Monthly Archives: October 2011

Old woolly-headed Rowan Williams finally speaks about the invasion of St. Paul’s — and backs the protesters!

Posted on 31/10/2011 by

Two weeks after the invasion of St Paul’s, the Archbishop finally speaks — and backs the protesters In a sign of the panic within the Church of England high command since the arrival of the activists, Dr. Rowan Williams intervened … Continue reading →

Posted in Secularism | Tagged , , , ,

Pic of the day: Foggy Somerset scene

Posted on 31/10/2011 by

Click on the image to enlarge it.

Posted in Visual Arts | Tagged ,

Philip Jenkins on the Canaanite genocide: the Old Testament’s ‘texts of terror’

Posted on 30/10/2011 by

‘It would be easy to cite these gruesome Biblical stories as a foundation for a New Atheist rant, and that’s absolutely not my intent.  Paradoxically, what I have been trying to do in recent years, especially in my book Laying … Continue reading →

Posted in Biblical Studies, History, Quote of the Day | Tagged , , , , , ,

Update on persecuted British Christian Adrian Smith, impoverished by militant Trafford Housing Trust

Posted on 29/10/2011 by

Housing chief admits demoting Christian to protect award from gay charity and: Housing chief threatens further disciplinary action against Christian if he preaches in ‘vicinity’ of work

Posted in Popular Culture, Society, Secularism | Tagged , , , ,

Writers’ quote of the day: Frank Cottrell Boyce on innovative stories as voyages of discovery

Posted on 29/10/2011 by

‘We think in stories.  Before you can build a rocket to go to the Moon, you have to dream of being able to do so.  Before you can sail across the Atlantic to America you have to dream of Hy … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Quote of the Day, Writing

Marilynne Robinson on Christian leaders

Posted on 29/10/2011 by

‘One of the things that bothers me very much about a lot of the public version of Christianity — what you see in the press and everything now — are people who actually define themselves against adversaries.  They look for … Continue reading →

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Pic of the day: the view I wish I had from my bedroom window

Posted on 28/10/2011 by

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Posted in Visual Arts | Tagged ,

Why Richard Dawkins is a liar and a hypocrite: the empirical evidence

Posted on 28/10/2011 by

“Liar, liar, pants on fire”?  Ten Tough Questions for Richard Dawkins  

Posted in Atheism | Tagged , , , , , ,

Thomas Jefferson, made-up quotations and gullible New Atheists

Posted on 28/10/2011 by

Atheist Billboard Makes Up Jefferson Quote by John Cassidy, OCR A group of atheists called Backyard Skeptics is planning to unveil a billboard at 1545 Newport Blvd., Wednesday afternoon with a quote from Thomas Jefferson bashing Christianity. The quote reads, “I … Continue reading →

Posted in Atheism | Tagged , , , ,

Peter Hitchens on Richard Dawkins’ cowardly refusal to debate philosopher William Lane Craig

Posted on 27/10/2011 by

‘The American philosopher William Lane Craig had offered to debate Richard Dawkins’s book The God Delusion with its author, in his home town (and mine).  Dawkins is around, because he has his own event in another Oxford location on Friday.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Atheism, Peter Hitchens, Philosophy | Tagged , , ,

Heil hockey! The moment a German team performed the Nazi salute as they faced English school boys in 1939

Posted on 27/10/2011 by

Click on the image to enlarge it. Heil hockey!  The moment a German team performed the Nazi salute as they faced English school boys in 1939.  How many of these young men ended up trying to kill each other? In six months’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Sport, Visual Arts | Tagged , , , , , , ,

Quote of the day: William Lane Craig on Richard Dawkins

Posted on 27/10/2011 by

‘Several years ago my atheist colleague Quentin Smith unceremoniously crowned Stephen Hawking’s argument against God in A Brief History of Time as “the worst atheistic argument in the history of Western thought.”  With the advent of The God Delusion the … Continue reading →

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If we can abolish slavery we can end abortion, says Lord Nicholas Windsor

Posted on 27/10/2011 by

If we can abolish slavery, we can end abortion But we must be creative in responding to the reality of unwanted pregnancy, says Lord Nicholas Windsor: Today’s Britain, then, faces a double challenge: to make the case that the unborn deserve … Continue reading →

Posted in Popular Culture, Society, Secularism | Tagged ,

Writers’ quote of the day: M. J. Hyland on rewriting first drafts

Posted on 26/10/2011 by

‘I’ve never read or written a perfect first draft.  Perfect first drafts don’t exist.  And yet most writers, at the beginning of their careers, think they must.  This intimidating myth of effortless gift persists because successful authors aren’t in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Quote of the Day, Writing | Tagged , , , , ,

Michael Coren on Richard Dawkins’ cowardly refusal to engage William Lane Craig in rational discourse

Posted on 26/10/2011 by

‘This is wonderful!  That old windbag Dick Dawkins is running scared from taking on an opponent who he knows will wipe the floor with him.  What larks . . . Atheists like their Christians to be fundamentalist fools, but get … Continue reading →

Posted in Atheism, Popular Culture, Society | Tagged , , , , , , ,

Adrian Smith, impoverished by Trafford Housing Trust, is a role model for modern Britain’s persecuted Christians

Posted on 25/10/2011 by

Adrian Smith is a role model for modern Britain’s persecuted Christians What heartening news it is that Adrian Smith has plucked up the courage to sue Trafford Housing Trust, writes Milo Yiannopoulos: “Diverse” in modern Britain is of course a … Continue reading →

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Backlash in Britain over Trafford Housing Trust’s anti-Christian intolerance and persecution of Adrian Smith

Posted on 24/10/2011 by

Backlash at anti-Christian intolerance of housing trust Commentators at three of Britain’s biggest newspapers have criticised the treatment of a Christian employee who was disciplined and almost sacked over comments he made about legislation for gay weddings in churches. Ally … Continue reading →

Posted in Popular Culture, Society, Secularism | Tagged , , , , , ,

The real reason why atheist philosopher A. C. Grayling turned down Pope Benedict’s invitation to Assisi

Posted on 23/10/2011 by

‘A. C. Grayling, the atheist philosopher, accepted and then turned down an invitation to join the Pope in a meeting to promote world peace in Assisi next week.  Why the change of heart? Grayling says he hadn’t realised that the … Continue reading →

Posted in Atheism, Philosophy | Tagged , , , , ,

‘Guardian’ writer says: Richard Dawkins’s refusal to debate William Lane Craig is cynical and anti-intellectual

Posted on 23/10/2011 by

Richard Dawkins’s refusal to debate is cynical and anti-intellectualist Using William Lane Craig’s remarks as an excuse not to engage in reasoned debate is typical of New Atheist polemic says Guardian writer, Oxford don and fellow atheist Dr. Daniel Came: The tactics … Continue reading →

Posted in Atheism | Tagged , , , , ,

Pic of the day: This photograph tricks the eyes into thinking the tent has been pitched on a blanket of clouds

Posted on 22/10/2011 by
Posted in Visual Arts

Free speech in Britain a thing of the past: Christian housing manager demoted for criticising gay equality law

Posted on 22/10/2011 by

Demoted for not backing gay marriage: Housing manager’s pay slashed by £14,000 for criticising new law on Facebook Adrian Smith, a Christian, was found guilty of gross misconduct by his publicly funded housing association for saying that allowing gay weddings … Continue reading →

Posted in Popular Culture, Society, Secularism | Tagged , , , , ,

Crime novelist Mark Billingham on creating suspense, the “reveal” and characters we care about

Posted on 22/10/2011 by

‘The “reveal” remains a very effective technique, and one with which I am very familiar from my time as a standup comedian.  It may sound surprising, but a joke and a crime novel work in very much the same way.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Quote of the Day, Writing | Tagged , , , , , ,

Richard Dawkins is either a fool or a coward for refusing to debate William Lane Craig says Oxford don

Posted on 21/10/2011 by

Richard Dawkins is either a fool or a coward for refusing to debate William Lane Craig says Tim Stanley, research fellow in American History at Oxford University. We are left with two possible conclusions from Richard Dawkin’s flimsy sick note.  The … Continue reading →

Posted in Atheism, Philosophy | Tagged , , , , , , ,

Writers’ quote of the day: Gene Fant on clear, graceful writing

Posted on 20/10/2011 by

‘Effective communication is an attempt to overcome the brokenness of language that is the result of fallenness.  In this way, clear writing is a foretaste of grace, that wonderful concept that reminds us that something must bridge the gap between … Continue reading →

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Fury as celebrity atheist Ricky Gervais ridicules Down’s syndrome children with ‘two mongs’ Twitter comments

Posted on 20/10/2011 by

Fury as celebrity atheist Ricky Gervais ridicules Down’s syndrome children with ‘two mongs’ Twitter comments Ricky Gervais has come under attack by Down’s syndrome groups over his frequent use of the word ‘mong’ to describe people he thinks are stupid.  … Continue reading →

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