Sunday 19 February 2012

I'm Outraged and Offended


Not sure what to be outraged by or offended about just yet, but I'm sure I'll find something. Apparently it's the new black for tossers who haven't got a life - and militant Christians (or are they the same thing?).

Funny, ain't it, how they've coined the derogatory term 'militant' secularist for those of us who simply don't want a particular brand of religion shoved down our throats at every conceivable opportunity outside the confines of a church. I think I'll start calling theists 'militant irrational supertitionists'. In the final analysis, religious dogma is merely a matter of opinion; the sheer number of mutually incompatible religions claiming 'revealed truth' proves that.


The apologists for religion are currently trotting out the fatuous homily that our laws are based on the Bible, or even Christianity. Utter tosh and an argument that is the last refuge of the faux Christian who doesn't know the 10 commandments.

There are only 3 of the 10 commandments which have any relevance to the laws of England - the one about murdering (which the church specifically allows under certain circumstances), the one about stealing and the one about bearing false witness (but that's only in a court of law). Every culture - even those without religion - have these same prohibitions, and I would posit they were appropriated from existing culture by the writers of the Bible and not something handed down by some Grand Poobah in the sky.

I defy anyone to show me an English law that upholds the other 7 commandments. No, in the words of Bertrand Russell: "You find as you look around the world that every single bit of progress of humane feeling, every improvement in the criminal law, every step toward the diminution of war, every step toward better treatment of the coloured races, or even mitigation of slavery, every moral progress that there has been in the world, has been consistently opposed by the organized churches of the world. I say quite deliberately that the Christian religion, as organized in its churches, has been and still is the principal enemy of moral progress in the world."

As tangible evidence of that, just look at the moral dilemma the church currently has over gays and women Bishops. I wonder if those councillors who want to say prayers before council meetings want to be able to blame God for the cuts? "Don't blame me guv' - I was being guided by God." The 'established' church is desperately trying hanging on to the establishment by the skin of its teeth in the face of total and irredeemable irrelevance.

Bit pissed off at the cat; she spends all night going in and out of the cat flap, but come daylight she miaows to be let out and back in again through the human flap - commonly called a door. Inexplicable. I'm outraged!


14 comments:

J Cosmo Newbery said...

I get annoyed by those wackers who insist that atheism is a religion, which it clearly isn't.

Anonymous said...

"I defy anyone to show me an English law that upholds the other 7 commandments."

Hmmm - I suspect no. 3 might be connected to the blasphemy laws ( which are themselves remarkably silly!) Do I win a prize?

And as for that old fraud Russell

Anonymous said...

It is the way Dawkins does it!

Chairman Bill said...

Cosmo: ....or science.

Anon: Blasphemy doesn't exist anymore. QED.

Alan Burnett said...

I am outraged and offended that I can find nothing to disagree with in your latest post. Us readers deserve more.

Chairman Bill said...

Alan: I'm outraged that you're outraged. I'll write to the BBC, the Times and my MP!

Chairman Bill said...

Why, when I've set my place as UK, do the comments appear on Pacific time (Western)?

Roger said...

I suspect that Christianity (and, no doubt other religions) mirror politics in that what the punter in the street believes and wants is bastardised by those in charge (i.e. priests or politicians) for their own agenda. We live with gays of both sexes and the average Joe doesn't give a hoot and when have you ever heard the average Christian punter give off about female clergy (or politicians for that matter. There will always be extremists who use gays and women as a tool to cause trouble and for that reason I am outraged.

Regards to you sir, Roger

Steve Borthwick said...

Of course religion needs all the "earthly" protection and privilege it can get, and it knows it! If any of the claims of religion were in the slightest part true then it shouldn't need any; a thunder bolt or a plague of frogs would shut secularists up quite nicely!

It is this fact that most irritates apologists and militant superstitionists the world over, and which Dawkins exposes so effectively (like he did this morning on telly)

Chairman Bill said...

Roger, Steve: But what about the bloody cat?

Roger said...

The cat is all about superiority. A cat is the royalty of animals. Much like the Queen, if she decides to go out for a fag at 3 in the morning then she will open doors for herself but in the daytime others are supposed to do it for her.

So it is with the cat.

Roger.

Paula RC said...

I believe in life and living... In live and let live does that make me militant, Bill.

I just want to quietly get on with enjoy my life and being happy. Does all this fighting and killing make anyone happy in the end?

J Cosmo Newbery said...

To be a religion, as organisation must be

1. a distinct legal existence,
No. Fails this test. Stumbles at the first hurdle but let's press on:

2. a recognised creed and form of worship,
No, I don’t think so. There is no form to a belief that something isn't there.

3. a definite and distinct ecclesiastical government,
Definitely not.

4. a formal code of doctrine and discipline
The absence of a belief is not a doctrine.

5. a distinct religious history,
Possibly, in the negative sense.

6. a membership not associated with any other church or denomination,
Definitely.

7. an organisation of ordained ministers,
No. Richard Dawkins is a bit evangelical but definitely not ordained.

8. ordained ministers selected after completing prescribed studies,
No. Though, oddly, atheists have often read the Bible more deeply and critically than believers.

9. a literature of its own,
No. Plenty of books but no single text such as the Bible or the Koran. The God Delusion doesn't qualify.

10. established places of worship,
Pubs don’t count.

11. regular congregations,
Nope.

12. regular religious services,
Nope.

13. schools for religious instruction of the young,
No.

14. school for the preparation of its ministers.
Pubs still don’t count. Coffee shops might.

Steve Borthwick said...

CB, Cats are the work of the Devil, everyone knows that ;)