Monthly Archives: February 2012

Canada human rights watch: Secularist Quebec judges impose religious relativism on schoolchildren

Posted on 29/02/2012 by

Catholic students must take Quebec religion and ethics class: Supreme Court A controversial Quebec school course teaching children about ethics and world religions does not infringe on the freedom of parents seeking to raise their children as Catholics, the Supreme … Continue reading →

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

Well worth your reading time: ‘The God wars’ by Bryan Appleyard

Posted on 28/02/2012 by

The God wars To hardline atheists, it is now unreasonable and “dramatically peculiar” to argue that religion is not altogether evil.  How did such intolerance become acceptable to rational minds, asks Bryan Appleyard. De Botton is the most recent and, … Continue reading →

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‘I’d go to church just to reduce the probability of spending eternity in Hell with Richard Dawkins’

Posted on 27/02/2012 by

I’d go to church just to reduce the probability of spending eternity in Hell with Richard Dawkins writes Dr. Tim Stanley The probability of God existing might be low but the consequences if he does are high.  Vice versa, the … Continue reading →

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Bigoted secularist Britain failing to protect Christians’s civil rights, says cross-party committee of MPs

Posted on 26/02/2012 by

Britain failing to stand up for Christians, say MPs Britain is failing to protect the rights of Christians to follow their faith, a committee of MPs and peers has concluded. A report from a cross-party parliamentary group will this week … Continue reading →

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Pic of the day: A room with a view (on the International Space Station)

Posted on 25/02/2012 by

Astronaut Ron Garan took this image of the moon from his window on the International Space Station.  Since the station orbits Earth every 90 minutes, the crew experiences this view about 16 times a day.

Posted in Visual Arts | Tagged

If you like good detective fiction, read Fred Vargas

Posted on 24/02/2012 by

I’ve been enjoying the novels of French mystery writer Fred Vargas, in particular these three: They are excellent and I particularly like Wash This Blood Clean From My Hand, which is partly set in Quebec. If you like crime fiction … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews | Tagged ,

Pic of the day: Danger, do not walk on ceiling (Spiderman, take note)

Posted on 23/02/2012 by
Posted in Humour, Visual Arts

The wisest man in Ireland: Fr. Eugene O’Neill of the parish of St. Mary’s On The Hill, Belfast

Posted on 22/02/2012 by

Belfast priest says united Ireland is now irrelevant, praises Queen “As an Irish passport-holder I see the Queen and senior British government figures as defenders of faith in the UK,” claimed Fr O’Neill. “There are similarities between how the Irish … Continue reading →

Posted in Atheism, Christian Churches, Politics, World Events, Secularism | Tagged

Another nail in the coffin to the myth of Pope Pius XII’s supposed pro-Nazi sympathies

Posted on 21/02/2012 by

A self-serving myth, much touted by historical illiterates such as Richard Dawkins, is that Pope Pius XII was somehow indifferent to the suffering of European Jews during the Holocaust and that he was actually pro-Nazi.  Facts mean little or nothing … Continue reading →

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Writers’ quote of the day: Kingsley Amis on one of the chief pleasures of writing!

Posted on 20/02/2012 by

‘If you can’t annoy somebody, there’s little point in writing.’ ~ Kingsley Amis

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

It’s enough to make Richard Dawkins weep: evangelical Christianity is on the rise in “secular” France

Posted on 20/02/2012 by

Poor old Richard Dawkins must be weeping into his cornflakes (assuming he can remember where he put the milk): French evangelical Christianity is on the rise The CNEF says there are currently 2,068 evangelical churches in France, and that at … Continue reading →

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

Richard Dawkins is an embarrassment to atheists, says his fellow atheist Mark Wallace

Posted on 19/02/2012 by

Richard Dawkins: an embarrassment to atheists I was brought up in a Christian household.  Baptised a Methodist and confirmed an Anglican, I ended up as head chorister at Newcastle Cathedral. It was a good upbringing – and my love of church … Continue reading →

Posted in Atheism, Secularism | Tagged , , , ,

Review: ‘The Unintended Reformation: How a Religious Revolution Secularized Society’ by Brad S. Gregory

Posted on 18/02/2012 by

The Unintended Reformation: How a Religious Revolution Secularized Society by Brad S. Gregory, Harvard University Press, reviewed by Harold James There could not be a more propitious moment for a book on greed and the historical roots of capitalism.  Brad Gregory … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, History | Tagged , ,

How (Svetlana) Stalin became a Catholic

Posted on 17/02/2012 by

How Stalin became a Catholic The dictator’s daughter Svetlana, who died last November, converted to the faith after a long correspondence with a priest, writes Francis Phillips.

Posted in Atheism, Christian Churches | Tagged , ,

Quote of the day: Macarius the Syrian (fourth century)

Posted on 16/02/2012 by

‘The soul is accepted not because of what it has done, but because of what it has desired.’ ~ Macarius the Syrian, Homilies (fourth century)

Posted in Quote of the Day | Tagged , ,

Quote of the day: Allison Pearson on the love that dare not speak its name — Christianity

Posted on 15/02/2012 by

‘These days, celebrities can confess to pretty much anything – drugs, facelifts,   deforestation of the front bottom – but when it comes to religious belief suddenly everyone squirms and studies their shoes.  Homosexuality is no longer the love that dare not speak its … Continue reading →

Posted in Atheism, Quote of the Day, Secularism | Tagged , , , , ,

“Dawkins really did try — you could almost hear the wobbling jowls”

Posted on 14/02/2012 by

Dawkins really did try – you could almost hear the wobbling jowls Dawkins really did try – you could almost hear the wobbling jowls — but he simply couldn’t.  “On the Origin of Species . . . er . . . with, oh God … Continue reading →

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

Quote of the day: Stephen Pollard on Richard Dawkins’ arrogant and “cringemaking radio performance”

Posted on 14/02/2012 by

‘If you were trying to come up with a definition of misplaced intellectual arrogance, you could not do better than having the planet’s most famous atheist issuing diktats on who does and doesn’t count as a proper Christian. . . . … Continue reading →

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

Richard Dawkins suffers logic failure; falls flat on his face while debating a Christian, embarrasses other Atheists

Posted on 14/02/2012 by

Dawkins failure to remember title of Darwin’s book proves he’s no atheist, according to his own logic Richard Dawkins is accused of being an embarrassment to atheism tonight for failing to remember the full title of Darwin’s ‘The Origin of … Continue reading →

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

British cabinet minister speaks out about the elephant in the room: militant secularists and their bigoted agenda

Posted on 13/02/2012 by

Britain being overtaken by ‘militant secularists’, says Baroness Warsi and declares, We stand side by side with the Pope in fighting for faith British society is under threat from the rising tide of “militant secularisation” reminiscent of “totalitarian regimes”, a Cabinet … Continue reading →

Posted in Atheism, Politics, World Events, Popular Culture, Society, Secularism | Tagged , , , , ,

Bayern Munich football club offers Pope Benedict XVI honorary membership — Man. Utd. what’s keeping you?

Posted on 13/02/2012 by

One of Germany’s greatest football clubs is to offer Pope Benedict XVI an honorary membership Uli Hoeneß, the president of Bayern Munich, Germany’s most successful football team, spoke of his desire to offer a lifetime honorary club membership to Pope … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Churches, Sport | Tagged , , , , , ,

Lord Nicholas Windsor on anti-Catholic bigotry: the last acceptable prejudice for ‘Guardian’ columnists

Posted on 12/02/2012 by

‘On the whole, I think people are reluctant to voice anti-Catholic prejudice per se, but it certainly exists in the form of horror at our moral positions, which are thought antediluvian and dangerous, at least by our friends at The Guardian.’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Atheism, Quote of the Day, Secularism | Tagged , , , , ,

Quote of the day: Tim Stanley says ‘Secularism denies our history and destroys our identity’

Posted on 12/02/2012 by

‘Where has Britain’s once proud religiosity gone?  In America this week, Barack Obama attempted to force Catholic organisations to provide contraception as part of their employee healthcare packages.  The American people rose up in outrage and he backed down.  He … Continue reading →

Posted in Atheism, Quote of the Day, Secularism | Tagged , , , , ,

Hitchens on the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens, and the future of reading for pleasure

Posted on 11/02/2012 by

‘Sad to think, as we mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens, that hardly anyone will still read his books 50 years from now.  What with mass ‘dyslexia’ (otherwise known as very bad reading teaching), and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Peter Hitchens, Quote of the Day

‘The Jesus Discovery’: the latest claptrap from pseudo-archaeologist James Tabor soiling bookstore shelves

Posted on 10/02/2012 by

When he’s not eulogising fellow cranks such as the notorious crackpot Vendyl ”Arkhunter” Jones, James Tabor is busy thinking up his next great archaeological discovery.  Here’s what he’s about to serve us this Easter: The Jesus Discovery: The New Archaeological Find That Reveals the Birth … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology | Tagged , , , , , , , ,