Nelson Mandela RIP

[observer]

Think your first sentence is complete piffle. Joe and Adolf may have managed 20million (more if we tot up war casualties) between them; but even if you throw in a few Pol Pots etc; there's no way total deaths caused by atheism can compare with the rest of history soaked in the blood religious bigotry. And while I may concede, that some of these deaths resulted and still result from a distortion of a religion (not in the case of Pope sponsored crusades or the inquisitions of course), the fact they are religion based, identifies the ignorance and superstition that is the seed of this evil.

[Dizzy]

Forgive me for asking this Goonerman and of course no offence meant at all  but I'm just wondering why, after over 9 months of silence on this topic, you have now resurrected it in quite an intense way.  Am I missing something here?... I guess I probably am so 'sorry' but I just wondered

[P J]

The Catholic Church, sabotaging an effective intervention which prevents a disease that kills 2 million people a year makes you a serious global public health problem.

[fugtifino]

I'd never heard of a symphysiotomy until quite recently, eye wateringly barbaric.

 

As far as I'm aware, nothing to do with Mandela though.

[Lt Kije]

Almost a year on and after a very busy time when coming back to here was kept at the bottom of the list, I am disappointed but not surprised at the feeble, emotive and bigoted non-answers. Still no engagement with my 16 points, still peddling a false model of the NI situation, making excuses for the IRA and blaming a God you don't even believe exists anyway.

 

As for Ian Paisley, his view was an idiosyncratic mix of fierce anti- Catholic religious rhetoric and paranoid political conspiracy theories about Unionists being kicked out of the UK, betrayed and ethnically cleansed and the latter is what influenced the Loyalist extremists, not the former. But the bottom line is- were the terrorists killing people over God or over whether NI should be in the UK or the Irish Republic? The answer is the latter. So had you shut down the churches and jailed the church goers, you would have found the violence still continuing.

 

May I point out that God doesn't condone violence done in His name and certainly doesn't find it funny. Where Ian Paisley failed is not grasping Jesus' rejection of being a political Messiah. He rejected Jewish nationalism and was a pacifist. Ever heard of these words? "He who lives by the sword shall perish by the sword." And: "Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God." And the disciples offered Jesus two swords, and Jesus shouted at them yelling, "ENOUGH OF THIS!" The Canaanite situation also was a case of most of the Canaanites being exiled in Egypt too and they assisted in Israel attacking the quisling city states of the Egyptian Empire. Completely different situation.

 

Let me place my cards on the table. I vote for the Alliance Party. You might have heard of them or is your memory so selective that you forgot about that in 2010 when I celebrated Naomi Long's election to Parliament? I voted for the Good Friday Agreement. You may have heard of that also. I have the Orange Order on permanent boycott. I and Paisleyites are opponents of each other on so many issues and the same goes with Loyalists. I used to have blazing rows with them in school. I and my family always considered Paisley a rabble rouser and a troublemaker who never took responsibility for his actions who would stop at nothing to become Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. That prediction came true. I never said Paisley was an Atheist. I didn't say all the Loyalist terrorists were atheists. I certainly don't think all who disagree with me on issues are all Atheists. Most of my opponents on issues are Christians. This smacks of exceptionally poor comprehension skills and an obstinacy and one-dimensional view worthy of the NI bigots themselves. From what I can see, I am an an opponent of the Unionists as a whole, the Nationalists both moderate and extreme, the terrorist organisations AND of perhaps most people on GB too. But I do know one thing that is on my side- academic scholarship. PS It is people who wreck the world. Whatever one believes, people need to take responsibility for their own actions. As for the UK's future, that will be centred on economics. As for a potential Third World War, that WILL be religious. But secular humanism, nor secular tyranny nor religious tyranny will provide the answer, that's for sure. Oh and if you think secular tyranny is the key to NI, to The Hague you shall go.

As your quoting the bible Goonerman heres another quote from it for you

 

"Behold the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger...Whoever is found will be thrust through and whoever is caught will fall by the sword. Their infants will be dashed in pieces before their eyes, their houses will be plundered and their wives ravished."

Isaiah 13:9, 13:15

 

Ravished is that not rape???????

[wolfie]

Ravished is that not rape???????

 Could also mean 

• 'to fill with ecstasy or delight.' 

I suppose it depends on where you're coming from.

[P J]

But Lt Kije, there will be somewhere else in that book a direct contradiction to the bit you just posted, there always is, its how it works.

[Bazj]

I prefer this one....

 

“The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he, who in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

but of course it was made up for the film!!