TB Joshua deletes prophecy of Clinton win

Y'know, maybe this guy is just making it up as he goes along :pac:

Odhinn

Hypocrisy seems to feature a spectacular fall when its exposed.

Liberty University has filed a $10 million lawsuit against former president Jerry Falwell Jr., citing claims that he withheld damaging information from the university's board of trustees, including concerns over his alleged excessive drinking, which Falwell's wife is alleged to have privately discussed with select members of the university's board of trustees.

Falwell, who resigned last August in the aftermath of a sex scandal involving his wife Becki and a former Miami pool attendant, called the suit "another attempt to defame me and discredit my record" in a statement to ABC News. Giancarlo Granda, the one-time pool attendant, denied to ABC News in a previous interview that he had ever tried to extort the couple.

(Jerry approved the affair and was an occasional watcher)


https://abcnews.go.com/US/jerry-falwell-jr-decries-liberty-universitys-hostility-school/story?id=77121341&cid=clicksource_4380645_3_heads_hero_live_headlines_hed

Hotblack Desiato

I wonder was his tipple Campari?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hustler_Magazine_v._Falwell

Odhinn

....... the Democrat from Opelika needs all the patience he can get as he seeks to overturn a 28-year yoga ban in Alabama public schools. The ban, believed to be the only statewide prohibition of its sort in America, is proving to be tougher to scrub from the statute books than might be expected.

According to the Christian opposition

“Yoga can be dangerous, causing injuries, death from stroke, and psychotic episodes,” the document says.

They make it sound like a bit of craic.....
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/apr/17/alabama-yoga-ban-public-schools-christian-groups?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR3CQXHIcZXFMFUSDExU6oQTO0Wh6yBHzAlOGA-DZpZQIBfsGytdMzmrScg#Echobox=1618653905

Hotblack Desiato

Didn't we have a bishop here ban it in schools in his diocese?

Found it...

https://www.rte.ie/news/2019/1018/1084312-yoga-bishop-school/

Of course it's Fonzie. An absolute and utter cretin.

A Catholic bishop has written to schools to warn them against the use of yoga during class time and said that it is "not of Christian origin".

A spokesman for Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan, of the Waterford and Lismore diocese, confirmed that primary schools in the diocese under the patronage of the Catholic Church had received the letter, which also asked teachers to pray the rosary with their pupils.

Last year, Bishop Cullinan said that he is establishing a "delivery ministry" of exorcists to deal with evil spirits and also warned people against the use of Reiki and new age healing because they could be channeling "the wrong spirit".

ohnonotgmail

Odhinn wrote: »

According to the Christian opposition


They make it sound like a bit of craic.....
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/apr/17/alabama-yoga-ban-public-schools-christian-groups?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR3CQXHIcZXFMFUSDExU6oQTO0Wh6yBHzAlOGA-DZpZQIBfsGytdMzmrScg#Echobox=1618653905

I've had worse nights out.

Hotblack Desiato

Cardinals take pay cut in Vatican austerity drive

ohnonotgmail

If this doesn't count as a hazard I don't know what does

A monk in Thailand chopped off his own head using a guillotine as an offering to Buddha in the hope he would be reincarnated as a 'higher spiritual being'.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9488127/Buddhist-monk-chops-head-guillotine-Buddha.html

Hotblack Desiato

Sure beats self-immolation

Odhinn

A new sex education resource for Catholic primary schools describes sex as a gift from God, which belongs in a committed relationship.
In an introductory note to the 'Flourish' programme, it also states that the Catholic Church's teaching in relation to marriage between a man and a woman cannot be omitted.

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2021/0426/1212168-catholic-sex-education/


....married "committed" or bought them a spice bag "committed"?

Odhinn

In some places opening your gob on the subject at all seems to draw dire consequences -

An author of Islamic books in Algeria has been sentenced to three years in prison for offending the religion.


Said Djabelkhir said he was surprised by the severity of the sentence he had been given and would appeal.




He was tried after seven lawyers and a fellow academic lodged complaints against him for disrespecting Islam.


Mr Djabelkhir had said the animal sacrifice during the Muslim festival of Eid was based on a pre-Islamic pagan ritual.


He also suggested that parts of the Quran, such as the story of Noah's Ark, might not be literally true and criticised practices including the marriage of young girls in some Muslim societies.




Islam is Algeria's religion of state. The law imposes a fine or prison sentence on "anyone who offends the Prophet or denigrates the dogmatic precepts of Islam, whether it be by writings, drawings, a statement or another means".

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-56847448?fbclid=IwAR1lvVFepMGxB8T9KbErQx4NyXmvrV0prfC5fbzrdh52Ld4rtUp_ABPb_LQ

Hotblack Desiato

"All I said was, 'This piece of halibut...'"

Hotblack Desiato

Dozens killed at Lag B'Omer religious festival

At least 44 people have been killed in a crush at a crowded religious festival in the north-east of Israel.

Dozens more were injured at the Lag B'Omer celebration, which takes place annually at the foot of Mount Meron.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu travelled to the scene and said Sunday would be a day of national mourning.

Tens of thousands of Orthodox Jews attended the all-night festival, making it the largest event in Israel since the coronavirus pandemic began.

Odhinn

Mark Hamill

Odhinn wrote: »

POOTS.jpg

What does he mean by "unnatural in the first instance and it's abominable in the second instance" when he is talking about gay people?
Sounds like he is saying it's only unnatural if you try being gay once, but if you go back for more it's abominable?

Pherekydes

I saw a tweet on Friday that said (paraphrasing here): Poots for first minister? Unnatural in the first instance; abominable in the second.

Odhinn

Mark Hamill wrote: »

What does he mean by "unnatural in the first instance and it's abominable in the second instance" when he is talking about gay people?
Sounds like he is saying it's only unnatural if you try being gay once, but if you go back for more it's abominable?

This is him saying

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fmf9sHER0Hs

I think/guess that he's saying teh ghey is unnatural in the first place and that gay civil partnership (the second instance) is abominable.

Hotblack Desiato

Mark Hamill wrote: »

What does he mean by "unnatural in the first instance and it's abominable in the second instance" when he is talking about gay people?

He means that after the third go you might get to like it :pac:

Hotblack Desiato

Church opposes Dún Laoghaire rezoning on basis it will lower its land value

A plan to limit the development of land for housing in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown is being opposed by the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin on the basis that it will lower the value of church and school properties.

The archdiocese is one of a number of religious organisations and schools objecting to a new land zoning in the county development plan which would restrict housing construction on institutional lands.

...

Several hundred residents and residents’ groups have welcomed the new zoning, to protect their neighbourhoods from excessive development. However, religious congregations said it would prevent them from realising the value of their lands.

The new zoning “discriminates against religious” and was “unacceptable”, the Congregation of Dominican Sisters said in a submission to the council. “There are 4,500 people on the housing list in this area – how can it be just or reasonable to prevent housing development on any available land.”

...

The Archdiocese of Dublin told the council it owned “a large number” of church and school properties located thought the local authority area.

“It is possible that there may be a requirement to amalgamate parishes and close a number of churches in the future due to declining attendances and a shortage of priests,” it said. “This proposed rezoning of Roman Catholic Church sites and school land would result in considerable restrictions on permitted uses and a negative imposition on property values.”

The letter from the archdiocese’s finance secretariat noted there was a “shortage of residential property and a serious shortage of development land for housing” and asked the council not to change the current zoning.

Fine Gael councillor Barry Saul said his party had sought new zoning to address the issues of school playing pitches being developed for housing.

“The protection of green open space and playing pitches is of paramount importance in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, particularly with reference to Our Lady’s Grove and Clonkeen College lands and the history surrounding those sites,” he said.

“According to the [planning regulator] there is enough zoned land in Dún Laoghaire without the need to start developing playing grounds which should be for the use of future generations.”

robindch

Online quack, Jim Corr, was briefly in the news yesterday when the Press Ombudsman (who is not an online quack) dismissed a complaint from online quack, Jim Corr, over a comment printed in the Irish Daily Mirror which referred to online quack, Jim Corr, as an "online quack":

https://www.thejournal.ie/press-ombudsman-jim-corr-irish-daily-mirror-5428143-May2021/

The Journal wrote:

THE OFFICE OF the Press Ombudsman has found that a characterisation of musician Jim Corr as an ‘online quack’ has not breached the Press Council’s Code of Practice’s principle for ‘truth and accuracy’.

Odhinn

robindch wrote: »

Online quack, Jim Corr, was briefly in the news yesterday when the Press Ombudsman (who is not an online quack) dismissed a complaint from online quack, Jim Corr, over a comment printed in the Irish Daily Mirror which referred to online quack, Jim Corr, as an "online quack":

https://www.thejournal.ie/press-ombudsman-jim-corr-irish-daily-mirror-5428143-May2021/

If it walks like an online quack, quacks like an online quack and looks like an online quack then odds are it is an online quack.

Hotblack Desiato

Why are women more hesitant to get the Covid-19 vaccine?

Online spaces which tend to be more popular with women, such as yoga, wellness and homeopathy communities, have become a hotbed of Covid misinformation, said Cécile Guerin, a researcher with the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, which works to counter online disinformation.

There is even a word for it: “conspirituality”, which Guerin, who is also a qualified yoga teacher, described as the “intersection of spirituality and conspiracy theories”.

“Conspiracy theorists in the yoga and wellness world have also become quite good at co-opting the language of feminism,” she said. “For instance one of the slogans that’s always used with reference to vaccines is ‘my body, my choice’.”

:rolleyes: of course the right of others to not be put at risk of getting a serious illness is never mentioned by the anti-vaxxers...

There is ample evidence of the prevalence of anti-vaccination sentiment in new-age groups in Ireland, although adherents who spoke to The Irish Times stressed it remains a minority position.

Earlier this week businesswoman Carina Harkin, who describes herself as a naturopath, an acupuncturist and a homeopath, stood in Eyre Square in Galway telling a small crowd that Covid deaths in India are being faked and that the country’s soaring death rate is a result of lockdowns. “Who cares about India, I want to be free,” she said.

Ms Harkin’s Galway-based business advertises consultation costing up to €250 and homeopathic kits for children costing €150 – the kit contains 18 ingredients which she claims will protect against polio, smallpox and dengue fever, among other ailments. A disclaimer at the bottom states the substances are not an alternative to vaccinations.

Grifter making false medical claims.
Naturopath? more like a sociopath.
If what she's doing isn't actually illegal it is certainly unethical and immoral.

Igotadose

Love Has Won: Family's grief at death of mummified cult leader


Love the glitter makeup applied to the remains. Ugh!

Said leader also claimed to be a daughter of Donald Trump in a previous life!

Hotblack Desiato

Love Has Won: Family's grief at death of mummified cult leader

Fixed the link

Their lives should serve as cautionary tales to anyone considering joining a cult, Ms Carlson's mother, Linda Haythorne, told the BBC.

"I've heard about those cults, Ted..."

Of course YouTube etc. were only too happy to profit from peddling this wan's absolute garbage :mad:

Igotadose

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

Love Has Won: Family's grief at death of mummified cult leader

Fixed the link



"I've heard about those cults, Ted..."

Of course YouTube etc. were only too happy to profit from peddling this wan's absolute garbage :mad:

Weird. Link was fine when I posted, well, it appears to be finer now, thanks!

Hotblack Desiato

Priest defends staging regular Sunday mass in breach of lockdown saying ‘no one has got Covid from being in there’

In an interview outside the church after mass ended today, Fr Cummins said: “There hasn’t been one person who has got Covid from being in there.”

Asked how many Sundays he has celebrated mass during the current lockdown, he said: “The whole time.”

When asked was 50 the average attendance at his 11am mass on a Sunday, he replied: “There would often be some more.”

He's obviously very used to claiming things to be true without any evidence at all...


Opus Dei charity planning multimillion-euro apartments scheme in south Dublin

A charity in Opus Dei, the conservative Catholic organisation, is advancing plans to build hundreds of apartments in south Dublin in a project property industry figures believe has a potential value of €120 million.

Glenavy Educational Foundation, which supports Opus Dei activities, is preparing to seek fast-track planning approval to develop a 4.67-acre site at Nullamore House in Milltown.

The site, opposite the Dropping Well pub, is used as an educational centre for members of Opus Dei, a global movement of strict Catholics with a reputation for secrecy.

Opus Dei, which claims “circa 500” members in Ireland, had a university residence for its members at Nullamore House for many years.

An inspector’s report published by An Bord Pleanála shows that Glenavy has held pre-application talks about the site. It wants consent for 215 apartments in five blocks ranging in height from four to eight storeys, and consent for four apartments in Nullamore House itself and another 16 in proposed extensions. The plan includes car and bicycle parking, a gym, a function room, a screening room, lounge facilities and a creche.

Property industry figures said the project, if realised, would be highly lucrative with a likely value of €100 million or more. One senior estate agent said the site alone could command €25 million simply on the basis of planning approval being granted. The same person estimated that the gross development value, with all property sold, could be in the region of €120 million.

Barry O’Grady, a Glenavy director, had no comment on the financial side of the proposals. He said Glenavy supports charitable activities “inspired by” Opus Dei, including the provision of facilities for religious education.

“It is intended that funds arising from the project will be invested in an endowment fund to provide a stable income to support the organisation’s charitable projects into the future,” he said.

Mr O’Grady is a trustee also of Opus Dei Prelature Charitable Trust in Ireland and a director of University Hostels Ltd, the company that owns the Nullamore site and is donating it to Glenavy as part of the plan.

Asked whether the site might be sold on to a developer if planning approval was granted, he replied: “Neither Glenavy nor Opus Dei will be the developer.”

As a charity Glenavy does not pay tax but University Hostels, though it is a not-for-profit company, is liable. Asked if the donation of the site was tax-driven, Mr O’Grady said conducting the process via Glenavy reflected “prudential” financial management.

“It allows for any proceeds arising to be handled transparently in accordance with the Charities regulatory authority’s governance code.”

That last bit is pretty good coming from a secret society.

Cha-ching!