Monthly Archives: December 2011

Christopher Hitchens forgotten but not gone

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Christopher Hitchens donated his body to medical research as part, one presumes, of a striving after a materialist’s immortality:

In accordance with his wishes, Christopher Hitchens’ body was donated to medical research following his death less than two weeks ago; many of his followers have applauded his decision.

If Christians are right, of course, in addition to his pickled body, the real essence of Hitchens is not gone either because it is immortal and endures post mortem.

I can’t help noticing that the number of articles about Hitchens is on the wane and obviously we will hear nothing more from him. His star burned brightly when it was among us, but it is rapidly fading and I suspect he will be remembered, if at all, as a cantankerous gossip columnist for the effete anti-theist as much as anything else.

As the preacher said, “vanity of vanities; all is vanity.”

Diocese of New Westminster: Christians have much to learn from the Koran

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Lest anyone should start with the wrong idea: it’s not that we have much to learn about Mohammed’s paedophilia or the finer points of exactly which part of the anatomy must be amputated for various and sundry crimes. No, apparently, we Christians are simply too loving and the Koran can teach us how to balance our love with “justice”. No, no, not the stoning adulteresses type of justice, the “tolerating economic systems which keep whole nations in poverty” justice, about which the Koran has much to enlighten us, apparently. When it isn’t waxing eloquent on the joys of removing the heads of infidels.

From here (page 11):

My impression (from, admittedly, a reading of this book alone) is that the Qur’an has much of value to say about justice and how we should build, and live in, what the author calls a community of the middle way. It has less to say about the Christian virtue of love.

This discrepancy may permit us to correct our own faith. It often seems that many Christians will go the extra mile and more in loving response to an individual in distress while at the same time tolerating economic systems which keep whole nations in poverty. The message of the Qur’an might help us attain a better balance between love and justice. In all events, we have much to learn and even perhaps much to make use of.

Turkish imam thinks Santa is dishonest because he comes down chimneys

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From here:

The imam of the Turkish town of Kuzan has issued a warning to Muslims about Santa Claus, who he called a dishonest person, Italy’s Corriere della Sera wrote.

Imam Suleiman Eniceri said it was suspicious that Santa Claus brings presents into a house by climbing down a chimney or through windows. “If he was an honest person he would come through the door as we do,” the imam said. The imam cited a passage in the Koran that calls on the faithful to enter houses through doors.

At least the imam still believes in Santa, although he obviously didn’t receive what he was hoping for this Christmas. Maybe the rocket launcher got stuck in the chimney.

If the Church of England hates Capitalism so much, where does it get its money?

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While some of the Church of England’s income comes from donations, 15 percent (£160 million) comes from Church assets of £4.4 billion. Yes, that’s right, the anti-capitalist supporter of the 99%, the marginalised, the homeless, the occupiers and those who use St. Paul’s as a toilet are sitting on £4.4 billion. Well, not sitting exactly: the money is invested in the stock market and property markets where much maligned mavens of finance wheel and deal to earn the church 5.7%.

Naturally, the church has a policy on ethical investing, so it avoids such things as arms, pornography, gambling, alcohol and tobacco. That didn’t stop it investing in one of the UK’s more tawdry rags, the News of the World, though, or persuade it to withdraw its funds when the hacking scandal became public.

The church did withdraw funds from Caterpillar because Israel uses the bulldozers to “demolish Palestinian homes” and the Church always enjoys finding a new way to bash Israel.

The one thing the Church is not doing with its £4.4 billion is giving it away to those for whom it has such affection: the poor, marginalised, homeless and occupiers. It hasn’t even used any of the money to build a toilet for the occupiers.

It all makes what Rowan Williams has to say about capitalism sound even more hypocritically silly than his usual divagations.

Here is his most recent effort:

Rowan on rioting

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From here:

A minister hit out at the Archbishop of Canterbury yesterday for comparing City bankers to the rioters who tore apart Britain’s cities over the summer.

[….]

Dr Rowan Williams raised eyebrows on Sunday by saying the rioters were no worse than the bankers and that ‘bonds of trust’ had broken throughout society.

In his Christmas sermon, he said: ‘Whether it is an urban rioter mindlessly burning down a small shop that serves his community, or a speculator turning his back on the question of who bears the ultimate cost for his acquisitive adventures in the virtual reality of today’s financial world, the picture is of atoms spinning apart in the dark.’

There is one very minor difference that seems to have escaped Rowan Williams’ attention: for the moment, banking is legal whereas burning down someone else’s shop isn’t. This must be a concept too mundane to impinge on the atoms in Rowans’ brain ‘spinning apart in the dark.’

 

 

A permanent tent may be erected in St. Paul’s

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From here:

He [Richard Chartres] said the encampment, that is currently fighting eviction orders, should leave some kind of tribute to the anti-capitalist message the protesters have been trying to get across.

It has been suggested a tent could be erected in the church itself where people can come together to discuss a more fair way to distribute income from the banks and work with companies to improve corporate responsibility.

The Rt Rev Chartres has called for the protesters to move on but he has also talked about the importance of listening to the powerless and looking after the poor, especially during a recession and at Christmas.

It’s taken 20 centuries to progress from the money changers to the money redistributors, so it’s high time the church which has made a religion of socialism installed an idol to its god.

Going to church lowers your blood pressure

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From here:

Going to church at Christmas may have been good for the soul, but scientists have discovered that it may also be good for the body.

Researchers found that attending services lowers blood pressure – and the more often you go the lower it becomes.

Unless, that is, you belong to the Anglican Church of Canada and are an unwitting recipient of the Anglican Journal, in which case, if you are a Christian, articles like this will undoubtedly increase your blood pressure:

As for the New Testament, Spong rejects the 4th-century Augustinian interpretation of Christ the Redeemer of sinners. Christ should be reconstrued not as “the divine invader but as the human life who broke through consciousness to a new level of understanding, and people perceive that as the presence of God in him. A hundred years from now I’m quite sure that view will be almost universal.”

In his non-theistic universe, Christianity is about expanded life, heightened consciousness and achieving a new humanity. “I am tired of seeing the Bible being used, as it has been throughout history, to legitimize slavery and segregation, to subdue women, to punish homosexuals, to justify war and to oppose family planning and birth control.” For him, that is a perversion and travesty that must be challenged and changed.

 

Have yourself a bland little Christmas

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Stephen Harper’s Christmas message didn’t mention the miraculous appearance of God in history or Mary or Joseph or the shepherds or the wise men or the angels or the star… well, you get the idea.

Instead, he sputtered on about jobs, growth, “gathering” while looking backwards and forwards, Canada’s economy and the government. At least he wished us “Merry Christmas.”

 

Next year he should try this: