Is Iran on the Point of Melt Down?
History shows that as regimes get close to their end they get paranoid and do strange things. Just look at what happened in the last days of the Toman Empire or Nazi Germany at the end of the Second World War.
The news coming out of Iran seems to get worse and more vindictive and bonkers every day. We have the stories of whether women, such as Sakineh Mohammadani Ashtiani will or should be stoned, Ahmadinejad’s bomber drone and now we now have a fatwa on cats and dogs. I know that pets aren’t that important in the scheme of things, but The Times carries an article today by an Iranian expert, that says that Iran is on the point of melt down!
I just hope that what replaces the current odious regime isn’t more so. But I’m afraid though that dictators be they military, religious or racist do seem to have immense skills on hanging on to power.
Some Muslims Risking Their Lives During Ramadan
I couldn’t believe the headline of this article on the BBC’s web site.
Apparently, Barts and the Royal London Hospital has found that some patients are missing appointments and delaying treatments during the month of Ramadan at great risk to their health.
I’m not sure that any religion would put religious observance above health, but I’m certain if I had any religion, I would defy such a statute.
In fact the article does go on to say that local imans are urging patients to continue with their treatment, so progress is being made. Knowing the hospitals well, I’m saure they are trying as hard as is humanely possible to improve the situation.
Also in these times of austerity, surely we have a moral duty to our fellow citizens not to load extra costs on the NHS. And I would think we also have a moral duty to our friends and relatives to do the best for our health, as they are the ones, who could really suffer in the long term if we stop treatment.
It should be said that “No-shows” are a big cost to the NHS and that is why my hospital, Addenbrookes, has installed an SMS-based system to ensure attendance. Perhaps, those who are persistent non-attenders should go to the back of the queue.
Religous Spam
I hate spam with a vengeance, but if it has a fake religous bent, it really gets my goat. Does anybody know why we use goats in this context?
Look at this loan spam from someone called Margaret Nicholas.
We are Christian Organization formed to help people in need.So if you are in financial difficulty or you need a loan,contact us today via email holytrinityfinancialhome2009@gmail.com for the bible says””Luke 11:10 Everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened”.So do not let these opportunity pass you by because Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever more.Please these is for serious minded and God fearing People.
* Refinance
* Personal Loans (Secure and Unsecured)
* Business Loans (Secure and Unsecured)
* Consolidation Loan
* Combination Loan
* Individuals Loans
* Companies LoanBORROWER’S INFORMATION
I have treated it with the utter contempt it deserves and applied the Delete key.
The stupid woman, who supposedly sent the e-mail, couldn’t even spell her name the same twice.
Richard Dawkins on Radio 5
I’m listening to him on Radio 5 at the moment. He talks a lot of sense.
He has just said that we want free-thinking schools, where scirnce is to the fore. I went to one of those. It was called Minchenden. Such don’t exist in the public sector too much these days. So Minchenden was a grammar school, but that was just incidental. We had good teachers, who gave us the basics and made us think both in and out of the box.
Tutu Withdraws
I don’t have any religion, but I do try to follow a moral path, that tries not to hurt others in any way. I don’t succeed all the time.
If though, I have a priest who I can admire in all ways, it is Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Here is a man who has faced up to life’s most difficult challenges with a bravery and a sense of humour, that we could all do well to try to emulate.
I do hope that now Tutu has decided to withdraw from public life, that he doesn’t stop appearing on and in the media, on the one hand to cajole us to make the world a better place and on the other to amuse us.
The world would be a worse place without Tutu’s involvement and I know the inevitable happens to us all, but there are still many things for the wonderful priest to do. Let’s hope he gets most of them done!
I wish him a very long and happy retirement! I doubt it will be quiet though!
Female Priests as Sinful as Child Abuse, says Vatican
I could not believe this headline, when I saw it in The Times today.
But as it is in a nrespaper of record and by their respected religion correspondent, Ruth Gledhill, I’ll accept what it says, as a disgraceful statement, that completely betrays all those myriads of children, who have been abused by those who belong in one way or another to the Roman Catholic Church. I know quite a few Catholics, including a couple of judges, and I suspect most of them will be as horrified as I am by this report from the Vatican. The few crumbs of comfort in the statement, is that the Vatican has tightened the rules on abuse, and made it easier to dismiss and prosecute an abuser. Everyone who abuses a child, should be immeditely turned over to the police, so that they can suffer, the full and fair force of the law. If anybody, such as a bishop, protects an abuser, he should be prosecuted as well!
A Place To Save Our Money
Yet again, we have scenes of violence and bigotry from Northern Ireland as the Protestants march.
Why? Especially, do we have to subsidise the province and its outdated antics in a time of austerity? We will have to face cuts in the police in the rest of the UK. Does that mean we’re paying for the protection of those bigots? They should grow up!
What’s Wrong With Women Priests?
A woman priest has just said on BBC Breakfast, that as she walked down the Holloway Road, a man came up to her and said she was a disgrace because she was a woman and a priest. It’s not her, that’s the disgrace, but the bigot who said that.
So now we’re going to have women bishops! I can see no reason why. What is much more worrying about religion is those faiths and so-called believers that want to deny others their human rights. There were two examples yesterday; the Protestant marches in Northern Ireland and the Despatches program detailing the treatment of homosexuals in Africa. Although the latter wasn’t specifically about religion, religious organisations in Africa do not always embrace those with a different sexual orientation or even gender.
When faced with these sort of unplesant views and incidents, it drives any organised religion farther from my soul. But that doesn’t stop me following a general moral code, that is to the benefit of all, whether they be man or woman, gay or straight, black or white.
Justice – Pakistani Style
According to The Register, a lawyer in Pakistan wants to indict Mark Zuckenberg and others concerned with Facebook. They would face the death penalty if found guilty.
No-one however nasty they are deserves the death penalty, as it is a cruel penalty, that should have been consigned to the dustbin of history many centuries ago.
As I get older and suffer more and more health problems, I can’t think of anything worse than death, so to use it as a punishment for anything is totally over the top.
I’ve met murderers, people who have been locked up for years on bent evidence and those that have had loved ones murdered and I’m sure that things would be the same for them all, whether or not we had the death penalty. We need fair justice for all and support for all victims of crime and also for everyone, who might commit crime, so they don’t do it in the first place.
But silly charges as those in Pakistan, we do not need. They just make things worse and give those who would belittle one of the world’s once-great religions, more ammunition. The United States would not allow the extrditions anyway.
Remember the old proverb – Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. Wasn’t it Jesus, who is also a prophet in Islam, who advised us to turn the other cheek? – That comes from the Sermon on the Mount
I may have no religion, but the advice is valid.
The Result of a Burqa Ban
A headline in The Times yesterday was “I’ll keep her indoors, says man, after wife is fined for wearing veil”.
I’m not in favour of women being covered up in public, but then I’m not someone who think it should be an offence. What has happened in Italy is a case of heads the woman loses and tails the woman does the same.
What we must do is make sure that men and women treat their partners equally. Read about the history of Islam and you’ll find that in the early days women were equal. Are they now? In many cases they are, but in other cases, it does not appear so to me.
But then I also think that any man who doesn’t let his woman out of the house is probably a very inadequate man, who is frightened she might realise what a complete loser he is.
The Anonymous Widower 