Darwinism is an antilogy

Posted on May 12, 2011 by David

From here:

Belief in God is part of human nature – Oxford study.

Humans are naturally predisposed to believe in gods and life after death, according to a major three-year international study.

Led by two academics at Oxford University, the £1.9 million study found that human thought processes were “rooted” to religious concepts……

“We have gathered a body of evidence that suggests that religion is a common fact of human nature across different societies,” he said.

“This suggests that attempts to suppress religion are likely to be short-lived as human thought seems to be rooted to religious concepts, such as the existence of supernatural agents or gods, and the possibility of an afterlife or pre-life.”

This means that if people like Richard Dawkins are correct and natural selection alone has created human nature, it has created something that is inclined to believe in falsehoods and, therefore, cannot be trusted.

So if Richard Dawkins is correct, his thoughts are a product of something that cannot be trusted.

It follows that, whether he is right or wrong, there isn’t much point in listening to Richard Dawkins.

Huron gives Schori a Doctor of Divinity

Posted on May 12, 2011 by David

From here:

The Most Rev. Dr. Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop and primate of the Episcopal Church, received an honorary doctor of divinity degree from Huron University College, London, Ont., as part of its May 5 theology convocation. Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, delivered the citation, and the Right Rev. Robert Bennett, Bishop of Huron, hooded Bishop Jefferts Schori.

In her address to students, she appeared to believe she was on a quest to unknown lands and had discovered dragons. This must be a reference to New Hampshire and Gene Robinson:

The faithful are all on that kind of journey into the unknown, she said. “We’re like the explorers who went looking for the places on old maps beyond the known world labelled ‘There be dragons.’”

She obviously sees herself as an “intrepid leader” as she heads the charge of Western Anglicanism down a metaphysical latrine:

She called journeying an ancient image for honing leaders. “Leadership asks us to be agents of change and to take others with us,” she said. “The voyage is rarely calm these days.

And believes that Jesus had internal demons with whom he wrestled:

These are times for courageous and intrepid leaders, for those who will try seemingly impossible things, and, like Jesus, wrestle with internal demons and more worldly dragons.”

No wonder she received a Doctor of Divinity from Huron University College.

The Anglican Journal comes to grips with bin Laden’s death

Posted on May 12, 2011 by David

And, apparently, it’s really all about “overcoming our rage”.

Here:

For most Americans, and for many people in the free world, the death of Osama bin Laden was cause for celebration…….

Feelings of anger, hatred and revenge are not uncommon to people at times of social and religious upheaval. When the foundations begin to shake, when established certainties are put in doubt, when innocent people are cruelly murdered and when a nation is besieged, the natural reaction is to hate those who hurt us, to strike back at those who attack us. We may think of ourselves as tolerant, reasonable people, but in the face of horrific violence we can easily turn into people of rage

Nicolosi goes on to compare the supposed “rage” that Americans feel towards bin Laden to Psalm 137:9, “Happy shall he be who takes your little ones, and dashes them against the rock!”.

He has things backwards. The “rage” that has spawned the indiscriminate murder of innocents is the rage of Islamists; the West has taken extraordinary measures to avoid civilian casualties.

Another point that Nicolosi makes is this:

Third, unless we are prepared to accept the kind of violence described in Psalm 137, our task today is to enter into dialogue with Islam rather than to demonize it.

Nicolosi obviously takes the view that Islam, rather than radical Islam, is the problem. It remains to be seen whether he is correct or not, but I have little doubt that Nicolosi would be squirming in anguish if he realised that he has placed himself in the same camp as Geert Wilders.

Either way, whether Islam or Islamism is the problem, thinking that “enter[ing] into dialogue” will solve anything is a delusional fantasy.

The place of the dominatrix in the primary school classroom

Posted on May 11, 2011 by David

Is quite secure in the UK.

From here:

A primary school teacher who led a secret double life as a kinky dominatrix has escaped being struck off.

Faith-Anne Lesbirel advertised her services on the internet on a website called ‘Informed Consent’.

She specialised in bondage, domination, sadism and masochism (BDSM) and ‘messy play’ often involving ‘gunge’.

Using the name Mistress Saffron she boasted about being cheaper than other ‘Pro Dommes’ – slang for a professional dominatrix.

Lesbirel ran her kinky bondage sessions as a sideline while she worked at Simpson Primary School in Milton Keynes, Bedfordshire, in 2008.

She was found guilty of unacceptable professional misconduct for ‘advertising sexual services on the worldwide web’ by a disciplinary hearing of the General Teaching Council (GTC).

She was told her activities ‘fell short of the standard expected of a teacher’…….

But the panel refused to strike Lesbirel off the teaching register, saying her ‘fetish activities does not make you a danger to children’.

Although some people are cheerfully at peace with the prospect of a dominatrix teaching their little darlings, I can’t help wondering whether what a person is in one context influences what she does in another – teaching, in this case. I’m sure the average ‘gunge’ and ‘messy play’ – whatever they are (no, I don’t want to know) – loving dominatrix obeys the law most of the time, but that alone does not make her a suitable role model – like it or not, that’s what teachers are – for children.

It’s probably only a matter of time before BDSM is taught to five year-olds as a harmless lifestyle choice, at which point this would be moot.

Why was an unarmed bin Laden killed?

Posted on May 11, 2011 by David

Yesterday I was talking to a friend whose politics make mine look thoroughly leftist about bin Laden’s death; he was adamant that shooting an unarmed man is always wrong. He was unconvinced by any argument of the possibility of a concealed suicide belt or that, in the heat of the moment, the safe thing to do was shoot first.

No doubt a live bin Laden would have provided useful intelligence when interrogated but, according to this, if the US had captured him, they wouldn’t have known what to do with him. Ironically, liberals who want to treat terrorists as criminals have contributed to a don’t ask, don’t tell, shoot first policy:

Apparently the possibility of capturing him was an afterthought, and understandably: We have so hamstrung our ability to interrogate and then expeditiously try and execute terrorists that bin Laden would have been a liability almost as soon as the euphoria over his capture passed.

Bizarrely, when it comes to high-level terrorists, our policy isn’t “to shoot first and ask questions later”; it’s to shoot precisely so we don’t have to ask questions. If we had custody of bin Laden, we literally wouldn’t know what to do with him. Everyone would have to live in fear of Attorney General Eric Holder’s announcing a scheme to make him a Khalid Sheikh Mohammed–style showcase for our civilian justice system. In 2009 congressional testimony, Holder notoriously waffled on whether bin Laden would be read his Miranda rights upon capture.

In an ideal world, the Navy SEALs would have been given the order to take bin Laden alive, if possible. He would have been taken to a secret location for interrogation and waterboarded if necessary to break him quickly. Every possible lead would have been wrung from him and hunted down. When he was no longer of use, he’d have been put before a military commission and executed.

Diocese of Ottawa succumbs to flagrant capitalism

Posted on May 10, 2011 by David

The Diocese of Ottawa is deep in debt and wants to build condominiums, townhouses and offices on diocesan owned land in the hope of generating income to replenish its dwindling coffers.

Although, to convince naysayers, the diocese appeals to its promoting of the arts, non-church events and social programs, not much is made of the fabled “mission” of the Anglican Church – perhaps because the real mission is to stay afloat.

From here:

In a decision that Somerset Ward Coun. Diane Holmes argued lacked transparency, city council’s planning committee today approved the Christ Church Cathedral development plan.

The committee’s decision included sending the proposal for a final approval to city council tomorrow. This, Holmes said, is “short-circuiting the public process” because there have been more private meetings to discuss the proposal than public consultations.

The proposed developments include a 21-storey condominium, a row of four townhouses and a 12-storey office building that currently does not have confirmed ownership.

The land affected by the proposed development is bordered by Bronson Avenue to the west, Sparks Street to the south and Queen Street to the north, with St. Peter’s Lutheran Church to the east.

Several individuals and community group representatives attended the meeting to express either support or opposition. Some of the key areas of opposition circulated around continued debates on the height of the 21-storey proposed condominium, availability of affordable housing and lack of available visitor parking.

Bronson Avenue resident James McGraw said the proposed plans will “overwhelm the cathedral” because of the height.

Supporters, however, cited the development as a source of stable revenue for the cathedral.

Representatives from the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa said the cathedral faces upwards of $100,000 per year in restoration costs and repairs. They said this compromises the church’s ability to contribute to social programs in the city.

The church hosts more than 300 non-church events, is an active promoter of the arts, and assists in the funding of many social programs, they said.

It is the $350,000 of debt “that is overwhelming us” and not the height of the proposed developments.

Rev. Brent Hawkes awarded honorary degree by Trinity College, University of Toronto

Posted on May 10, 2011 by David

From here:

Hawkes, one of Canada’s leading gay rights activists and a Toronto pastor in the Metropolitan Community Church, was awarded an honorary degree in recognition of his advocacy for marginalized groups and championing for equality.

Trinity College in the University of Toronto is an Anglican theological school. I bet that surprises everyone.

And now for something completely different: an Anglican clergyman who thinks bin Laden should have been “stamped out”

Posted on May 10, 2011 by David

From here:

a LEADING Lancashire clergyman has spoken of his “surprise” after the Archbishop of Canterbury criticised the killing of Osama bin Laden.

Fr Timothy Lipscomb, vicar of Preston, claims the al-Qaeda leader needed “stamping out” and congratulated US special forces for killing the terrorist who was believed to have ordered the 9/11 attacks in New York and Washington that killed thousands of people. His comments come after Dr Rowan Williams, head of the 80-million strong Anglican Communion, said the killing of the unarmed terrorist left him with an “uncomfortable feeling.”…….

He said: “The fact of the matter is that bin Laden was a murderer and needed to be stamped out. It might not sound very Christian but it is true.

“I am a big supporter of the Archbishop’s but I was very surprised by his comments on this matter. He is a very intelligent man but maybe he sometimes has difficulty in expressing what he really means.”

A person who has difficulty expressing what he “really means” is usually signifying that he doesn’t know what he really means. I think Rowan Williams knew exactly what he meant in this case.

Islam: a threat to Western freedom

Posted on May 9, 2011 by David

From here:

The presence of Muslims in Canada threatens the country’s freedoms and democracy, and only if immigration from Islamic countries is suspended can the cultural deterioration of the country be stopped, controversial Dutch politician Geert Wilders told a packed house Monday night in Toronto.

“Our Western culture is far superior to Islamic culture,” Mr. Wilders said. “And only once we are convinced of this will we be able to defend our civilization.”

There was a protest populated by 10 people who called Wilders a racist – an epithet derived, presumably, from the misunderstanding that being a Muslim is an involuntary racial condition.

I have little doubt that Western culture is superior to Islamic culture and I hope that Canadian Muslims also have little doubt of that. Geert Wilders would probably say of them that they are not real Muslims and he may well be right – that is not such a bad thing. For those Muslims who remain unconvinced, Wilders also may be right: if they prefer an Islamic culture, they should opt to live in one.

Navy chaplains to conduct same sex marriages

Posted on May 9, 2011 by David

From here:

The Navy will allow its chaplains to officiate same-sex marriages once the military’s ban on gay marriage is officially lifted this summer, according to a new memo written by Navy’s head chaplain, Rear Admiral Mark Tidd.

The memo’s guidance, which serves to train chaplains on a number new procedures to be instituted along with the repeal of don’t ask don’t tell, went through a rigorous legal review before being issued.

The memo reads: “Regarding the use of base facilities for same-sex marriages, legal counsel has concluded that generally speaking, base facility use is sexuality orientation neutral. If the base is located in a state where same-sex is legal, then base facilities may normally be used to celebrate the marriage.”

Navy marriages on Navy bases typically involve Navy Chaplains, but the memo goes on to say the chaplains involvement is not mandatory and he or she could decline to participate if gay marriage is not “consistent with the tenets of his or her religious organization.”

This puts chaplains who hold a Biblical view of marriage in a difficult position. The sop of “he or she could decline to participate” is liable to be challenged by those in the homosexual lobby their earliest convenience and, as priests in liberal mainline churches have quickly discovered, swimming against this particular stream is a career limiting manoeuvre.

Let’s hope that orthodox Christian chaplains don’t abandon the military altogether.

It’s no surprise that repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was merely the opening salvo in the campaign to enlist the military in the effort to destroy marriage.