Police State-Religious Police

It seems that not only do the Saudis and their ilk have religious police, but we do now too.

Another pensioner has had the dreaded knock on the door, at least I don't think they kicked it down. This one has been visited by the polizei for having a sign in his window. The sign states ‘religions are fairy stories for adults’.

The Public Order Act dictates that it is an offence to display any sign which is threatening, abusive or insulting, and could cause distress. If that sign causes anybody to feel threatened, abused, insulted or distressed they need serious help, and probably something rather stronger than their religion would appear to be.

Personally I think the man is a pillock who should get on with his life. If he is an atheist don't obsess about those of us who believe to the extent that you waste your time putting silly notices in your window.

But for crying out loud, leave the barmy old bugger alone, he's doing no harm to anyone.

Full story from the Boston Standard here.

Anti-Religious Bigotry

What I find bemusing is the apparent rise in anti-religious bigotry. Maybe it's just another one of those things that we may never have been aware of without t'interweb, I don't know. But I do find it highly tedious.

Why do people describe themselves as 'atheist'? If they don't believe in God or religion then just leave it alone, unless it impacts on them directly. In other words take the libertarian approach. I would never dream of describing myself with negatives: 'Not a socialist', 'not a woman', 'not a Manchester City fan' or whatever. In fact I'm obviously not a City fan, I can write!

Then they become so obsessed with religion, and people who do believe, that they see it in everything believers do or say. Yesterday I had a disagreement with a particularly dumb comment leaver, no names, no pack drill, who was convinced that this recent post, partly about Sundays in France, was a religious call for 'Lord's day observance'. It was purely that I happen to enjoy the quiet, some may say boring Sundays that you get in France with the shops closed. Of course if your life is so dreary that you can't even find something to do on Sunday, other than shoppping, you will get the wrong end of the stick quite easily. That particular clown still seems still to be convinced that he is right. I suppose in days of yore he would have been ducking witches.

Recently an old colleague of mine stepped down as leader of the Libertarian Party under a cloud. I have intentionally not been drawn into the subsequent internet feud and hounding of him, he's gone, end of story. But I have been attacked, albeit in a strangely sad and pathetic manner, on the blog of one of the lynch mob. My sin? Responding to a group email that went to members and former members of the Libertarian Party. This particularly vindictive individual had hounded him in a way that in my view, bordered on bullying and I criticised him for metaphorically screaming that the former leader should go and lead a cult in the Mid-West. Or words to that effect. I said I thought he was being hysterical, or words to that effect. Lo and behold on his tawdry little blog he has accused me of becoming hysterical and that criticising organised religion to me was like red rag to a bull. Or words to that effect. Obviously bullshit to people who participated in our group email exchange. I think, rather than lying, he's just not very bright and has an unhealthy obsession with religion and those of us who are religious. Either way, if you want to have a go then fair enough. But at least be accurate and preferably, honest.

Now I've got that off my chest I'm off to do some work. Oh, and by the way, I do have good friends who are atheists and even one who supports Manchester City. I suppose I'll now be linked to those people with dodgy views on race who claim to have black friends. At least by the two nutters mentioned above I will!

Buddhist Temples, Synagogues and Fascists

One thing that always angers me is when people, usually British people, run themselves and the rest of us down with a negative comment then add  "...but that's typically British" or something similar. I heard it today about religion and was shocked to discover that we British, apparently, know nothing of any religion but Christianity. Oh really, is that right? No, it isn' actually.

Perhaps it's because I went to religious schools, educated first by Franciscans then Xaverian Brothers to eighteen, that I was taught in religion classes about a whole range of religions and beliefs, not just Christianity or Roman Catholicism. Although it hasn't made me an expert in theology it has left me with an interest in other religions.

Last week we went into the South Lakes for the day, only a few miles up the road and ideal for a nice relaxing day. First we went to Cartmel and had a walk around the racecourse, which is in a wonderful setting and who can resist the Cartmel Village Shop for some of the best sticky toffee pudding in the universe? Then we went on to Ulverston, where Stan Laurel was born and the Laurel and Hardy Museum is, and had a spot of lunch. We never agree on Laurel and Hardy, my beloved finds them tedious I still find them hilarious and can watch them all day. It may be genetic as my grandfather had to be treated by first aiders in the thirties when he did himself damage laughing in the cinema at one of their films.

But getting to the point we then vistied Conishead Priory, a wonderful huge Gothic pile now home to the Kadampa Buddhists who have built a wonderful temple in the grounds. Over the years there have been religious orders at Conishead, it's been a war hospital and was even a convalescence home for miners from Durham. As soon as you walk into the grounds you feel a sense of peace, and they do fantastic carrot cake in the cafe. There is also a well stocked book shop with a range of books, especially introductory books for those of us who want to find out a little more about Buddhism.

Last year we visited the Manchester Jewish Museum, another must if you ever visit the UK's finest city after London.

If you have any interest in social history or Judaism this museum is a must. I first came across it doing some research into fascism in pre-WW II Manchester and Salford, where the British Union of Fascists were very strong, despite the ludicrous revisionism of modern socialists in Manchester who claim it was a hotbed of radical socialist anti-fascism. Indeed, when the BUF had to close their National HQ in Chelsea they considered moving it to Salford, which was their regional HQ for the North. One of life's sweeter ironies is that the old HQ, at 17 Northumberland Street, now houses an orthodox synagogue.

It's always sad to see religious buildings close, especially if they are demolished, but when they do close and are put to good use, such as the Jewish Museum and Conishead Priory, they become fascinating links to the past and a provide a tremendous here and now. We are looking forward to visiting both places again soon. The Kadampa Temple is especially breathtaking when there is sunshine and blue sky, as there was when we visited.

Persecution of Christians

Throughout the world Christians are being persecuted and very little is reported in the mainstream media, unless it is where there is a current newsworthy situation, such as Iraq. The persecution of Christians in many countries is supported and actually enacted by the state, it is not just different groups acting under their own initiative and taking the law into their own hands.

Of course there are groups such as the Tibetan Buddhists being oppressed too, and they deserve support in their fight against Chinese oppression. But you might see a 'Free Tibet' car sticker in the UK, you will never see one denouncing the oppression and torture of Christians anywhere in the world. Sadly, many Christians seem unaware of what is happening or if they are, seem to regard it as somebody else's problem.

What got me on this train of thought was this story yesterday about a British boy being bullied at school by Muslim pupils for posting a favourable message about British troops on Facebook.  The production of slaughtering of animals to produce Halal meat has also been in the news recently. Halal butchers are exempt from our animal cruelty laws. It must be noted that Kosher meat is accorded similar exemption and is equally cruel.

Then on Remembrance Day there were protests by Muslim extremists when sick abuse was hurled at participants in parades. Admittedly the extremists seem to be a minority, but all majorities begin as minorities. The big question for us in the UK is when does tolerance of others become a danger to ourselves?

Then we recently witnessed extreme atheism around the time of the Papal visit. It seemed pretty clear to most of us that the likes of Richard Dawkins, and other humanists, were using the Papal visit to rant against all religion, but Catholicism is the easy target and the other religions don't seem to understand that they are also included in Dawkins' obsessive attacks. After all, if Dawkins, Tatchell and company ranted and demonstrated against Islam in a similar way, they may not find things as comfortable for themselves as they do attacking Christians.

Now as a consequence of the threat of terrorism from Islamic extremism, again a tiny minority, or at least we hope it is, we find ourselves living under increasingly oppressive anti-terror legislation, so oppressive that even an obvious joke or throwaway remark on Twitter can find you facing the full force of the law.

There is actually no conclusion to this ramble. It is a sign of a civilised society to be tolerant of others, after all we are all unique and therefore different. But I can't help thinking that tolerance has a limit, and that limit is when tolerance actually puts you in danger. Put another way it is about our survival instinct, and I can't help wondering sometimes if our obsession with being open and liberal may not put us in danger. In the meantime I await a copy of the Koran that a Muslim friend has bought me so I can find out more for myself about the real Islam.

Below are links to a few reports about Christian oppression in other parts of the world.

Pakistan
Iraq
Algeria
Egypt
Saudi Arabia
Iran
Bangladesh
Vietnam

Poor Old Hare Krishnas in Leicester

We have a Buddhist temple up the road in Cumbria where monks and other Buddhists head to for retreats and things. Our local train from Lancaster often has Buddhist monks in their saffron robes heading up there. I still get a shock when I pass through the carriage to find, when I reach them, that they are not Tibetans but often Mancunians, Scousers or Cockneys. I find it quite eccentric, but admit to liking it, as far as I know Buddhists don't tend to hurt people.

So I was saddened today to hear that a Hare Krishna temple in Leicester has burnt down. Thankfully nobody seems to have been seriously hurt.

But it does remind me of a wonderful verse from Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before by The Smiths:

I was delayed, I was way-laid
An emergency stop, I smelt the last ten seconds of life
I crashed down on the crossbar
And the pain was enough to make
A shy, bald, Buddhist reflect
And plan a mass murder
Who said lied I'd to her?
Oh, who said I'd lied because I never? I never!
Who said I'd lied because I never?

Tell you what, why not listen to the whole wonderful song?



I hope the Hare Krishnas in Leicester soon recover.

Atheists versus God Botherers

I'll be upfront from the off. I'm a libertarian and a practising Roman Catholic, there's even a Facebook group for us, so there are definitely more than just me.

Throughout my time in politics I have practised my religon without making a huge song and dance about it, for which some Christians would probably condemn me, but that's me. If religion comes up I'll get involved in discussion but tend not to be too evangelical, I suspect many political colleagues over the years didn't even know of my religion.

But increasingly I find myself commenting on religous affairs because of the increasing intolerance of non-believers, characterised by Dawkins and his ilk. Fair enough you don't believe but why bang on and on and on and on and on? It's very tedious. It reminds me of the nutty anti-smoking lobby. OK, you don't smoke but don't bang on and on, a la Dawkins, whining and whinging about people who do. We used to call it 'live and let live'.

On my specific religion, Roman Catholicism, I get weary of the complete rubbish and lies, told by ignorant non-catholics or bitter lapsed Catholics usually, about things that they claim go on in the Catholic church. I was educated from infant school to grammar school by monks and never once witnessed sado-masochism or paedophilia. It's sad that I have had to state that on a regular basis over the decades. Nobody else I know educated by monks, priests or nuns suffered anything untoward either. Yes, I know there have been instances of priests committing evil acts, condemn those individuals not the priesthood or the whole church. There have been a higher proportion of teachers convicted of offences against children but critics don't attack the whole teaching profession. It does seem that all kinds of groups receive official protection from attack but not Christians.

So I was particulalry interested to read this article in today's Times by Hugo Rifkind.

I’m transfixed, in a mind-melty sort of way, by the allegation that Cherie Booth — in her lofty judge capacity, rather than her slightly-chippy-former- PM’s-wife capacity — gave a more lenient sentence to a man convicted of assault because he was religious. Shamso Miah was on his way home from his mosque when he joined the queue at a cash dispenser. After a disagreement about who was in front of whom, he punched somebody else in the face, breaking his jaw. Judge Cherie, the story goes, suspended his sentence, on the basis that he was a religious man, and already beating himself up about it. Albeit not literally. Presumably.

Now the National Secular Society has complained to the Judicial Complaints Office that this sort of thing is unfair to atheists, on the basis that, if Miah had been one, he’d have been off to chokey. It’s got everything, this story. Creepy religious Blairs? Check. Out-of-touch judges? Check. A slightly scary Muslim? Check. They’re probably knocking out a BBC Four docudrama about it as I type. But the nub of the matter, I think, is the old chestnut about the bearing, if any, that religious belief should have on abstract morality.

Judge Cherie seems to be on the same page as the Pope on this, in believing that religious belief gives you a sort of super, better morality, which outweighs everything else. The NSS, equally unsurprisingly, seems to find this quite offensive. My instincts are with it. Annoyingly, though, and as my philosophy degree taught me in week one, it’s only Cherie’s lot that make conceptual sense. There’s no such thing as abstract morality. It doesn’t even make any sense. If God isn’t the ultimate answer, what is?

This is precisely why secularists are always even more annoying that religious people. Often they’re even more annoying than Cherie Booth. It’s because they’re insincere. Sooner or later, I always think, secularists are going to have to bite the bullet, ditch “morality” and “fairness” and all that Goddish guff, and start talking about convenience. Crimes are wrong, because they are inconvenient. Value systems are good, because they make life nicer. Murder is a hassle. It’ll never be stirring stuff, but at least it’s honest.

I wonder why so many 'liberal' commentators don't practice the doctrine of live and let live towards Christians that they urge on the rest of us in relation to so many others in sociey. Perhaps that'll be one of the questions I ask when I join the Benedictines at Pluscarden Abbey next week on my retreat.

In conclusion I welcome reasoned discussion of religion, but I find ignorant attacks on religion tedious in the extreme. However, I would no sooner ban those attacks on religion than I would advocate banning the Burqa. So I hope that ignorant bigots like Peter Tatchell learn to practice the liberalism they claim to believe in, and stop calling for the Pope to be banned from visiting England later this year.

Archbishop In Commonsense Shock!

I rarely agree with Dr Rowan Williams but, for once, he talks sense.

Yes the recession is making people stop and contemplate their lifestyles. For far too many the shopping malls, especially monsters like the Trafford Centre, have become the new cathedrals and as long as they got their hands on cash, or credit, they continued to worship at them.

Now the shit has hit the fan the lesson has been learned surely? No, it hasn't. The government is now playing the greedy shopper extraordinaire and borrowing masses more money so people and businesses can continue behaving in the exact same way that got us in the shit in the first place. Pity the generations to come who will have to pick up the tab, because the government is merely buying off today's nitwits who will probably now vote for them, regardless of the consequences, on June 4th 2009 when I am convinced the general election will be held.

Where I do take issue with Dr Williams is on the role of the Church of England in the last few decades. He can squeal now but where was the CofE when they could have stood up and said "enough is enough" and given a moral lead in many areas of life that would have helped save us from the nation's current plight?

Oh, that's right, they were trying to be cooler and trendier than anybody else in the establishment. There are no men of real principle in Parliament and it seems there are few in the christian churches either, until they can react in a way that doesn't rock the boat because it's what everybody is thinking anyway. It's people prepared to go against the tide when necessary that we need now, not the gems at stating the obvious when it's too late.