Alex’s Heresies - embracing a physical reality

BBC News reports that hundreds of Muslims and Christians have been killed during clashes over local elections in Nigeria.

Hundreds of people are reported to have been killed in central Nigeria after Christians and Muslims clashed over the result of a local election.
A Muslim charity in the town of Jos says it collected more than 300 bodies, and fatalities are also expected among Christians.
There is no official confirmation yet, and figures are notoriously unreliable in Nigeria, says the BBC’s Alex Last.
Police have imposed a 24-hour curfew and the army is patrolling the streets.
They have been given orders to shoot on sight in an effort to quell hostilities that mark the worst clashes in the restive West African nation since 2004.
For the second straight day on Saturday, angry mobs went through the town burning homes, churches and mosques.
The Nigerian Red Cross says at least 10,000 people have fled their homes. (full report 29 Nov 2008)

Alex McCullie

Here’s your chance to put those non-believer singing voices to a very good cause - atheism. Q Transmissions, a weekly skeptical call-in talk show in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, is conducting a singing contest - the best singing voice for a new atheist anthem. Submit via YouTube, Blackberry or laptop. Raise up your voices and sing for… (Check the contest here.)

Alex McCullie

An Islamic council, National Fatwa Council , in Malaysia has warned Muslims against yoga as its Hindu prayers encourages a blasphemous union with God. This edict is not binding but highly influential on Malaysia’s 40 percent Muslim population (Full article The Australian 22 Nov 2008).

According to the article the previous edict or fatwa was to stop girls wearing trousers. An attempt by the government to restrict overseas travel of unaccompanied women failed.

To most people in Western secular countries these seem worryingly repressive trends.

Alex McCullie

A paid-for Imagine No Religion billboard in Ontario, Canada threatens the faith of the religious. Well that’s why it’s been removed much to the relief of the somewhat faithful.

Judy Rooze, administrator of First Baptist Church of Rancho Cucamonga, which is two blocks from the billboard, was relieved it was coming down.

Rooze said it was unsettling.

“I understand people have freedom of speech, but this is taking it too far,” she said. “It’s very jarring.”

Nothing more dangerous than a “jarred” Christian (PE.com full article 20 Nov 2008)

Alex McCullie

The Guardian reports that the Vatican intends to introduce psychological testing to screen out potential child-abusers and gays for their future priestly ranks. Why gays?

The Vatican identifies homosexuality as a deep-seated personality disorder and psychological flaw; condemning same-sex acts as “grave sins”, “objectively disordered”, “intrinsically immoral” and “contrary to natural law”. Even men who have a gay orientation but abstain totally from sex are condemned by the Pope as possessing a “tendency towards an intrinsic moral evil”. (from Guardian article)

And why not? It seems like an epidemic in the church. The articles goes on:

Estimates of the number of gay men in Catholic seminaries and the priesthood typically range from 25% to 50%, according to a review of research in the US by the Rev Donald Cozzens, author of The Changing Face of the Priesthood: A Reflection on the Priest’s Crisis of Soul. A similar proportion of priests is thought to be gay in the UK and Europe, including a number of bishops and cardinals.

Is there something iconic about a semi-naked man nailed to a wooden cross? (Full article 20 Nov 2008)

Alex McCullie

The economic crisis has given a whole new philip to apocalyptic doomsayers and they love the Book of Revelations. Here’s one from down-under in the heart of our government.

LABOR MP James Bidgood, the first-time MP under investigation for selling pictures of a protester attempting to set fire to himself outside Parliament House, has declared the global financial crisis an act of God.

Mr Bidgood, who was carpeted by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd over his actions yesterday and apologised to parliament, makes the claims in a DVD.

In a speech to a function held in parliament he argues that Christian marches for Jesus in London caused the October 1987 stock market crash.

He also predicts the end of the world and one world monetary system.

“We have to say ‘What would Jesus do?’,” he says.

“In 1987 there was another march for Jesus. That took place in April. And guess what happened in October 1987? The stock market crashed. All property values lost one third of their value and over a million people lost their homes.

“I believe when Christians pray, God does things. I believe what is happening today is as much to do with God in economics bringing judgement.” (Australian 4 Dec 2008)

Alex McCullie

Here’s an interesting YouTube video of a person’s rejection of strong Christian belief and practice to become an atheist. The video is a simple plain text presentation of personal religious background and reasons for rejecting religious belief and Christianity in particular. The arguments are all well-known but it’s good to read through one person’s rationale.

Alex McCullie

A UK Christian organisation is placing God messages in 200 buses in London. This seems in response to a similar campaign by the British Humanists mentioned in an earlier post.

MEMO, a ministry dedicated to spreading the Good News on public transport networks for 125 years, has launched a new advertising campaign on London buses reassuring commuters of God’s comfort in the midst of the global credit crunch.

The campaign, launched on Monday, will see MEMO’s ads displayed inside 200 buses throughout central London for the next four weeks.

They ask commuters if they feel “Crunched?” before quoting Luke 2.10 – 11, “Don’t be afraid! I am here with good news for you … This very day in Bethlehem your Saviour was born – Christ the Lord.” (full article in Christian Today 25 Nov 2008)

Alex McCullie

Here’s an interesting graphical representation of atheist populations by country (website). US has the least percentage and Vietnam the most.

Alex McCullie

What can I say…

Hundreds of Proofs of God’s Existence (website)

Oh, it’s not serious!
Alex McCullie