Dave Allen
I have just watched a documentary on Dave Allen, who to me was perhaps the best comedian of his generation.
His robust attitude to religion, described here in Wikipedia is summed up by the first statement.
He was a religious sceptic (according to Allen himself, “what you might call a practising atheist”, and often joked, “I’m an atheist, thank God”)
My views on religion, run on similar lines, although I had virtually no religious education., compared to Allen.
My father had the same attitude to religion as I do, but his most passionate conviction was probably as an anti-fascist, although some might find that strange, as he had been a lifelong supporter of the Conservative Party.
I seem to remember that he liked Dave Allen, but I can’t be sure.
Although, he used to get me out of bed to watch That Was The Week That Was, as he was very much a lover of provocative comedy and a hater of the pompous and self-important!
What Did The Pope Say To Putin?
Obviously,no-one knows exactly, but The Sunday Times has a picture of their meeting, with an added speech bubble for the Pope saying.
So what’s it like, being infallible?
I hope Pope Francis gave Putin some sound advice!
Let’s All Have A Quick Pray
As I left Liverpool University yesterday, I saw this notice on the Foundation Building.
Let’s All Have A Quick Pray
I know they take their religion seriously in the Second City, so to see they provide it at speed didn’t surprise me.
The Death Of The Voice Of Reason
Few in the UK have heard of Narendra Dabholkar, but according to this report, he was murdered in India a few days ago. Here’s an extract.
Blaming opponents of the anti-superstition bill for the murdering rationalist Narendra Dabholkar, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said organisations behind such acts should be isolated and their activities stopped.
Amid spontaneous public outrage and grief over 69-year-old Dabholkar’s killing in Pune on Tuesday, the state government on Wednesday had cleared a proposal to promulgate an ordinance to check black magic and inhuman religious rituals.
“The forces which did not want this Bill to be presented and passed into a law were the people responsible for silencing his voice,” Mr. Chavan said.
Before we say that things like this don’t go on in the UK, we ought to look at ourselves carefully. David Aaronovitch in the Times yesterday wrote a powerful piece about this case and detailed cases all over the world and in our past.
I am happy with my life as a scientifically-correct atheist, but doubt I’ll ever see superstition and most religion consigned to the dustbin of history. Let’s face it we can’t even get to grips with things like the appalling treatment of women, children, and those with a different colour or sexual orientation, by quite a few people in this country.
Archbishop In Cloud Cuckoo Land
This story about how Justin Welby aims to compete Wonga out of business, is on the BBC today. Here’s the jist.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has warned the online lender Wonga that the Church of England plans to force it out of business – by competing against it.
He may have laudible aims, but like the poor, loan sharks, where legal or not, will always be with us.
What the people who use Wonga need is money and if everybody supported credit unions, that wouldn’t give any money directly to those who need it.
Credit unions, like all responsible lenders, don’t lend money to those who would be unable or unwilling to pay it back.
And Ulster Makes It Three!
After the two posts on racism and sexism, there was a story with a pictures in The Times yesterday about the celebration of the Battle of the Boyne in Northern Ireland.
Surely, it’s about time, we were celebrating the passing of this bigoted yearly remembrance of something that most of the residents of the United Kingdom don’t know about and care about even less.
Is This How To Deal With The EDL?
This story tells what happened when EDL protesters turned up at a mosque in York.
The mosque offered the protesters tea and biscuits, they all had a chat, and then everything ended peacefully.
Let’s hope this episode sets a precedent.
She Who Must Be Obeyed
Lord Young is the only person, who works at Number 10, other than the Prime Minister, who has his own office, according to an article in The Times today. I like the last paragraph. Asked if he will retire, as he is 81, this is his reply.
Never, until She herself calls me from upstairs. I am convinced it must be a woman upstairs as women are doing everything. You must remember that I have been married 57 years to the same wife. I’ve worked for Margaret Thatcher. I know who my bosses are.
I agree with him, although I’ve never worked for a female boss, but I was married for forty years.
Two Quotes From Antonio Carluccio
The Times yesterday had two quotes from Antonio Carluccio.
Religion is hypocritical.
He says that he abandoned it forty years ago. With me it was probably nearly sixty, when I discovered how good science is.
Cooking is good for attracting girls.
He says he taught himself, as he couldn’t afford to go to restaurants.
I’m teaching myself, not because I can’t afford the restaurants, but because restaurants don’t cook what I like. As to whther it attracts girls, I couldn’t possibly comment.
Floats For The Palm Sunday Parade In Seville
After seeing the Metropol Parasol, I wandered through a few churches looking at the floats for the afternoon’s Palm Sunday parade.
In some ways, I find these sort of Holy Week parades obscene. All that gold, silver and expense, when in many places in the world, there is a great deal of poverty and starvation.
If you reckon this is all too ostentatious, then look at some of the churches in Ecuador and other parts of South America. It does seem that Pope Francis is trying to move the Roman Catholic church to a different and more humble plane.
But will he succeed?
The Anonymous Widower 