There’s another major flaw in Cardinal O’Brien’s arguments against gay marriage. In his article he says “No Government has the moral authority to dismantle the universally understood meaning of marriage.” He seems to believe that there is some immutable definition of marriage that has always been true and that he is bravely defending. Let’s examine… Continue reading What Is Marriage?
Marriage in the UDHR
In his article arguing against gay marriage, Cardinal Keith O’Brien twice referred to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, saying that article 16 clearly defined marriage as a relationship between a man and woman. In my response to his article I made the assumption that he, at least, knew what he was talking about here… Continue reading Marriage in the UDHR
We Cannot Afford To Indulge This Madness
By “this madness”, of course, I mean religious leaders talking about what society wants without bothering to ask them. The latest example is this piece in the Telegraph by Cardinal Keith O’Brien. Let’s take a close look at what he says. The Government is this month launching a consultation on same-sex marriage, asking the public… Continue reading We Cannot Afford To Indulge This Madness
Week Notes 8 & 9
Eventually I suppose I’ll have to give up and call these entries “Fortnight Notes”. Health Not having a cast on has made a huge difference. For the last couple of weeks I’ve still been using a crutch for journeys to and from work, but I really haven’t been using it much during the day. This… Continue reading Week Notes 8 & 9
Telegraph vs Dawkins
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. – Gandi If recent articles in the Telegraph are any indication then Richard Dawkins has just moved from phase two to phase three, which means that his victory must be imminent. Dawkins has, of course, been in the media… Continue reading Telegraph vs Dawkins
Week Notes 6 & 7
Another fortnightly “week notes”. But on the plus side I’ve written four other blog posts in the last two weeks. Health I went back to the fracture clinic on Friday. They removed my cast and x-rayed my ankle. The consultant was happy with the way it all looked so she has discharged me. I’ve still… Continue reading Week Notes 6 & 7
10 Reasons Why Religion is Like Masturbation
Most people try it at some point in their life It’s generally harmless in small doses But you would be worried if a friend was constantly doing it Or constantly talking about it Or inviting you to do it with them It can bring on bouts of extreme ecstasy But they never last long No-one… Continue reading 10 Reasons Why Religion is Like Masturbation
The Inescapable Rise of Secularism
I’ve got rather sucked into the comments on Nadine Dorries’ nonsense about the “attacks” on Christianity. Here’s the first comment that I left, which pretty much sums up my feelings. The Christian church’s outcry against Mr Justice Ouseley’s eminently sensible ruling can only be seen as the death cries of increasingly irrelevant group. Spout whatever… Continue reading The Inescapable Rise of Secularism
Atheism, Humanism and Secularism
Yesterday’s news stories about prayer in Bideford council meetings and the Christian guesthouse owners have triggered the expected levels of outrage from the usual suspects. One thing that critics of this ruling often seem to (deliberately?) misunderstand is the differences between atheism, humanism and secularism. I thought it might be useful to post simple definitions… Continue reading Atheism, Humanism and Secularism
Tracking Packages
Last week I ordered a new laptop. Yesterday, Dell’s web site told me that it had shipped. And, an hour or so later, they gave me a link to track the delivery on the UPS web site. Now that link is fun of course. But refreshing the page dozens of times a day gets a… Continue reading Tracking Packages