Is it right that a tremendously important literary work, also a work of religious importance to many, should be public domain throughout the world, except in the country whose people’s taxes paid for it? Is a 400 year old private monopoly, granted as part in order to further censorship something that should be maintained? This is exactly what has happened to the Authorised Version of the Bible (the King James Version), which, in the UK is still under a perpetual crown copyright, with a small number of private companies profiting from the letter patent or licences they have inherited to print it. Continue reading
Religion
Christianity, other religions, any subject related to religion.
God, suffering and science fiction
The old, and much debated, question of why a benevolent and omnipotent God would allow suffering has many answers, but there is a more intuitive grasp of one answer to be found in works of fiction (at least one by an atheist). Continue reading
Less free speech in Ireland
The Irish apparently do not like freedom of speech. Everyone will be subject to the same restriction to prevent speech that might actually criticise beliefs or encourage people to think for themselves, that British broadcasters are already subject to. At leas in Ireland it is the courts that have the final say, in Britain it is Ofcom and the completely unaccountable bureaucrats at the IWF Continue reading
Scary Pew Research
Many people have called the recent Pew Research Centre poll that “showed” that only 26% of Americans believed in evolution. What is really scary is that no-one seems to have looked closely enough at it to see that it showed nothing of the sort.
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The JFS and legal racial discrimination
The case of the boy refused admission to the Jewish Free School (JFS) has revealed that some types of racial discrimination are legal in Britain. The key point is that he would have been admitted if his ethnicity was right. Continue reading
The gospel according to neo-conservatives
Here is my attempt to bring the Bible into line with modern values. I am particularly trying to help neo-conservatives and neo-liberals who have an exceptionally hard time in reconciling what they know to be right with Jesus’s old fashioned ideas.
Irreligious conflict
Spiegel Online reports that plans by a German public broadcaster to air Muslim mini-sermons, alongside long established Christian and Jewish ones, have been criticised by politicians but welcomed by Church leaders. What better evidence could there be that conflict between religions pales in comparison to that between religion and intolerant secular ideologies?
Silliest blog post
This has got to be one of the silliest statements ever made on any of the blogs I read regularly. Continue reading
Most people should be agnostics
I suppose it is suprising that a Christian should promote agnosticism, but I think that for many, if not most people, it is the belief that they can most honestly hold. Continue reading