Terrorism strikes Oslo

Posted on July 22, 2011 by David

From here:

Live coverage of events after a huge explosion in Oslo, Norway leaves seven dead, before a gunman opens fire at a youth camp west of Oslo, with unconfirmed reports of up to 30 dead.

[….]

Marcus Oscarsson emails that Sweden has raised the security around the Government Offices in Stockholm and other key buildings in the Swedish capital. The Norwegian PM Mr Stolenberg stressed in Norwegian State TV recently that it is not known who is behind the attacks. Norway is eager to point out that it is possible that it is not Islamists.

Why would anyone think it had something to do with the religion of peace? Let’s see: a bomb planted in a car designed to kill and maim indiscriminately coordinated with the shooting of young people for no apparent reason.

Update: Anders Behring Breivik has been arrested for the murders. He has been described as a Christian and freemason. A conservative Christian being a freemason makes no more sense than one who indiscriminately murders people; perhaps Breivik is just stark raving mad.

Photography in the age of terrorism

Posted on July 22, 2011 by David

It isn’t as easy as it used to be.

A group of photographers in London have investigated how easy it is to shoot around the city. The six photographers, backed up with six videographer, attempted to take photographs around the City of London (the city’s financial district), to see what resistance they encountered. The experiment, conducted as part of the London Street Photography Festival, showed several private security guards trying to impede the photographers (often with vague allusions to ‘security and ‘terrorism’). The Police were called in three cases, but, in each instance, the Officers were well aware of the laws concerning photography and appear to have resolved the situations amicably.

I’ve enjoyed taking street photos in over 300 cities in 19 countries and nobody seemed to care much – well other than Russia when someone started waving a gun.

I haven’t been to London recently, though.

Anglican inclusion results in exclusion

Posted on July 22, 2011 by David

An acquaintance of my wife was talking to her about her church, a prominent Anglican parish in Oakville, and about how unhappy she was that it was watering down the Gospel: it is promoting Chrislam, among other things.

She isn’t the type of person to make a fuss, complain or confront the church’s leaders; at some point she will just quietly leave.

And that’s how Anglican inclusion works. Anyone who actually believes that Christianity is true – is a Christian, in other words – is made to feel so uncomfortable at the onslaught of syncretic babble that flows so effortlessly from the pulpit, that their distress compels them to depart.

What is left is an exclusive club of likeminded zealots with little left to celebrate other than the self-congratulatory myopia so characteristic of those who pride themselves on their tolerance.

Welsh vicar cuts out the nasty bits of the Bible

Posted on July 22, 2011 by David

From here:

Church in Wales inquiry after rector burns Bible pages

The Church in Wales says it is investigating after a Gwynedd rector burnt some pages from the Bible.

The Reverend Geraint ap Iorwerth of St Peter ad Vincula Church, Pennal, also cut up pages from the King James Bible to create an artwork.

Unveiling it at a church event, he said it revealed a “cruel and vile God”.

[….]

He revealed his controversial piece of art at an event to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible.

He said: “I find it highly offensive that people would think I have given my life to serving that type of God and that I would regard the words of the King James Bible as sacred truth.

“I cut out all the nasty bits of that Bible, the language of which is being celebrated all over the place this year, because I don’t think you can separate that language from the God it is representing.

“I was gobsmacked no programmes or articles are representing the cruelty, revenge and hatred of this version of God.”

[….]

“The King James Bible should be praised for its language but not for the God it represents – the two need to be separated.”

[….]

He said he also planned to create a “wall of shame” at the church naming all of God’s “cruel actions”.

If he thinks the unmolested version of the Bible reveals a god of cruelty, revenge and hatred, one wonders why the Reverent became a Reverent in the first place.

To his credit, I suppose, is that he is open about the fact that he is sitting in judgement over the Bible and is purging it of the parts that don’t fit his particular brand of idolatry.

Many other Anglican priests and bishops secretly believe as he does but don’t have the guts to come out and admit it.

All Saints Sandy Hill, Ottawa may be for the chopping block

Posted on July 21, 2011 by David

From here:

July 16, 2011 — All Saints Sandy Hill is a parish of about 120 people, more than half of whom you will find worshipping together in our lovely sanctuary on a Sunday morning, and nearly half of whom are regular, generous, identifiable financial supporters.

Now, in 2011, we are nearing a tipping point.

The responsibility to maintain and improve our century-old building and hall, constructed for a congregation twice our size, is beyond the capacity of the congregation. Engineers tell us millions of dollars will be needed over the next decade to conserve our buildings.

Meanwhile, the desire to get on with our mission as an inspired and active Christian community in the heart of Ottawa has never been stronger. Therefore, the people of All Saints Sandy Hill are in an active state of discernment.

[….]

Even in the face of these uncertainties, you may rest assured that it will be worship and action as usual at All Saints until Christmas, and possibly until
Easter 2012.

Funnily enough, The Sandy hill congregation are currently meeting in the recently vacated St. Alban’s, left more or less empty by the ANiC congregation’s recent departure – the result of an offer they couldn’t refuse.

Without the All Saints influx, the diocese has a lot less than 120 people with which to convince onlookers that they really needed the St. Alban’s building, yet the building in danger of closing is All Saints, not St. Alban’s.

Perhaps Face Saving has become the sixth mark of mission.

Christian refugee denied entry to Canada because his Christianity was too creedal

Posted on July 21, 2011 by David

From here:

A Chinese migrant seeking refugee status in Canada on the grounds that he faced persecution back home for his Christian beliefs was repeatedly asked by the Immigration and Refugee Board last year to describe what Jesus was “like as a person.”

The man’s inability to attribute human characteristics to Jesus formed part of the board’s decision to deny his refugee claim.

The details are contained in a recent Federal Court ruling, which dismissed the man’s application for a judicial review of the board’s decision but did agree that the board’s line of questioning about Jesus was “somewhat awkward.”

Wu Xin Wang came to Canada in April 2007 on a temporary work permit and made his claim for refugee protection in January 2008.

In documents filed with the immigration board, he claimed that he had received a call from his wife in China, who told him that officials from China’s Public Security Bureau had visited their home and were investigating illegal church activities.

Prior to his move to Canada, Mr. Wang said, he had been a member of an underground Christian church and sometimes acted as a lookout during church services.

In assessing Mr. Wang’s refugee claim, board adjudicator Daniel McSweeney asked Mr. Wang: “So tell me about Jesus as a person. What was he like?

“Jesus is son of God,” Mr. Wang said.

“I am not asking who he was or what he did. I am asking what is he like as a person,” Mr. McSweeney said.

“Jesus was conceived through the holy ghost and was born in this world,” Mr. Wang replied.

The answer did not satisfy the board member. “Anybody could memorize a creed and recite the creed. I want to know what you believe and what you know of Jesus as a person.”

“In my heart he is my saviour,” Mr. Wang answered.

“That is not . . . again, tell me what Jesus is as a person and this is the last time I am going to ask you.”

“I am sorry I really do not know how to answer.”

Obviously Mr.Wang was too definitively certain about his beliefs, and naively expected that someone whose faith smacks so much of authentic Christianity could convince immigration authorities that he adhered to the same religion as that merchandised by mainline denominations. He should have told the board that Jesus was a loving, non-judgemental, inclusive human (avoid the word man at all costs), not the only way to God, but one of many diverse paths, all equally valid.

That would have got him in.

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada votes to bless same-sex marriage and is cheered on by the Anglican Church of Canada

Posted on July 19, 2011 by David

From here:

The Anglican Church of Canada, full communion partner of the ELCIC, supported the meeting. The Primate, Archbishop Fred Hiltz, addressed convention and presided at closing worship. General Synod staff supported online communications.

Human sexuality was one of the most highly anticipated and vigorously debated subjects at National Convention. Delegates first approved a social statement on human sexuality, the result of a four-year consultation and drafting process. The statement analyzes the current social situation, provides theological and ethical foundations, and applies insights from the first two sections to the contemporary situation.

Delegates then passed three motions related to the statement: an Affirmation Concerning the Unity of the Church; a policy statement allowing ministers to preside at or bless legal marriages, including those between same-sex couples, according to the laws of the province; and a policy paving the way for the ordination and installation of gay and lesbian pastors.

The ACoC and ELCiC have been in bed together – or, to use the euphemism currently in vogue, in full communion – since 2001. The two denominations share the same disbeliefs, their members are fleeing at a similar rate and both are impecunious to the extent that neither can afford to hold an independent synod.

On one front, the ECLiC is ahead of the ACoC: they have voted to bless same-sex marriages. At its last synod, the ACoC didn’t vote on this at all, preferring instead to issue a Sexuality Discernment Statement, a document of soporific insignificance that, with a nudge and a wink, tacitly gave dioceses the all clear to do whatever they want, while attempting to protect the national organisation from culpability in the resulting mayhem.

This permitted Fred Hiltz to stay out of trouble with Rowan Williams by claiming that he exercised gracious restraint – the only concept I know that is more meaningless than those contained in the Sexuality Discernment Statement – while giving him the luxury of applauding the ELCIC as it throws itself off the cliff of gender political correctness.

We can only hope that Fred and his ex-church follow suit before the shrieks of the ELCIC waft up when it meets its doom at the bottom.

Harry Potter is not a Catholic

Posted on July 18, 2011 by David

And he has upset some who are:

“The positive review of the latest Harry Potter film in L’Osservatore Romano is symptomatic of serious problems in the condition of many modern Catholics,” Michael D. O’Brien, author of “Harry Potter and the Paganization of Culture,” told LifeSiteNews last week.

[………….]

Cardinal Ratzinger’s was not the only Vatican voice to express grave concern over Potter. The Vatican’s chief exorcist, Rev. Gabriele Amorth, has repeatedly condemned the Harry Potter novels. In 2006 he said, “You start off with Harry Potter, who comes across as a likeable wizard, but you end up with the Devil … By reading Harry Potter a young child will be drawn into magic and from there it is a simple step to Satanism and the Devil.”

I haven’t seen the final film yet, but I have read all the books. I could be wrong – time will tell – but I am reasonably convinced that Messrs Ratzinger, Amorth et al are tilting at the wrong windmill.

For all its magic, wizards, wands and silly quidditch, Harry Potter remains a classic tale of good against evil. I don’t think it is as good as Lord of the Rings or Narnia, and obviously it is lacking the more explicitly Christian parallels – particularly in Narnia.

Tolkien was criticised for the apparent lack of the Christian God in Lord of the Rings: his response was that obviously he is there – it is up to the reader to notice him. C. S. Lewis was criticised for allusions to the occult in his science fiction trilogy, particularly in That Hideous Strength. So Christian Potter pooping is to be expected.

Flawed though they may be from a Christian point of view, at least the books use God given imagination to revitalise the truth that we dwell in a universe where cosmic forces of good and evil do battle – we are the soldiers and good eventually triumphs.

Not a bad story.

Grandmother loses custody of her granddaughter to sex offending father

Posted on July 18, 2011 by David

More here.

This is obviously, in a literal sense, a diabolical mess – one which the judge has made worse. As Blaise Pascal said in his Pensees:

Our magistrates have known well this mystery. Their red robes, the ermine in which they wrap themselves like furry cats, the courts in which they administer justice, the fleurs-de-lis, and all such august apparel were necessary; if the physicians had not their cassocks and their mules, if the doctors had not their square caps and their robes four times too wide, they would never have duped the world, which cannot resist so original an appearance. If magistrates had true justice, and if physicians had the true art of healing, they would have no occasion for square caps; the majesty of these sciences would of itself be venerable enough. But having only imaginary knowledge, they must employ those silly tools that strike the imagination with which they have to deal; and thereby in fact they inspire respect. Soldiers alone are not disguised in this manner, because indeed their part is the most essential; they establish themselves by force, the others by show.

To put it in today’s parlance: judges are frequently blithering idiots.

Political cowardice on abortion

Posted on July 18, 2011 by David

From here:

Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak appeared to shy away from his previous anti-abortion position Monday, saying he doesn’t plan to re-open the issue if he wins the Oct. 6 provincial election.

When he was running for the PC leadership in 2009, Hudak’s representatives told the Association for Reformed Political Action he is pro-life and had signed a petition calling for the defunding of abortions and to support doctors who don’t want to perform the procedures.

But Hudak seemed reluctant to confirm he had signed a petition when asked about it by reporters Monday.

“I may have signed a petition from my riding in that respect, but listen, let me be clear: we are not reopening this debate,” said Hudak. “Just like the federal Parliament, we would not be reopening that issue.”

By not reopening that issue, Hudak has placed political expediency – the will to power – above confronting the greatest evil present today in Canadian society.

In the struggle to preserve civilisation, that puts Canada somewhere behind Russia.

Pathetic.