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Churchmen
in panic - their prey might escape! . . .
www.piperpost.net - 12.06.10. Church officials in the Australian state of New South Wales have a big worry. It is called ETHICS. Well, I guess this should surprise nobody. Ethics is often lacking in the activities of Christians, not that they are alone in this respect but, well, they do preach decent behaviour to the rest of us and so often fail to live up to the same standards. I call that hypocrisy. In recent times the state government has been trialling the idea of having ethics instruction as an alternative to the weekly 'Scripture' classes. Now ethics may not be a scintillating topic for kids but is probably a bit more interesting than the boring Bible stuff. But that is not the issue. The issue centres on the fact that many kids do not attend Scripture classes (must have sensible parents) but these kids are left to occupy the period in largely unproductive ways. Ethics instruction seems like a very worthwhile alternative. The St James Ethics Centre devised a course of elementary philosophy to be used for such children. But the idea terrified the religious establishment. And perhaps they had good reason to be worried. Already where such classes have been made available they have drawn good attendances and, worse for the churches, seem to have drawn away some of their own flock! Leading the charge against the plan is the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, the Reverend Peter Jensen, a died-in-the-wool fundamentalist, but more recently this critic has found support coming from a somewhat unlikely direction - the Catholic Church. After all, this organization has its own educational system run in competition to the state system. The Church of Rome says it is worried Catholic church children will miss out on ethics instruction. A Catholic group is organizing a petition to have the the ethics classes run at a different time to religious instruction classes, so that they don't clash. Meanwhile a group of parents are urging support for the ethics classes - see website http://www.parents4ethics.org Clearly the Churches are worried they will see a reduction of their influence in the weekly injection of religious superstition into impressionable young minds. The best solution would be to tip the religious busybodies out of the public education system altogether. Their presence is a hangover from silly decisions made by the authorities in earlier times. Let people peddle their unfounded superstitions in their own homes and church (and, speaking of ethics - when are churches going to pay rates and taxes on their worship palaces and organizations like every other business?). Internet censorship plan runs into stiff opposition . . . www.piperpost.net - 13.05.10. WILL AUSTRALIA ERECT A CHINESE WALL? While it is true there is a not inconsiderable level of support among Australians for the Government's planned Internet censorship regime there is also widespread opposition. The support tends to come from parents and others concerned about children, a wholly laudable concern one must say but are those concerns justified? Several pertinent factors immediately come to mind. First of all we must weigh up the disadvantages and - more worrying - the dangers of Government control over against the claimed protection afforded children. Watching debates on the topic (e.g. the program on the ABC's Four Corners) there appears to be some muddled thinking, equating children's discovery of porn sites on the Web with child sexual abuse. The Internet was not around when my own children were growing up so it is hard for me to assess the situation facing parents today. I always tried to have an open and relaxed attitude to sexual matters. I didn't want them to grow up in the restrictive and ridiculous atmosphere in which I was raised. I would probably not try to stop them looking but would explain a few things along the way. Surely the software supplied to parents in the time of the Howard government is sufficient to block out Web sites considered undesirable. Just what sites are objectionable is a major point of contention. The Minister for Communications, Commissar Conroy, surely casts the net too widely. He seems wholly unaware of the enormous interest ordinary Australians have in what is broadly described as pornography. If only the Commissar would leave the filtering at child porn sites few of us would argue about it. But he will give no assurance of such and we are left worrying about, e.g. euthanasia advice sites (which we need because of our wimpy, religion-infected politicians will not set up a regime of voluntary euthanasia) and other sites that might be controversial, e.g. offering information on abortion. Is the Commissar unaware of the fact that the adult movie industry in the USA is larger than the regular movie trade? It is doubtless huge in our own country, but circumscribed by unnecessarily restrictive regulations dreamed up between State and Federal government do-gooders. In fact, the misnamed 'classification' system operated by the Federal government is a de facto censorship system. Not only are many films, books and magazines deemed 'Refused Classification' but X-rated movies, for example, are only available in ACT and the NT for some ridiculous reason. What's more, when it comes to classifying movies it seems, for example, that many fetishes are deemed unacceptable for reasons that escape me. And what of pay-TV? Even with locking devices available to protect children the Government will not allow anything more adult than MA-rated movies on Pay. Consenting adults should be free to see, hear and read whatever they wish to read, see and hear, except child porn and, maybe, bestiality (as I do not want to see animals abused any more than I wish to see children abused). Existing laws provide for prosecutions in the case of those distributing or viewing child porn; censorship of web sites in not necessary. But more - Commissar Conroy seems oblivious of the fact that much of the danger involving children comes not from the Web itself but chiefly in chat rooms. One has only to watch that excellent series of programs, To Catch a Predator (originated by NBC) on pay-TV to see just how many scumbag men use chat rooms to stalk young prey. Neither the children stalked nor the creepy individuals who stalked them did so through the Web itself. And as for child porn, I imagine peer-to-peer file-sharing carries an enormous volume of such traffic. Even as I write this we have a case of the alleged murder of a young woman in Australia, a young woman who fell prey to a man through Facebook. Is Commissar Conroy planning on shutting down chat rooms and Facebook? The Internet is undoubtedly the greatest development in the history of human freedom. It even exceeds the importance of the printing press (and I write as a book lover and bookseller). It is a liberating medium that is open to all. That some people use it for base ends is no more reason to circumscribe its use than to shut down our road system because terrorists may carry bombs in cars on that system. Of course, the proposed censorship by ISPs can be circumvented in many ways but why should we be driven to such measures by this push to control our thinking? Faltering Catholic Church trots out one of the old relics . . . www.piperpost.net - 08.05.10. Desperate to shore up the tottering edifice, battered by endless bad news, the Catholic Church has trotted out that old fake, The Shroud of Turin. Are they serious or has desperation reduced their capacity to think clearly? Well, Pope Benedict seemed to think the relic worthy of some attention. Reports say he paid homage to it in Turin's St John the Baptist Cathedral, describing it as an 'icon'. The delicate cloth, believed by many to bear the imprint of Jesus Christ, has long been venerated by millions. But in recent times it has been exposed as just another piece of religious fakery. So much for an icon! Last year an Italian scientist confirmed the findings of other scientists who had declared the Shroud a fake by actually producing a copy of the sacred cloth - complete with the image of a man 'burnt into' the cloth (which is what the believers think happened). Dr Luigi Garlaschelli of the University of Pavia told an international conference on paranormal claims that the image on the Shroud of Turin 'is clearly a fake, and that no 'miraculous' or supernatural forces imprinted the figure. In 1988 teams of scientists in Oxford, England; Tucson, Arizona, and Zurich, Switzerland, examined pieces of the cloth. Carbon dating set the manufacture of the cloth at somewhere between 1260 CE and 1390 CE. This is not at all surprising to rational folk as this was the era when the miraculous was easily accepted by credulous people. Never mind science, however, for on cue, to mark its regular display each decade, the Shroud has been trotted out and displayed in the cathedral, where it was visited and lauded by the Pope. To be fair to Benedict he was careful to avoid the term 'relic' but to the faithful his very appearance there was probably quite sufficient to treat it as an imprimatur. For more details on the Shroud of Turin and its unmasking refer to The Skeptic's Dictionary - http://www.skepdic.com/shroud.html A Confession from your Editor . . . www.piperpost.net - 29.04.10. Over the past two or three weeks I've neglected my duties. The reason is simple . . . I suddenly felt a sense of futility in trying to counter the ravings of so many religious people. The world, taken as a while, seems determined to hang onto the feeble rags of superstition covering the nakedness of human reality - the idea, frightening to so many humans, of being alone in this vast universe, both as individuals and collectively. I see the ongoing murderous rampage of radical Islamics who seek to impose their particular deity upon the rest of us, no matter how many bodies of fellow humans they leave bleeding and dying as they pursue their doubtful cause. I see the pomp and ceremony of those who preach Jesus Christ from Rome's thrones and palaces, far removed from the simple life and faith of a Jewish preaching man (see my book - link below). And I see their counterparts in what is broadly called Protestantism, who do the same from pulpits in lavish temples of self-aggrandizement, driving to and from their preaching engagements in expensive limousines. And I see all around hypocrisy - of those who preach one thing and live another, of those who tell women abortion is the taking of a life while approving the illegal invasion of a country and the subsequent deaths of thousands of US soldiers and Iraqi civilians and who, in many cases approve of the death penalty in their own country. (And don't even mention the dark bloody history of the Church of Rome, so often at the forefront of the anti-abortion movement!) I see the duplicity of those who find convenient Bible verses to support discrimination and the abuse of fellow-humans who, for example, happen to have lifestyles different to their own, yet ignore so many other Bible verses that are inconvenient and awkward. And, above all, I see all these religious people preaching and teaching a body of supposed knowledge of another reality that has not the slightest backing in fact, not one shred of evidence to prove what they claim. No wonder I am weary of it all! But I will try to recover my composure and promise next week to produce another issue. Meanwhile, I have preserved all the old reports for those who wish to reference them. They will be found HERE. Anglican leader meddles in state affairs . . . www.piperpost.net - 16.04.10. The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen, has pressured the NSW state government to allow religious bodies to 'vet' a [proposed ethics course being trialled in schools. State schools provide a period each week during which clergy or enthusiastic laypeople visit and expound their faith to the children. Those without religious affiliation or for one reason or another do not attend such classes are left largely to their own devices. The St James Ethics Centre has devised a course of elementary philosophy to be used for such children. From the outset the religious establishment has opposed the plan. The proposed studies were developed in consultation with parents and teachers but the churches are vigorously resisting the introduction of such a course. Religion, quite naturally, is jealous of maintaining its access to the pliable young minds of children through the Scripture classes and worried that the introduction of the ethics curriculum will eventually lead to the cessation of such access. Archbishop Jensen has called on the recently installed Catholic Premier of NSW, Kristina Keneally, to allow the churches to have an 'input' to the trials. Jensen openly worries that the ethics course 'has been boosted by those who see this as a chance to break [religious education through Scripture classes] and remove all traces of religion from public life.' [COMMENT: And what a great thing that would be!] Richard Dawkins calls for arrest of Pope . . . www.piperpost.net - 11.04.10. Atheist campaigner Richard Dawkins and author and commentator Christopher Hitchens have called for the arrest of Pope Benedict during a forthcoming state visit by the Pope to Britain. Dawkins, noted biologist and author of The God Delusion, has sought assistance from human rights lawyers to have a case prepared. He wants Benedict to be charged for his alleged role in covering up sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. The move comes as the Vatican fights a rearguard action against the mounting waves of criticism flowing from many countries. Desperate church spokesmen have made fools of themselves trying to deflect the barbs, with silly claims, including 'the Devil made me do it' defence, and even the charge that the Devil was behind the criticisms being levelled at the Pope. One papal defender even tried to liken the Pope's travail to that experienced by the Jews in the Holocaust. Clearly the Church is willing to descend into the gutter to defend its shameful activities. And it is not just the criminal activities of its priests and nuns but (and this is what impels Mr Dawkins) the cover-ups, not only by Pope Benedict but by a whole slew of guilty cardinals, bishops, monsignors and church officials in many countries. Were you or I to become aware of a child being sexually abused by a neighbour we are not only morally obliged to inform authorities but we are legally obliged to do so. And in many cases dereliction of our duty would result in our own criminal prosecution. But when have we seen any prosecution of derelict church officials? I am not aware of any. When it comes to the church authority too often turns a blind eye to evil. In other words, evil compounds the evil! A roundup of recent abuse news: GERMANY. A free hotline set up by the German Catholic Church for abuse victims received more than 13,000 calls in one three-day period. In 2010 Der Spiegel reported more than 90 clerics and laypeople had been suspected of sexual abuse since 1995, although only about one-third had been prosecuted. NORWAY. The Catholic Church in Norway has witnessed the resignation of a former prelate, Bishop Georg Mueller, 58, after admitting he had molested a boy 20 years earlier. Following announcement of the resignation the Church received a number of emails reporting other cases of sexual abuse by priests. ITALY. There have been reports of sexual abuse by clergy in Italy but secrecy tends to prevail due to a treaty between the Italian state and the Vatican. BRAZIL. Early this year authorities began an investigation into a video that allegedly showed a priest sexually abusing an altarboy. The video was screened on a TV channel. Brazil reportedly has the largest Catholic population of any country in the world. IRELAND. Fallout continues following the governmental inquiries that brought to light appalling abuse of children, not only sexual but physical as well, by priests and nuns. There have been calls for the resignation of some of the church officials accused of - at the very least - ignoring the problems. AUSTRALIA. As reported in earlier issues of PIPER POST police in the state of NSW have been investigating alleged abuse by a number of men at a Catholic College, St Stanislaus, Bathurst. A number of men have been charged. Reflections on a disaster . . . www.piperpost.net - 14.04.10. Unlike the Westboro Baptist cult (see item below) who spare nobody in their attempts to gain their few minutes of fame, I am always reluctant to intrude into people's grief to push my viewpoint. Time and again I have noted the failure of prayer but the context was such as to make me hesitant to comment. I did, however, years back express a viewpoint on an Australian tragedy - when, at a place called Thredbo, in the Australian Alps, a building collapsed down a hill onto another, trapping nineteen people under masses of heavy concrete. As the rescue workers dug into the ruins, from one end of the nation to another people prayed. Church leaders staged prayer vigils, the nation's leaders on all sides of politics called for prayer that the victims might be saved. In the event the score for prayer answered was, sadly, just one. Just one victim rescued alive. The score for prayer unanswered - eighteen. A score of 1 versus 18 is hardly a ringing endorsement for the power of prayer. Yet a minister of religion had the audacity to write to a major newspaper decrying the fact that God was not being thanked for the rescue of the one survivor! A letter I wrote to a newspaper at the time, pointing out the truth concerning unanswered prayer, remained unpublished. Thus do the lies of Christianity persist and thus are people blinded to the truth. Sad to say, in another major tragedy in West Virginia the score is even more damning - 33 to nil. But didn't the people pray? Yes, with all their might, thousands of them in many churches and in many homes, people directly connected to the miners and their families, and people far beyond. It is a terrible tragedy but when are people going to realize the utter useless nature of faith and of prayer? We stand alone in this cold and unforgiving universe and must make the best of it that we can for the few years we are here. Prayer is useless for there is nobody out there to hear and nobody out there to answer. Pope's defenders grasp for straws while the Pope waffles . . . www.piperpost.net - 05.04.10. 'Petty gossip' is how one Cardinal characterized the recent attacks on Pope Benedict (see item below). Cardinal Angelo Sodano spearheaded a rearguard action being staged by the Catholic Church to defend the 'infallible' Pope's honour. Pope Gregory has been lambasted for his failure to act against child-abusing priests in the Catholic Church. Meanwhile the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Reverend Roland Williams, stirred further controversy by attacking the Catholic Church over the abuse scandal in Ireland. Dr Williams commented: 'I was speaking to an Irish friend recently who said that it's quite difficult in some parts of Ireland to go down the street wearing a clerical collar now. And an institution so deeply bound into the life of society suddenly becoming, suddenly losing, all credibility - that's not just a problem for the church, it's a problem for everybody in Ireland.' Later the Archbishop apologized for his remarks. And while the controversy raged all around him, the Pope called for 'a spiritual and moral conversion' and an examination of consciences. Was he thinking of many within the priesthood who certainly need some sort of moral conversion or was he just waffling? Score one for an odious cult . . . www.piperpost.net - 01.04.10. That odious crowd of godbotherers, members of the Westboro Baptist in Topeka, Kansas, have had a legal win against the father of a dead American soldier, leaving him with a heavy debt burden. Westboro is notorious for its hate-filled campaigns against gays, which came to a head when church members lined roads with offensive placards as families buried dead soldiers. The church claimed that the soldiers were dead because GOD was punishing America for tolerating gays. There has long been a battle between the church and authorities trying to keep the peace during funeral processions invaded by Neanderthals. Westboro even gave Australia a serve at one point. At the height of the dreadful Victorian bushfires Westboro announced that 'the bushfires to Victoria to kill the sinners and that church members would picket the national day of mourning.' A statement headed 'God Hates Australia' summed up the vitriolic views of these Christians. It said: 'The guilty Australians will not repent of their national sins of the flesh - (ie, sodomy, divorce, fornication, adultery, etc) - even after God killed hundreds in the fires and cast them into hotter fire and brimstone in Hell. Therefore we will picket them in their hypocritical grief. Thank God for fiery deaths.' 208 died in the fires. Albert Snyder, of York, Pa., had successfully sued the church after they picketed a funeral for his dead soldier son, Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder in 2006. However, the church appealed and costs of $16,510 were awarded against the father by an appeals court. Bill O'Reilly of Fox News has since stepped in to pay the bill for the Snyder family but it appears the case will go all the way to the Supreme Court. Pope Benedict on the run from his critics . . . www.piperpost.net - 28.03.10. The Vatican's fire service is hard at work right now, trying to put out a number of fires that have broken out far and wide (see item below) but the latest burst of flames threatens to engulf the very papacy itself. Pope Benedict is accused of being involved in covering up a massive child abuse case that rocked the American church some years ago. When complaints were laid by several Catholic bishops in Wisconsin, communicated to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict, it is claimed the complaints were ignored. The bishops were concerned about the sleazy activities of one priest in particular, the Reverend Lawrence C. Murphy, who was believed to have molested up to 200 boys in a deaf school. Between 1981 and 2005 Cardinal Ratzinger headed the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. This office received a flood, numbering thousands, of complaints about the criminal and quasi-criminal activities of priests, among them complaints about Murphy. Ratzinger, according to The New York Times, failed to respond to two letters about the case from Milwaukee's Archbishop Rembert Weakland. Eventually a process of secret canonical trial was set in motion but this was halted after the offending priest wrote to Ratzinger, pleading repentance and poor health as mitigating factors. Ultimately the priest's abuses were never reported to authorities and he escaped criminal prosecution, as have so many other priests. Murphy was never defrocked and was, instead, quietly moved to another diocese where the unwell priest spent his last 24 years working freely with children in parishes and schools. He died in 1998. In an article written for the online journal Slate (15 March 2010) Christopher Hitchens says 'the Pope's entire career has the stench of evil about it.' As the defenders of the Pope rush to shore up the tottering edifice of papal infallibility one Vatican official, Chief Exorcist [sic] Gabriele Amorth laid all the blame on the present troubles at the feet of - you guessed it - the Devil. Yes, the Devil was hard at work. The Devil in black robes and carrying a missal? Ratzinger, aka Pope Benedict, has a history in the matter of cover-ups in his native Germany. In 1979, for example, a priest took an 11-year-old by with him on a trip into the mountains. The boy ended up being stripped naked, locked into a bedroom and forced to suck the penis of the priest. Archbishop Ratzinger transferred the priest from Essen to Munich for 'therapy'. He was not to have contact with children in his work, or so people were told. But eventually the priest was back in contact with people and, sure enough, abused again. Pope speaks out as more trouble erupts - in Brazil . . . www.piperpost.net - 21.03.10. Just as Pope Benedict was issuing a much-anticipated pastoral letter expressing his dismay at the widespread abuse of children by Irish clergy news came through of yet another outbreak of sex abuse reports - this time in Brazil. Germany - USA - Canada - Australia - Ireland - New Zealand - France - Austria - Switzerland - the Netherlands, and now Brazil (see further below). But as the Pope's letter was being read out in churches and the Primate of All Ireland, Cardinal Sean Brady, was issuing his own apology for participating in the massive cover-up, many Catholics have labelled the efforts with the word 'failure'. Victims' groups have expressed disappointment, especially in the perceived unwillngness of the Vatican to accept any responsibility for the abuse. The Pope said he would 'send a mission' to Irish dioceses where the abuses had been reported - extensively in three public investigations. More about the Irish Catholic Church HERE. More trouble in the 'Promised Land' . . . www.piperpost.net - 16.03.10. We should not be surprised at the persistent hardline approach of some Israelis, as we have witnessed in recent days. The Jewish people believe they live in the 'Promised Land', never mind the Palestinians. It is, they think, their special land, bequeathed to them by Yahweh, the tribal deity. Specific texts from the Bible are quoted to bolster the Jewish claims - see, for example, Genesis 15: 18-21, where certain geographic boundaries are spelt out. (The exact 'proofs' offered by the Jews are discussed in detail in an excellent entry in Wikipedia - see under: 'Promised Land'.) Now one is hesitant to criticize the Jews for fear of being accused of antisemitism. But my record is clear - through many writings over the years I have expressed nothing but sympathy and support for the Jewish people in their sufferings, e.g. in articles on the Holocaust in my Encyclopedia of Human Cruelty CD-ROM. But while I sympathize with the Jews and in fact have an enormous respect for them as a race (I have had good Jewish friends and once worked for a Jewish boss, a more decent person you could not meet anywhere) I do not agree with their religion, any more than I agree with anyone's religion. The simple fact is the 'promises' of the Bible are fictitious, made by a non-existent deity. Sadly these ancient beliefs still influence too many humans today, resulting in situations such as we witness in the Middle East. Heavy hand of censorship falls on artists . . . www.piperpost.net - 13.03.10. Spurred on by the loud-mouthed Moral Minority, the Australian Government, already in thrall to the religious constituency in many areas, has instituted an onerous regime that will compel artists to submit 'doubtful' images of children to the classification authorities for approval - at a cost of $500 per image! The move follows an outcry over photographs of naked children crafted by noted photographer Bill Henson stirred public debate. The photos were seized by police but later returned for exhibition with the approval of the Classification Board. Clearly the Government has lost the plot. Genuine artists are not pedophiles. Nakedness is not obscenity and children's bodies are beautiful, even if some creepy individuals - including many priests and ministers of religion, it should be noted - despoil them. Now, in the name of some philosophy directed at the supposed 'protection of children' artists will be subject to bureaucratic oversight and control - at significant cost. Perhaps the Government would better serve the cause they espouse by organizing some form of oversight of the ministers, nuns and priests the Church employs! (I wonder if they checked out the credentials of all those unwanted and unnecessary chaplains they supplied to schools of recent date - at high cost to the public purse?) Rome's shame permeates Germany . . . www.piperpost.net - 12.03.10. The Catholic Church in Germany is reeling from a new wave of reports of sexual and physical abuse by its clergy. In January former students of a Jesuit high school, Canisius College, in Berlin, publicly accused two priests of sexually abusing them. The students' claims prompted others to follow and soon accusations of sexual abuse engulfed a number of Catholic schools and colleges including a Benedictine Monastery. And on top of the sexual abuse claims there were reports of physical abuse at the famous Regensburger Domspatzen choir. Among those who have been caught up in this scandal is Georg Ratzinger, a brother of Pope Benedict 16th and onetime director of the school, who has admitted to both slapping singers on the face and of ignoring what were described as 'crueller beatings' of pupils by priests. Regensburger denied any knowledge of sexual abuse by priests at the choir. A former singer who lived at the Regensburger boarding school from 1958 to 1967 told Time magazine there was in existence 'a widespread system of sadistic punishments and sexual lust.' Young trainee priests would smack pupils on the bottom with their hand or a stick, causing 'sexual humiliation'. DW-World, the online arm of the German broadcaster, says that in the light of these latest revelations the Bavarian justice minister, Beate Merke, has called for a lengthening of the statute of limitations for sexual abuse case to a minimum of 30 years. BBC World reports more than 200 reports of abuse have been made to a victims' support organization in the last few days. Germany - USA - Canada - Australia - Ireland - New Zealand - France - on and on around the world the evil surfacing everywhere - and the Pope expresses his 'regret'. Outraged Australians denounce sharia suggestion . . . www.piperpost.net - 12.03.10. An Australian Muslim leader has called for the introduction of elements of Islamic sharia law into the Australian community, to operate alongside the law of the state. His plan includes in particular the law affecting the custody of children where parents are involved in a divorce. He wants to assert the Islamic view of the primacy of the father to decide the children's future. President of the Australian Islamic Mission, Zachariah Matthews, was speaking at an open day at the Lakemba (Sydney) mosque. According to The Sydney Morning Herald his comments disturbed some of the visitors who walked out of the meeting in disgust and there has been an outburst of anger in letters to newspaper editors. [COMMENT: If Mr Matthews and other immigrants do not wish to confirm to our justice system they should not have come to Australia. We do not want the encourage a system that gives primacy to the male whether in marriage relationships or in the matter of children.] Fascism lives on in Spain . . . www.piperpost.net - 05.03.10. General Franco and his henchmen have long departed the Spanish scene but many of the Christians whose religion is shared with the late Generalissimo have been acting like little fascists. Big rallies have reportedly been held in over 100 Spanish cities to protest a new law that allows women the right to choose an abortion. A 'March for Life' has called on the Spanish government to revoke the law, due to come into force in July 2010. Under the law pregnancies can be terminated up to 14 weeks after conception. The law especially outraged protesters because it set the age of majority for women at 16. Many - but fortunately not all - Christians have what I have described over the years as the fascist attitude - the notion that they have the right, even the duty, to force their at times doubtful morality upon the rest of us. This is the attitude of the fascist and the Spanish people who have been protesting are reminiscent of the Franco-Catholic regime that forced their particular viewpoint on the citizens of Spain. In those unhappy times many laws were issued that - in fascist style - forced conformity on the country's citizens. One such law saw young Protestant soldiers persecuted and punished if they did not attend the Catholic Mass. In recent times the Catholic Church has sought forgiveness for its support for Franco (who in turn supported the Nazis). But the attitudes of Spanish Fascism are resurfacing in today's Christian fascists. [COMMENT: Hopefully the Spanish government will not be intimidated and will not back down from this much-needed legislation protecting women's rights.] Another setback for creationists . . . www.piperpost.net - 05.03.10. Believers in the unscientific and primitive notion that the account of creation in the Book of Genesis has some validity have received another setback. South Australian education authorities have acted to remove what proponents describe are 'biblical perspectives' in the teaching of science in non-governmental schools. The South Australian Non-Government Schools Registration Board says it 'does not accept as satisfactory a science Curriculum in a non-government school which is based on, espouses or reflects the literal interpretation of a religious text in its treatment of either creationism o intelligent design.' The chief executive of the Christian Schools Association, Stephen O'Doherty, has criticized the board's actions British PM claims palliative care brings 'good death' . . . www.piperpost.net - 02.03.10. The British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, has bought into the debate over voluntary euthanasia and assisted suicide, telling people they should accept 'palliative care' and not attempt to end their lives. Mr Brown thinks being kept in a semi-comatose drugged state, being fed, bathed, toileted and cleaned by strangers, is 'a good death'. In recent times the debate has flared in the United Kingdom following legal action in cases of assisted suicide (see earlier issues of Piper Post). In an article in The Telegraph (London), Mr Brown claims that 'people are drawn to support for assisted suicide because of fears about how they will be cared for when they are dying.' The debate was entered recently by author Sir Terry Pratchett, 59, who is suffering from a rare form of Alzheimer's disease, says medically-assisted death is an option for people battling the degenerative disease. Over 45 million copies of Pratchett's books have been sold. Pratchett is regarded as one of the most significant English-language satirists of our time. He has won numerous literary awards, was named an Officer of the British Empire in 1998, and has received four honorary doctorates from the Universities of Warwick, Portsmouth, Bath, and Bristol. He says, 'My view is that when there is clearly no 'me' left, whatever else might be left, then painlessly disposing of the remnants would be a sensible idea.' Pratchett is calling for euthanasia tribunals to give sufferers from incurable diseases the right to medical help to end their lives. Pratchett insisted in a lecture broadcast on the BBC that 'the time is really coming' for legalizing assisted death.' The tribunal panels would include a legal expert in family matters and a doctor with experience of serious long-term illness. 'Choice is very important in this matter,' said Pratchett. 'But there will be some probably older, probably wiser GPs, who will understand. The tribunal would be acting for the good of society as well as that of the applicant - and ensure they are of sound and informed mind, firm in their purpose, suffering from a life-threatening and incurable disease and not under the influence of a third party.' [COMMENT: Mr Brown is obviously in thrall to religion like so many politicians and is peddling the usual line of those who believe human life is in the hands of a deity to whom they must answer. Mr Brown, you do not understand the essential fact that those of us who cherish our humanity also cherish our independence. We have no deity to answer to, we are thinking, reasoning beings who know there is a time when 'enough is enough'. I, like so many of my friends, have no wish to languish in so-called 'palliative care' - more dead than alive. There is nothing to stop you, Mr Brown, embracing such an end-of-life choice but don't force others to do so. Shame on you for writing this article and shame on all the politicians in my own country who fail to act to set up legal assisted suicide facilities.] Natural forces strike again. www.piperpost.net - 28.02.10. Nature has struck again - Chile and Argentina have experienced earthquakes. As this is being written the news is filtering through, with massive damage reported, especially in Chile, along with the threat of tsunamis. The believers will be out in force again, peddling their silly interpretations of natural events. The primitives in ancient times did the same. They saw the gods active through the forces of nature - fire, flood, earthquake - and interpreted what they saw as signifying the approval and/or wrath of the deities. Ancient superstitions live on! [See my comments about the Haiti earthquake below.] Atheists and other nonbelievers at White House . . . www.piperpost.net - 28.02.10. In a major move towards greater acceptance, White House officials have met with a delegation of atheists, freethinkers, humanists, rationalists and other nonbelievers. The event was led by the Secular Coalition for America. With recent surveys showing an increasing proportion of Americans turning away from traditional religion and embracing various forms of outright atheism or agnosticism the event was warmly welcomed by American Atheists. Speaking for the organization, Dr Ed Bruckner, the President, praised the Obama Administration for 'giving us our rightful seat at the table in discussions over public policy.' Predictably the Religious Right has attacked the Government for allowing this meeting. Bishop Council Nedd, of the organization In God We Trust, claimed the administration was sitting down to talk with 'some of the most hate-filled anti-religious groups in the nation.' Countered Dan Barker, President of the Freedom from Religion Foundation: 'Christianity is an enemy of humanity and the antithesis of freedom.' Predictably the de facto Christian Right mouthpiece Fox News rushed into the debate with the Catholic broadcaster Sean Hannity expressing alarm at the development. [COMMENT: There is hope for the USA yet! With over 13 percent of the population now describing themselves as 'nonreligious' atheists and their fellows in the country should now be more assertive and willing to 'come out'.] News in Brief . . . www.piperpost.net - 08.03.10. CLERGY MAY BE SUED OVER GAY PARTNERSHIPS. Anglican and other clergy in Britain have been warned they may be sued if they refuse to conduct same-sex partnership ceremonies. A recent decision by the House of Lords overwhelmingly voted if favour of allowing religious organizations to offer civil partnership ceremonies. The ultimate effect of the law will be to make it incumbent upon all ministers to preside over such events. Sydney's Gay Mardi Gras has spectacular outing . . . www.piperpost.net - 28.02.10. Once again the Gay Mardi Gras has been staged in Sydney, Australia, with the usual enthusiastic response from the populace. This was the 33rd such event which was first staged in 1978 as a way of protesting against the treatment of gays. It has since become the world's largest gay pride event and this year saw 135 floats with over 9,000 participants parading in various dress - ranging from near-naked to flamboyant and colourful costumes. The procession was led by famous transsexual model Amanda Lepore. Various figures were the objects of the fun, including Osama bin Laden, Michael Jackson, and others. [COMMENT: Recently Australia was voted as one of the most tolerant places for gays but this tolerance has not translated into every area of life, with restrictions still being experienced by gays in relation to such issues as marriage and child adoption.]  German female bishop caught driving while drunk . . . www.piperpost.net - 24.02.10. She ran a red light while driving her official vehicle last Saturday night. A suspicious policeman who pulled Bishop Margot Kassmann over smelled alcohol and asked her to undergo a breath test. A follow-up test at the police station showed a blood alcohol level of 1.54 mg/l whereas the official German limit is 0.8 mg/l. Bishop Kassmann, 51, was recently elected as the first woman to head the Lutheran Church in Germany. She is the mother of four children. In 2007 Ms Kassmann publicly castigated drivers who drove while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The Bishop has been banned from driving for twelve months. [LATE NOTE: Bishop Kassmann has resigned from her church post.] Government inaction leads to tragedies. www.piperpost.net - 21.02.10. Continuing sad stories of people forced to break the law in many countries highlight the inaction of politicians who are failing to come to grips with the need to provide sane legally sanctioned facilities for self-deliverance. Two recent stories come to mind, one in Australia and one in Britain. In Australia a Queensland man is being prosecuted for assisting someone to end their pain-wracked life. Meanwhile a prominent BBC broadcaster has told his audience on camera of assisting his young lover to die. Ray Gosling, 70, told his audience that 20 years previously he had assisted a young man - involved with him in a two-way pact - to end his life. The young man had AIDS and sought help to end his suffering. Recent cases in the United Kingdom have seen some limited rethinking on the question of euthanasia. Ray Gosling has commented that he believes there are far more cases of assisted suicide occurring than governments admit and that 'doctors turn a blind eye' to many of them.' Commissar Conroy persists in censorship plan. www.piperpost.net - 21.02.10. In 1559 the Catholic Church engaged in a major push to stifle free inquiry by publishing the notorious Index Librorum Prohibitorum ('List of Prohibited Books'). The Church claimed its object was to protect the morals and faith of believers but the Index also included many great works of science and philosophy. In the year 2011 Senator Stephen Conroy, Australia's Communications Commissioner and a Catholic, is setting up what is effectively the Index of Prohibited Web Sites. Commissar Conroy is moving ahead with this plan in the face of criticisms from the US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton, the operators of web search engines such as Google and Yahoo. and a host of organizations and individuals who have voiced their deep concern about this plan. Those who would like to add their voice to a petition on the subject go to: http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/SaveTheNet Commissar Conroy is not telling anyone what sites are being censored. The Minister has a secret list, an action worthy of the Jesuits. Clearly he is free to add sites that offend his Catholic morality, e.g. those dealing with voluntary euthanasia, birth control, reports of abuse by priests, abortion, homosexual rights, and other thorny issues. But the public will not know for Conroy will not tell the public. [COMMENT: Is this open government? Is Australia being infliucted with a regime akin to Iran, Burma and Saudi Arabia? Surely we have here yet anothe rinstance of religion intruding into the political sphere. Major atheist convention in Melbourne. www.piperpost.net - 16.02.10. Richard Dawkins and Peter Singer are among the speakers at a Global Atheist Convention to be held in Melbourne, Australia from 12 to 14 March. The 2,500-capacity convention centre has been sold out well in advance of the date, a testimony to the concern many people feel today about such issues as religion's influence in politics. The convention carries the title 'The Rise of Atheism' - and truly atheism as a philosophy of life is gaining ground rapidly as today's highly educated people turn away from the fables and fictions taught them in the past. One of the chief guest speakers is Dan Barker, a prominent American atheist activist who was once a Christian preacher and who is now co-president of Freedom From Religion Foundation. Other speakers include Phillip Adams, the noted broadcaster, and Catherine Deveny, a columnist on The Age newspaper, Melbourne. More details will be found on the website of the Atheist Foundation of Australia, but a quote from their press release highlights the need for such activity: The enormous contemporary interest in atheism as a social
and political movement has been fueled by global religious conflicts
and the increasing politicization and influence of the ‘religious
right'. A number of best-selling books on the subject, including
Dawkins' The God Delusion,
Sam Harris' The End of Faith,
and Christopher Hitchens' God Is Not
Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, have inspired thousands
to join non-theist organizations and online atheist communities.
AFA president, David Nicholls says, 'Non-religious Australians are fed-up with an unrepresentative Christian minority influencing important civil rights issues like abortion, euthanasia, stem cell research and gay marriage - all issues which the majority of Australians support. They're also concerned about the amount of taxpayers' money being pumped into religious schools at the expense of the public education system. 'People contact us at the Atheist Foundation every day, saying, "What can we do to stop this?" ...' says Nicholls. Surveys show that only 7.5 percent of Australians attend church regularly. While the official Census figures show Australia's ‘non-religious' make up 20% of the population, several major international studies reveal that this figure is vastly underestimated. Nicholls estimates that non-believers in Australia are probably closer to 50%. THE DELUSIONS OF FAITH. www.piperpost.net - 13.02.10. On 12 February a vast crowd of people gathered around the ruins of the presidential palace in Port-au-Prince, Haiti - to engage in a memorial service, thanking the various gods for . . . what? For
bringing death to upwards of two hundred thousand men, women - and
children?
For destroying a people's way of life, robbing people of their homes and livelihoods? For bringing painful injury and permanent disfigurement to once vibrant humans? For leaving children orphans or parents grieving lost little ones? A posse of representatives of the deities joined forces in this misguided attempt to pretend (as only they can) that all is right with a world turned upside-down by the forces of nature. 'All the religions of Haiti - voodoo, Catholics, Baptists, Protestants – we are all gathered here to pray because Haiti has retained the richness of the eternal spirit,' a preacher told the Agence France Presse newsagency. Mourners cried 'hallelujah' among the tears. Or so we are told. How blind is belief! Do people really cling to this faith in the gods that destroy them? It is surely appropriate that the religions got together - they are all of a piece, all purveyors of mankind's ultimate delusion, that we are not alone, that there is Something - or Someone - else. But believers can't have it both ways - if their belief is true then that Someone must be an utterly depraved monster. Honour killing teenager probably buried alive www.piperpost.net - 09.02.10. A 16-year-old Turkish girl, Medine Memi, was almost certainly buried alive. The girl's body, recovered from the family home, showed she had her wrists tied behind her back and was then buried and left to die in an 'honour' killing. An autopsy found large quantities of soil in her lungs and stomach. Medine had on three occasions gone to the police complaining she had been beaten but was sent back to her family each time. It is suggested she was executed because she offended the subceptibilities of her conservative family and community by associating with boys. While efforts are being made by some to play down the religious aspect of this murder, clearly these people are Islamics, in fact the area is associated with the Naksibendi Islamic sect, which was banned by modern Turkey's founding father Kamal Ataturk in 1925 but has revived in recent years. News in brief www.piperpost.net
- 02.03.10.
WORLD DAY OF PRAYER. March 5 is marked down as the World Day of Prayer. People of all shades of Christianity join together on this day to pray. Latest figures from the organizing body indicate as many as 16 million people may participate, drawn from over 170 countries. [COMMENT: It matters not if these prayers are answered or unanswered; believers will still believe. Prayers are frequently unanswered but Christians always manage to find some justification for the failure of their prayers.] ANOTHER TEACHER CHARGED. Peter John Ryan, 67, a former Vincentian priest, who taught at St Stanislaus College, Bathurst (NSW), has become the eleventh man charged over alleged sex abuse of a boy in 1977. Mr Ryan, who has since left the priesthood and married, has been working as an education officer with Catholic Education. ATHEISTS WITH HIGHER IQs? In the March 2010 issue of Social Psychology Quarterly there is a report written by evolutionary psychologist Satoshi Kanzawa discussing intelligence in relation to religious belief. Correlating data from a large US sample, the researcher found that on average people who identified as liberal and atheist had a higher IQ than those who identified as religious believers. EDITORIAL Creeping menace of Church control www.piperpost.net - 07.02.10. Is the Church setting the rules for Australians through its surrogates? We must remember that the Christians of Australia - putting the most favourable figure on it - account for no more than 20 percent of the population. Census Christians mean nothing, only those who are regular churchgoers count (even the NT sets that as the standard). The latest manifestation of the Church's hidden hand is revealed in an edict that bans images of naked small-breasted women for fear someone might associate these with naked children. Never mind the fact that straightforward images of naked children are quite legal. Nudity per se is not pornography. This edict comes hot on the news that Commissar Conroy is persisting with his misguided plan to censor the Internet for Australian adults (see earlier issue of Piper Post). The Commissar should take note of what US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has stated, warning about the censorship of the free flow of information. Censoring what sex sites adults view is one thing (yes, by all means control child porn but nothing else). But I strongly suspect that the government, controlled by religious ideologues, will try to hinder the free flow of information on such issues as abortion, birth control, voluntary euthanasia, financial support for religion, sex education, prostitution and other issues where Christians have an agenda. Let us not join the repressive regimes of the world. Cherie Blair judges criminal by religion www.piperpost.net - 05.02.10. Cherie Blair, acting in her capacity as judge, has caused outrage by sparing a violent offender from jail because, she said, 'he is a religious man.'. Mrs Blair is well known for her Catholicism but clearly she has not left her faith at the door of the courthouse. Shamso Miah, 25, broke a man's jaw following a row in East Ham (UK). Mrs Blair, the wife of ex-prime minister Tony Blair (who has in recent times converted to Catholicism), was sitting as a judge at Inner London crown court and sentenced him to six months in jail, suspended for two years. The National Secular Society described her action as 'discriminatory' and has complained to the Office for Judicial Complaints. The NSS says: 'This seems to indicate she would not have treated a non-religious person with the same latitude.' The British Humanist association has also criticized Mrs Blair's obvious bias. Commenting on the furore, the Religion Editor of Telegraph Media (UK), George Pitcher, has added fuel to the fire by claiming 'religious people do have a clearer moral code than secularists.' [COMMENT: Not so fast, Mr Pilcher. If this is true why, for example, do US jails house (in proportion to population) more Catholic prisoners than other denominations and far more of all Christians than non-Christians? I have a large and growing database I've been collecting - running into hundreds - of criminal cases involving Christians, many of them clergy.] News in brief . . . www.piperpost.net - 21.02.10 NUDITY IN STAGE SHOW. A two-hour stage show, Trilogy, currently running in London, has a six-minute segment of women dancing fully nude. But these are not Penthouse-like showgirls, they are ordinary women, young and old, who come in all shapes and sizes. 'It is,' says Nic Green, its creator, 'a celebration of the multitude and diversity of the ways of knowing and being.' Ads for women to take parts saw an overwhelming flood of willing recruits. Christians turn tragedy into circus . . . www.piperpost.net - 05.02.10. While many Christians have acted with commendable speed and compassion to assist the victims of this natural disaster others have used the occasion to peddle their jaundiced views on human life. Chief among them is the Reverend Pat Robinson, well-known for his loudmouthed dogmatic fundamentalism over the years. Robertson thundered forth, accusing the people of Haiti as having formed a 'pact with the [non-existent] Devil,' at the time they won their independence. Robertson claimed the supposed 18th century pact is the source of the country's ills - pestilence, poverty and now the earthquake. Meanwhile we have a bunch of Baptist do-gooders travelling from their Idaho church and setting out on an unofficial crusade to rescue supposedly orphaned Haitian children 'for the Lord.' Ten Baptist, five men and five women, were caught with the children in a bus, trying to cross the border into the Dominican Republic. They are now facing a criminal trial for abduction. But the madness of religious faith overshadows everything. Associated Press reported: 'Some deeply religious Haitians see the hand of GOD in the destruction of biblical proportions visited on their country.' While the Christians say the people must 'deepen their faith' some voodoo practitioners claim corruption among the people is the cause of the country's sufferings. And on every hand we hear the usual claims of 'prayer answered' and 'faith rewarded' as rescues occur. When a young woman was brought out alive, her mother cried out: 'It is a miracle; someone up there [i.e. GOD] loves her very much!' A rescued man cried out: 'God gave me good luck! But as always in these situations we only hear the positive. 'Thank god for those who have died' is never heard. of course. [Curious, when you think about it, isn't heaven supposed to be a better place?] A woman rescued from a building where she was buried with a group of people told the reporter: 'I was saved thanks to God' - but her aunt died in her arms before rescue. Why didn't GOD help her aunt?. A natural disaster in a natural world has no need of the specious explanations put forth by believers. No matter how they seek to twist the facts, either GOD has acted with utter capriciousness or there is no GOD! Baptists abduct children from Haiti . . . www.piperpost.net - 01.02.10. They may have believed they acted in the best interests of the children but a group of American Baptists have run into serious trouble after they abducted a group of 33 young children from Haiti, and headed with the children for the neighbouring Dominican Republic. The children were aged from 15 months to 12 years of age. Their erstwhile rescuers are from the Central Valley Baptist Church in Idaho, USA. Ten church members - five men and five women - were involved in the action to spirit the children across the border. When questioned they could produce no documents to support their activities. The party claimed the children were orphans and were in need of assistance but one girl told authorities: 'I am not an orphan, I do have parents. I thought I was going to a boarding school or a summer camp.' The Haitian government has stopped all adoptions, fearing children would fall prey to traffickers. A spokesperson for UNICEF told reporters: 'It is very important that every measure is taken to trace their families and reunite these children with their families or their extended families.' News in brief . . . ww.piperpost.net - 15.2.10. PROTEST OVER CENSORSHIP. [COMMENT: Much and all as I deplore Commissar Conroy's evil plan I do not countenance such a method of protest.] Commonsense wins out in Right-to-Die case . . . www.piperpost.net - 31.01.10. An English judge has criticized the Crown Prosecution Service for lodged a charge of attempted murder against a loving mother who helped her seriously ill daughter to die. In doing so the court has shown more courage and commonsense than most of our politicians who continue hide their heads in the sand on this issue. Lynn Gilderdale had suffered a severe form of myalgic encephalitis for 17 years from the age of 14 years. In December 2008 she self-administered a cocktail of lethal drugs to end her sufferings. When the effort to die went wrong Lynn called on her mother for help and Kay Gilderdale stepped up and did aid her to end her life. Justice Bean openly criticized the prosecutors for their actions. He said Mrs Gilderdale had looked after her daughter lovingly for all those years. Further, recent guidelines drawn up in Britain had assured relatives they would not be prosecuted for helping their loved ones to die. These should have been applied. The judge handed down a 12-months conditional discharge. [COMMENT: Bit by bit sanity is chipping away at the idiot restrictions on people's right to die. But why is it always such a struggle to make progress on moral issues? In one word - religion!] Christians stir up controversy with Super Bowl advert . . . www.piperpost.net - 31.01.10. A Christian group has whipped up an almighty controversy by booking space to run a Super Bowl advert extolling the virtue of rejecting abortion. On 7 February one of the 30 second spots has been booked by the Christian front organization, Focus on the Family. It features Tim Tebow, a University of Florida star quarterback and his mother Pam and focuses on her decision not to have an abortion. The advertisement is said to cost $2.5 million, paid for by donations. However, online petitions, backed by legal action, have called on CBS to drop the ad. Networks have previously made a point of rejecting what are known as advocacy ads. And the decision to accept the ad has come hot on the heels of a rejection by CBS of an ad for a gay dating site. The fight heated up when noted Women’s Rights Activist and powerhouse attorney Gloria Allred slammed the ad. Allred opposes the ads personally for anti-choice reasons, but she has an even more pressing concern, 'Will CBS still insist on running this anti-choice commercial if it turns out to be misleading advertising?' she asks. Doubts have been expressed about the truth of Mrs Tebow's story. She claims that doctors in the Philippines advised her to terminate her pregnancy, but since abortion in the Philippines has been illegal since 1930 and is punishable by a six-year prison term for both the doctor and the mother. 'Women’s lives are at stake,' says Allred. 'No woman should have to live in a country where abortion is illegal as it once was in the U.S. And was and is in the Philippines. No sugar-coated religiously inspired ad which fails to give all of the relevant facts should be permitted to air on CBS or anywhere else.' The Focus on the Family organization is notorious for promoting a view that opposes women's reproduction rights and is also stridently anti-gay. BURQAS IN
BANK HEIST
Two thieves wearing burquas were waved through a security post and allowed into a bank in Athis Mons, France, Once inside they produced guns and robbed the bank and some of its customers.  Nigeria experiences the joy of religion . . . www.piperpost.net - 24.01.10. Nigeria has been experiencing another dose of religion - with Christians and Muslims battling one another in a region around the Nigerian town of Jos. As always in such situations hard facts are difficult to ascertain but one figure put Muslim deaths at 364 people. Included were small children. Deaths involved in some cases being burnt alive. Many bodies were recovered from wells. The deaths were mostly inflicted on Muslims by Christians. One Muslim observer is quoted as saying: 'They were armed with cutlasses, guns, sticks and bags of stone. It was not the Christians from our community but those from outside who came.' The area has been a hotbed of inter-religious strife for years, with thousands dying. Non-religious relief for Haiti . . . www.piperpost.net - 24.01.10. Noted atheist scientist Richard Dawkins is supporting a new site called Non-Believers Giving Aid which is channelling funds to Doctors Without Borders and Red Cross for Haiti relief. Dawkins has promised to personally cover PayPal fees (up to $10,000) for donations to these two non-religious groups*. The
site has two major goals. First, to help Haiti, and
second, to 'counter the scandalous myth that only the religious care
about their fellow-humans.' While others debate if it's God or
the devil that caused the quake, the atheists and skeptics here say the
natural world is . . .
* UPDATE: PayPal has agreed to waive all fees on Haiti-related donations from 12 Jan through 11 Feb. News in brief . . . www.piperpost.net - 31.01.10. POLITICIAN
PUTS
WOMEN
IN
THEIR
PLACE. Tony Abbott, the
new Leader of Australia's
Opposition, has
told women 'not to give themselves away lightly.' Acting Prime Minister
Julia Gillard responded: 'These comments confirm the worst fears of
Australian women about Tony Abbott. Australian women want to make their
own choices and don't want to be lectured to by Mr Abbott,' Mr Abbott
is a one-time Catholic seminarian.
DENMARK DISCOURAGING VEILS. The Danish government has stated it will not ban outright the burqa (covering the whole body) or the niqab (face covering) worn by some Muslim women because the law already allows schools, private employers and government bodies to demand women show their faces. But Denmark says these garments are 'diametrically opposed' to the county's values. 'The [garments] deprive women the right to interact in Danish society on an equal footing with men and women who do not wear [them,' says the statement. House of Miracles man may need a miracle . . . www.piperpost.net - 22.01.10. George Tannous, a man who believes in miracles, may need one pretty soon. Tannous has for some time opened his house to visitors five days a week, visitors who came there to see oil seeping from a wall. In 2006 Mike Tannous died in a car accident close to his home. His parents, George and Lina, later reported that the walls of Mike's bedroom were weeping oil and ashes. The family opened their home - located at 6 Bowden Street, Guildford - to the public who have been visiting ever since to see the sight. Now George Tannous has been charged with being allegedly involved in credit card fraud. Police allege that Mr Tannous, who bills himself as a financier, helped people with credit card applications that had raised concerns with a bank. He has been released on bail. Meanwhile the House of Miracles, as it is called, is still open five days a week for visitors.  Visitors entering the House of Miracles Is Fox News run by a Christian cabal? . . . www.piperpost.net - 22.01.10. Fox News channel in recent days has moved ever farther to the Right - the Christian Right. The channel may be extremely popular but it has built that popularity by cultivating the conservative Christian Right and by keeping up an almost nonstop attack on the Obama Administration. Not surprising with its array of commentators with religious backgrounds, e.g. Catholics Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity, Mormon Glen Beck and Baptist Mike Huckerby. And clearly Brit Hume has nailed his evangelical colours to the mast in recent times. To complete the lineup they have now taken on the Pentecostalist Sarah Palin. Added to this coterie of religious sycophants are several other regular anchors and staff, whose sympathies lie in the same direction, at least judging by comments they make from time to time on air. And leavening this biassed loaf is the priest-in-residence, Father Jonathan Morris, his appearances balanced with visits every so often by Evangelicals such as Franklin Graham. Added to all this regular guests on the channel include Newt Gingrich and his wife Callista who have produced books and a DVD promoting the vision of a 'Christian' America, and that Right Wing Christian harpie Ann Coulter. Phew! Religion reigns supreme on this channel. As for being 'fair and balanced' - the channel's slogan has in recent times become a big joke. There is no way it can claim to be fair and balanced. Whatever program you tune to they are hard at it - damning President Obama, who has become the Devil in their eyes. (I thought he was a Christian but he must be the wrong sort of Christian.). Even Greta Van Susterin seems to have given up her interesting crime coverage (she may not have done so but I have given up watching her show, I got so sick of the politics) and jumped onto the anti-Obama bandwagon, bringing on such right wing luminaries as Newt Gingrich and John Bolton. I guess the popularity of Fox (which they loudly proclaim) highlights one thing if nothing else - that too many people in the USA are wallowing in the superstition that is religion. FOOTNOTE, added 26.01.10: It has been widely reported that Matthew Freud, husband of Rupert Murdoch's daughter Elizabeth, has bitterly criticized Fox News and its head Roger Ailes. On the front page of the New York Times, Freud was quoted as saying: 'I am by no means alone within the family or the company in being ashamed and sickened by Roger Ailes's horrendous and sustained disregard of the journalistic standards that News Corporation, its founder and every other global media business aspires to.' Ten Commandments back on display. www.piperpost.net - 20.01.10. Children who visit a Kentucky courthouse in future days will be encouraged by a wall plaque to 'honour thy father and thy mother' - even if their parents abuse them. This and other injunctions of the Jewish tribal deity Yahweh have been allowed on display after a long-running legal battle. The 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that displaying the Ten Commandments does not violate the US Constitution's separation of church and state. The case against displaying the Commandments was brought by the ACLU. The majority judgment said the copy of the Ten Commandments posted in the Grayson County courthouse was constitutional because it was displayed alongside other historical documents, e.g. the Bill of Rights and the Magna Carta, and wasn't meant to endorse or promote religion. However, Judge Karen Nelson Moore dissented, saying: 'The county's asserted purpose here -- that the display was posted for educational or historical reasons -- is a sham and should be rejected.' Christians who heed the Ten Commandments create many problems for themselves. Catholics and Orthodox who make 'graven images', for example. And one of the most common expressions, yes, used by Christians, is 'My God...' This surely violates the prohibition on taking the Lords' name in vain. The Sabbath Day? Only Seventh Day Adventists and a few smaller sects keep the seventh day holy. Christians generally worship on Sunday, the first day of the week. Do not commit adultery? Mmm - must be hundreds of thousands of Christians who have broken this law. And does 'Do no murder' mean Christians who support the death penalty are transgressing? And, finally, what about the Eleventh Commandment? This is the one that gives instructions for the sale of daughters (Exodus 21:7)? They never mention that one, do they? Christians picket Planned Parenthood building . . . www.piperpost.net - 19.01.10. Thousands of Christians have descended on Houston, Texas, to protest against construction of a major centre by Planned Parenthood. The protesters gathered in a parking lot behind the Catholic Charismatic Center which is close to the site of the planned 6-storey building, from where they engaged in what was termed a 'prayer march' - many carrying Bibles and some with gags taped over their mouths bearing the word 'life' or 'vida'. The protesters describe the building as an 'abortion supercenter' but Planned Parenthood says the centre includes facilities for family planning, a clinical research centre and HIV testing facilities, together with a surgical suite for surgical abortions and vasectomies. The building will also serve as administrative headquarters for the organization's work in 35 counties in Southeast Texas and Louisiana. [COMMENT: Yet again we see Christians trying to impose their doubtful morality on other people. And it is curious how those who protest over the 'death of the unborn' seem to forget the deaths of hundreds of thousands at the hands of Christians over the centuries - in the Crusades, the 'Holy' Inquisition, the Witchcraft Mania, the Northern Ireland strife, and in many other ways. Not to mention the thousands of fetuses and babies that resulted from the illicit activities of nuns and priests and who were abandoned to die or were murdered.] Former Pentecostalist pastor arrested . . . www.piperpost.net - 17.01.10. Alan Davenport, a former pastor with the Reach Out for Christ Pentecostalist Church, on Queensland's Gold Coast, has been arrested, together with three other men involved in an alleged online gambling racket. Davenport and his associates were allegedly involved in operating what was termed a sport arbitrage betting scheme known as WTS (World Trade Systems). Details are sketchy but it appears investors may have been supplied with software with which to play the odds. The company's headquarters are located on Queensland's Gold Coast, home to many interesting - and often doubtful - businesses over the years. WTS has reportedly been under investigation by authorities for the past 12 months, following complaints from investors. One woman was reported by The Courier-Mail newspaper as having lost $50,000 in what has been touted as a scheme promising 'low risk and tax-free income'. The WTS website assured potential investors they had a '100 percent money-back guarantee . . . it is impossible to lose your money with WTS.' The Reach out for Christ Church on the Gold Coast has been quick to dissociate itself from Mr Davenport. The latter had earlier worked with the same denomination in Perth (Western Australia) where there was controversy over alleged financial mismanagement. And the church appears to have been involved in earlier financial disputes (see reference below). (For more information about WTS check out: http://www.ripoffreport.com and for claims about other financial dealings involving the church check out: http://www.christian-witness.org/b4Usign/2003example.html) News in brief . . . www.piperpost.net - 17.01.10. GODBOTHERER MAKING WEAPONS. Trijicon Inc, a US company run by a Christian fundamentalist, has been supplying rifle sights to the US government that carried tiny engraved biblical messages. Troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan were using the rifles. Following discovery of this practice and an outcry from American Atheists, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation and others, the firm has dropped the practice. The firm's website trumpets its religious 'values' and claims America's greatness is based on biblical standards. It was later reported that Australian forces have also been using these contaminated gunsights. SUFI LEADER ACCUSED OF RAPE. Mohammad Memar Zadeh, 38, the spiritual leader of a Sufi group in Sydney, Australia, has been arrested and charged with rape. The charge alleged Zadeh had 'aggravated sexual intercourse without consent' with a woman 'under his authority' as spiritual leader of the order. Zadeh was refused bail. The case was adjourned to 22 April. CINDY McCAIN SUPPORTS GAY MARRIAGE. Cindy McCain, wife of Republican presidential candidate John McCain, has posed for an advertisement supporting advocates of gay marriage in California. A photo shows Ms McCain wth duct tape over her mouth and the inscription 'NOH8' on one cheek - code for the gay rights group challenging California's notorious Proposition 8. Controversy rages over Uganda's 'death to gays' policy . . . www.piperpost.net - 17.01.10. As reported in our December 13 issue a bill before the Ugandan Parliament prescribes harsh penalties for 'criminal' activities involving homosexual acts, including the death penalty. The Ugandan law was reportedly inspired by a visit to the country by a group of Evangelical godbotherers. According to the www.politicsdaily.com website three men, Scott Lively, Lee Brundidge and Don Schmierer, attended a conference in Uganda where they lambasted gays for 'being out to destroy the country' and claiming that legalizing homosexuality is akin to' legalizing the molestation of children or having sex with animals.' The country already has a law prescribing lengthy jail terms for homosexual behaviour. But prominent American preacher, Pastor Rick Warren - along many other American Christian leaders - has spoken out against the proposed law. Warren addressed Ugandan pastors in a video in which he condemned the criminalization of homosexuality, particularly the death penalty as proposed in Uganda's legislation, and called it unjust and un-Christian. But Warren's intervention in Ugandan affairs has been resented by some of the country's Christian leaders who accused him of condoning the 'evil of Sodomy and Gaymorrah [sic]'. A Ugandan church task force representing the National Fellowship of Born again Churches, Seventh Adventists Church, Orthodox Church in Uganda, Roman Catholic Church in Uganda, Islamic Office of Social Welfare in Uganda, and Born Again Faith Federation – claim that the Anti-Homosexuality bill was 'necessitated' by the increasing incidents of homosexual abuse of children, the growing promotion of homosexuality in Uganda, and western societies. After months of uproar from around the world, the Uganda National Pastors Task Force Against Homosexuality has now recommended that the sentence for the offence of aggravated homosexuality be reduced from the death penalty to 20 years' imprisonment. [COMMENT: If Uganda persists with this inhuman approach to its homosexual citizens isn't it time for the country to be expelled from the Commonwealth of Nations?] Infant dies, faith-healing parents walk free . . . www.piperpost.net - 17.01.10. Ava Worthington was a 15-months-old American girl who died needlessly for one simple chief reason - her parents belonged to a faith healing cult and wouldn't seek medical help for the child. But do the parents go to jail? Not in the good old church-ridden U S of A. Even when one juror revealed her bias - she was quoted as saying she thought parents had the right to withhold medical treatment from their children - the parents have walked free after being tried on charges of manslaughter and criminal mistreatment! Ava's parents, Carl and Raylene, are members of a cult that calls itself Followers of Christ Church - a cult that has a history of children dying for lack of medical help. Ava died at home on 2 March 2008, of pneumonia, a blood infection and complications from a cyst that interfered with her trachea and esophagus. No matter that the child showed obvious signs of distress and pain, the church forbids any method of healing other than simple faith. And faith, as is often the case, failed. And while a religiously-biassed justice system lets these killers walk free an investigation conducted by the Oregonian newspaper in 1998 concluded that 'Of the dozens of children buried in the Followers of Christ cemetery since the 1950s, at least 21 died from medically treatable conditions.' Yet through the years nobody was prosecuted until, finally, the Worthingtons faced a court, but with justice still absent. [COMMENT: This is yet another in a long series of stories of child abuse coming out of 'Christian' America. One estimate is that 300 children have died in the USA over a 25-year period because their parents or guardians refused help for them. And I have no doubt all these god-fearing believers strenuously oppose abortion because of the sanctity of life. What a grim joke in such a faith!] News in brief . . . www.piperpost.net - 17.01.10. TRANSGENDER APPOINTMENT. President Obama has appointed Amanda Simpson as Senior Technical Advisor for the US Bureau of Industry and Security. The appointee, who has extensive experience in this field, is openly transgender and the appointment has enraged some sections of the US Religious Right. Transgender rights supporters have welcomed the move. NSW RETAINS GAY ADOPTION BAN. In a typical move commonly seen among politicians, the NSW (Australia) state government has rejected the recommendations of a parliamentary inquiry into gay adoption. The inquiry had concluded that changing the current law (banning adoptions) would 'ensure the best interests of children.' Not so, said the Government (with the usual eye on the Church?). Gays will not be allowed to adopt children, no matter if they often make as good or better parents than heterosexual couples. Kellie McDonald, of the Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby described the decision as 'extremely disappointing.' [Comment: The Church wins again, Ms Keneally?] FORMER RELIGIOUS EDUCATION TEACHER IN TROUBLE. Daniel Kinge, formerly a teacher of Religious Education in a UK school, has been jailed for a second time for downloading 'abusive' images of children to his computer. Kinge had been running the Sparklebox teaching and parenting resource website used in thousands of schools but has had a history of conflicts with the law. In 2005 he was jailed for nine months downloading child pornography images. NAKED LADY DEFENDED. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is defending the right of Jen Moss, a lady who likes going about Oregon naked, to continue doing so. The Ashland City Council has issued an edict demanding Jen cover up. The council states that anyone over 8 years of age should be covered in public places. But the ACLU says their move violates Jen Moss's First Amendment right of expression. [COMMENT: Might frighten the kiddies I suppose, if they see a naked lady; can't for the life of me see why it bothers anyone but that's silly the way people are.] Brit Hume's advice goes over the top . . . www.piperpost.net - 10.01.10. One of the stalwarts of the Fox News service, Brit Hume, has astounded many by calling for the 'conversion to Christ' of golfer Tiger Woods. Hume was formerly host of Special Report, a Fox program, and the channel's chief political correspondent. He is now an analyst for the network. Speaking on Fox News Sunday Hume told the golfer, who is reportedly a Buddhist, that he should turn to Christianity to get his life in order. The extent to which he can recover seems to me depends on his faith,' Hume asserted. 'He is said to be a Buddhist. I don't think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith. My message to Tiger would, "Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world.".' [COMMENT: Brit, you have forever tainted your commentaries. Anyone who could spew forth such nonsense can hardly henceforth be treated as as serious commentator or any matters, religious or political. Are you so naive as to believe what you say?] One god with many names or many gods?www.piperpost.net - 10.01.10. Is the deity worshipped by the Islamics the same as the deity worshipped by Christians? This has become a burning issue - almost literally - in Malaysia, a country where a multitude of religions flourish but where Islam is predominant. The issue has come to a head following a decision of the Malaysian High Court in favour of those who wished to use the word Allah when referring to God. This usage had become a sore point with many Islamics, particularly when Christians use the name Allah in literature designed to convert Muslims. Although Malaysia is predominantly Muslim the country prides itself in its tolerance [if limited!] of other religions, including Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism and many fear this balance will be upset as a result of the decision. In the era before Israel adopted Yahweh as its tribal god there were an enormous number of local deities throughout the region. And among the Arabs al-ilah, or Allah, was the name given to their deity. Many who have studied the subject believe Yahweh and Allah are one and the same, even if their followers have taken differing paths over the centuries. But whether they speak of Yahweh (Jehovah or the Lord), or Allah these (and other) religions sooner or later use the term GOD or its equivalent. THE PAGAN DEITY? GOD was, in fact, introduced to the world through the Teutonic tribes of northern Europe, still at that time worshipping pagan deities (when they stopped off from fighting), uncorrupted by the Christian heresy. Throughout those northern regions a group of titles was in use as a sort of generic term for the object of worship of these (non-Jewish, non-Christian, non-Islamic, non-Everything Else) people. The Gothic had it as Guth, the German as Gott or Goth, the Swedish and Danish as Gud, the Icelandic Gudh, and the Dutch (generally closest to English) - why, lo and behold, our well-known word GOD. News in brief . . . www.piperpost.net - 10.01.10. MAYOR BLOOMBERG INVITES ATHEISTS. For the first time in New York city's history atheists have been officially invited to an Interfaith Breakfast, Held on the day before New Year the breakfast in past times has seen only church groups in attendance. Welcoming members of the New York City Atheists, Mayor Bloomberg commented: 'I also want to welcome for the first time those who don't profess a faith but who do love our city.' In his Inauguration speech President Obama referred to 'nonbelievers,' marking a new era when those who are outside the religious milieu are at least being recognized as citizens! Too often in times past they were treated like lepers. END TIME PROPHECIES ABOUND. We seem to be in an age of prophecy-mania. Perhaps spurred on by the apocalyptic nature of predictions involving climate change and instant worldwide communications that keep us informed of the Terrorist threat, many people are being whipped up into a frenzy over the supposed End Time. Recently, for example, the History Channel has been running a series with graphic descriptive promotions about the coming Apocalypse. But does any serious person take notice? This channel often run programs that treat the Bible as if it were real history; enough said! Meanwhile, one End Time date after another gets rolled out. Recently we had 2012, based on the dubious evidence of the Mayan calendar (see earlier issue of Piper Post). Now a 'biblical scholar' Harold Camping has set the date at 21 May 2011. At least this is a bit closer and we can enjoy ourselves laughing as yet another prophecy bites the dust on 22 May 2011. Mexican city embraces gay marriage . . . www.piperpost.net - 03.01.10. The legislature of Mexico City has snubbed the Catholic Church, once the dominant religious force in the country, and passed a bill allowing for gay marriage and gay adoptions. Meanwhile the first same-sex marriage in Latin America has been celebrated in Argentina. Not unexpectedly the Catholic Church has thundered forth, denouncing the moves, describing the union of same-sex couples as 'immoral' because, it claims, the marriage union must hold the promise of procreation (read: more fodder for the Church). In Argentina Jose Maria Di Bello and Alex Freyre, gay rights activists, were married in Ushuaia, the capital of Tierra del Fuego state, exchanging rings at a civil ceremony witnessed by state and federal officials. The couple had initially tried to marry in the capital Buenos Aires but city officials refused, although the constitution of Argentina has no specific prohibition on gay unions. Governor Fabiana Rios of Tierra del Fuego said in a statement that gay marriage 'is an important advance in human rights and social inclusion and we are very happy that this has happened in our state.' The landscape for gays in Latin America is slowly changing, albeit too slow for some. Same-sex civil unions are permitted in some places, which was the case in Mexico City until the recent change. Now proper weddings are permitted and as well homosexual couples will be allowed to adopt children. Homosexuality is increasingly accepted in Mexico. Couples openly hold hands in the capital and the gay pride parade draws tens of thousands of people. [COMMENT: As the Governor rightly said, gay marriage is an important advance in human rights but what would the Catholic Church know about human rights? It has been abusing human rights for the whole of its long and black history.] Knox College accusations spread . . . www.piperpost.net - 03.01.10. As at this date five former teachers of Knox Grammar School, Sydney, operated by the Uniting Church, have been charged with the alleged abuse of pupils in past years. The school was founded by the Presbyterian Church but is now operated by the Uniting Church, which largely absorbed Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregationalist adherents. Three of those charged have already pleaded guilty. In September 2008 Damien Piers Vance, 54, a former English teacher at the school, pleaded guilty to inciting a student to an act of indecency in 1987. He was placed on a two-year good behaviour bond. Another former Knox teacher, Roger Warren James, pleaded guilty to assaulting a student and committing an act of indecency in 1976. He was given a suspended jail term of 12 months. A third teacher, Craig Howard Treloar, 50, was arrested in February 2008. Treloar, who was still teaching at the Knox prep school in Wahroonga, NSW, admitted charges involving four students, aged 12 and 13, between 1984 and 1987. Treloar pleaded guilty to two counts of 'indecent assault and committing an act of indecency' against children under his authority. He also pleaded guilty to inciting a student to an 'act of indecency, soliciting two others to acts of gross indecency' and to possessing child pornography. The Headmaster of Knox Grammar, John Weeks, has expressed his dismay at the activities of the men. 'Abuse of a student by a teacher is abhorrent to everything that Knox stands for,' he said. FOOTNOTE: In a news feature in The Sydney Morning Herald (7 December 1996) the then Headmaster of Knox Grammar School, Sydney, Dr Paterson, commented on the growing problem of student misbehaviour and violence. He referred to schoolyard 'punch-ups' which resulted in broken bones and teeth, and to the amount of swearing occurring. The writer of the article commented on gate-crashing of Knox out-of-school parties, which had involved students from St Andrews Cathedral School (Anglican), Pius 10th College (Catholic) and Chatswood High. A Knox student said the same was happening at Grammar and Shore. Murder attempt on cartoonist . . . www.piperpost.net - 03.01.10. The Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard, who was at the centre of a free-speech controversy five years ago, has had his life threatened once again by a Muslim extremist. A 28-year-old Somali national who was in Denmark on a visitor's permit had tried to break into the artist's home. The intruder was armed with an axe and a knife. Westergaard and his 5-year-old granddaughter retired to a 'panic room' and actuated an alarm connected to police. The intruder was shot in the knee and hand in the subsequent melee and a policeman injured. The terrorist has since been charged with attempted manslaughter. Militant Islamics have been campaigning, often with violence, against the cartoonist and his publisher ever since the offending drawing, which showed the self-elected prophet Muhammad wearing a bomb on his head instead of a turban, was first published. While people were dying in several countries a debate raged over freedom of speech. In recent times some Muslims have been involved in a push to limit free speech through the United Nations by having a universal 'blasphemy' law enacted. A draft amendment introduced by Pakistan would mandate 'legal prohibition of publication of material that negatively stereotypes, insults, or uses offensive language' to describe any religious believers, creeds and groups. One of the prime movers in this plan is the OIC (Organization of Islamic Conference) which embraces 57 member states, many of which are undemocratic in nature. [COMMENT; Unable to defend their ridiculous beliefs through logical argument and honest debate believers often resort to blasphemy law to protect their doubtful 'truths'. It will be a step back into the Dark Ages if any of our Western nations agree to this proposed assault on freedom of speech. One only has to look at the unthinking rioting crowds to know that these people represent not an aspect of 21st century life but life in the 13th century.] News in brief . . . www.piperpost.net - 03.01.10. JOY OF RELIGION IN GAZA . The authorities in Gaza, chiefly the terror organization Hamas, have instituted a campaign for more conservative dress. Men are not allowed to sit shirtless on the beach and women are forbidden riding on motorcycles. Shopkeepers are not allowed to display lingerie on mannequins in their windows. The mixing of men and women is severely frowned up. When Asmaa al-Ghoul, a journalist and writer, went swimming (in long trousers and t-shirts) at night with a mixed party the Hamas police swooped. Asmaa was verbally abused and five male friends physically beaten. However, not everyone is submitting. When the Chief Justice ordered female lawyers to wear the headscarf and hiljab in court they rebelled even although some of them do of their own volition. The Chief Justice was forced to back down. VATICAN BACK-PEDALS ON JEWS. Following the announcement of moves towards making wartime Pope Pius 12th a saint (see previous Piper Post) Jews around the world were outraged. Pope Benedict is quoted by the Vatican as saying that he did not intend his move to be a 'hostile act' against the Jews. However Pope Benedict has also spoken of the 'heroic virtues' of Pope Pius and this is not the first time the German Pope has snubbed the Jewish people. In May 2008 while visiting the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Israel he avoided any reference to Germany and the Nazis. GODBOTHERER IN NORTH KOREA. And still they come - American godbotherers fanning out through the world intent on converting people to their Christian god. The latest is Robert Park who has gone to North Korea and is now being held in custody. Reportedly the members of his congregation at the Life in Christ Community Church are praying for him; might be a good idea, he could end up in some dreadful labour camp for a long stretch. Maybe it is another job for Bill Clinton? Commissar Conroy attacks Internet freedom . . . www.piperpost.net - 27.12.09. As warned in earlier issues of Piper Post the Australian Communications Minister, Senator Stephen Conroy, is now moving to restrict freedom of access of adults to a huge number of web sites. Commissar Conroy is clearly following the path blazed by such paragons of virtue as Communist China and a number of Islamic nations. We might well ask - is he under orders from Prime Minister Rudd, a man who wears his religion like a banner? Or does some faceless patriarch in Rome issue the instructions? Or that man of circumscribed vision, Cardinal Pell? And doubtless it is not only 'adult' sex sites that the Commissar has in his sights (if I may play on the words) but doubtless he will try to deny access to euthanasia, pro-abortion and other sites not acceptable to the Church. We stand amazed that the Church, and especially the Catholic Church - through its minions - a Church that has been involved in such scandalous abuse of children - in every way, physical, emotional and sexual - seems more concerned with controlling what consenting adults see and do than in caring for the children such censorship is supposed to protect. Not only has there been the widespread abuse of children by priests, nuns, teachers and carers but the whole evil mess has been compounded by the cover-up on the part of bishops, cardinals and church officials, whose actions at times could best be described as criminal conspiracy? Once again we see the heavy hand of religious superstition entering into Australian political affairs. Over the years we have seen at least three Catholic parliamentarians deeply involved in the process of controlling state affairs and ignoring the wishes of the Australian people. Senator Brian Harradine was one of the most offensive. He had far too much influence and was, I believe, responsible for R-rated movies being absent from pay-TV, along with other evils, such as the ban on the RU486 abortion pill. Then there was the infamous affair of the banning of the voluntary euthanasia law enacted by a legitimate elected government in the NT, the law brought down by another Catholic parliamentarian, Kevin Andrews. And now Commissar Conroy is joining these illustrious deniers of people's rights. I should also add that the mark of shame also falls on the ISPs - among them the one I use, iiNet - for co-operating with this fascist government action. And it is especially ridiculous in the light of the government's huge expenditure on providing high-speed broadband for the country. What a joke! Fortunately there are ways around the bans and those most likely to find such ways will probably be the very young the government is supposedly protecting as they are the ones today with superb technical know-how. Just yesterday I was with my two computer-literate and iPhone equipped grandchildren, aged 20 and 17, and they were poking fun at the government's plan. Australia's newest political force - the Sex Party . . . www.piperpost.net - 27.12.09. The Australian Sex Party describes itself as 'a political response to the sexual needs of Australia in the 21st century.' The party is particularly concerned at the distorted view of human sexuality promoted by morals campaigners and prudish politicans. In recent times the party has been involved in several actions on the political and social fronts. The party fielded candidates in two recent federal bielections - Bradfield and Higgins (Fiona Patten). Obviously the uptight attitudes of our society are reflected in the reactions of police. Fiona Patten, may lodge an official complaint with the Australian Electoral Commission after she was detained by Victorian police on the morning of the poll. Patten gained an impressive 3.27 per cent of the vote but had a hard time convincing local police that she was a candidate. She was pulled over and detained for 30 minutes as she began her rounds of the polling booths early on Saturday morning after two complaints from parents that the Sex Party van she was travelling in along Toorak Road was offensive. 'I explained that I was a candidate in the byelection,' Patten commented. The party has also been active on other fronts, e.g. rallying at Mt Ainslie, Canberra, to press the message that religion has no place in politics. They have also participated in the Melbourne Fetish Fair. [COMMENT: The new party is a breath of fresh air in a country that was once quite liberated in its attitudes to sex and nudity but of recent times, under the baleful influence of some politicans who put their church affiliations ahead of their constituents' wishes, has become more sexually uptight. We have a repressive film censorship regime and a heavy hand on pay-TV (which is unnecessary with the parental controls that are available) and now we have Commissar Stephen Conroy, a dedicated Catholic, trying to impose heavy-handed Chinese Communist style control over the Internet. The ASP has a Facebook page, by the way. ]  Protesting against Commissar Conroy's
Internet censorship
Indian woman should
be allowed to die say activists . . . www.piperpost.net
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27.12.09.For the past 36 years Aruna Shanbaug has lain in a vegetative state in a hospital room in Mumbai, India. As a young nurse she was sexually assaulted and beaten by an orderly, leaving her paralyzed, blind and brain dead. Now human rights activists are saying, 'enough is enough' and Aruna Shanbaug should be allowed to die with dignity. They have taken the case to the Indian Supreme Court for a determination. Activists, headed by journalist Pinki Virani, saying the woman is being force-fed. The cases of Aruna Shanbaug raises again the thorny issue of euthanasia. As in many countries euthanasia is illegal in India but, says human rights lawyer Prashant Bhushan, if activists are allowed to stage hunger strikes for their beliefs then Ms Shaunbaug should be allowed to refuse food. Pope may canonize pro-Nazi prelate . . . www.piperpost.net - 27.12.09. The German Pope, Benedict 16th, has declared one of his predescessors, Pope Pius 12th, to be 'venerable' - thus moving Pius closer to sainthood. The announcement has upset many people, including many who suffered under the Nazis and especially Jews. While Pius did in some instances assist Jews to escape the Holocaust this is only a part of the story. Commented one Italian Jewish leader: 'We do not forget the deportations of Jews from Italy and in particular the train that deported 1021 people on 16 October 1943, which left Rome's Tiburtina station for Auschwitz to the silence of Pius 12th.' Stephen Kramer, head of Germany's Central Jewish Council, said: 'This is a clear hijacking of historical facts concerning the Nazi era. Benedict 16th rewrites history without having allowed a serious scientific discussion. That's what makes me furious.' Not unexpectedly Australia's Cardinal Pell supports the case for Pacelli: 'I'm a great supporter of Pius 12th. He was dealt an appallingly difficult set of cards … he did an enormous amount for the Jews,' claims Pell. However, many studies have painted a very different picture of the wartime pope. John Cornwall in his book Hitler's Pope (Viking, 1999) uncovers the secret history of Vatican intrigue in that era. And it should be noted that the award-winning Cornwall is himself a Catholic. As Vatican Secretary of State Eugenio Pacelli signed an agreement with Adolf Hitler in 1933 that protected the power of the Catholic Church in exchange for complete withdrawal by the Church from politics. As Pope Pius laboured under this sell-out to the wily dictator he discovered too late that it had saddled him with a situation in which the Church became increasingly impotent in the face of Nazi atrocities. FOOTNOTE: AUSTRALIA'S WHIPPING SAINT The Pope's move on Pacelli has overshadowed the news that Mother Mary MacKillop, an Australian, has moved closer to sainthood. Reportedly the requisite two miracles have been uncovered. In the face of much skepticism over the nature of the miracles, especially the almost spontaneous curing of a woman's cancer (which, as is well known can happen in the absence of faith and prayer) the devotees are rejoicing. A correspondent to The Sydney Morning Herald (Phillip Clarke) wrote: 'The third miracle of Mary MacKillop is that anyone could believe that there were two others.' Mother Mary MacKillop, who went to South Australia in 1826 and started a ragged school, was one of those hardy nuns who whipped herself and wore a spiked chain-link mortification belt next to her flesh. Her personal whip and the chain were still on display at the North Sydney convent of her religious Order (St Joseph's) until about 1993 when, as the time of her beautification approached, they both mysteriously disappeared from the display devoted to the nun. News in brief . . . www.piperpost.net - 27.12.09. VATICAN PANTOMIME. The amazing annual Vatican pantomime, the Midnight Christmas Mass, carried on TV screens around the world, had some extra elements of the absurd this year. First of all, it might be called the Midnight Mass but is started at 10 pm. Then, along with the waves of smoke encircling the Pontiff (cardinals forgot their Nicobate?) we had some crazy woman vaulting the stockade and knocking the poor old Pope flying (and a cardinal to boot). Did she come from Northern Ireland? In the end, none of it matters as the whole overblown pompous ceremonial is so far removed from the life of Jesus of Nazareth that clearly, Pope Benedict is a member of an entirely different religious body to the one that embraces Jesus. ONLINE CHURCHES. The newest trend in the USA is to conduct religious services online. Not content with godbothering through religious buildings, radio and TV shows, these churches have now extended their reach even farther. One Florida church has even conducted long-distance baptisms online. Granger Community Church of Indiana will soon launch its Internet campus. The pastor calls the web the church's 'front porch.' On the Granger site, visitors will be able to choose 'seats' in an auditorium, then click on surrounding seats to exchange Facebook and Twitter addresses. CHURCH DEPICTS JESUS & MARY IN BED. An Anglican church in New Zealand promoted the Christmas message with a billboard showing Jesus and Mary in bed together captioned 'Poor Joseph. God was a hard act to follow.' The poster so upset one woman that she slashed it and it was eventually taken down by the vicar. Archdeacon Glynn Cardy dubbed the woman 'a Christian fanatic' but the cleric is exercising Christian charity and not having the woman charged. FILM COMPANY KOWTOWS TO CATHOLIC CHURCH. Recently successfully screened in theatres around the world was the film The Golden Compass based on a novel by Philip Pullman. Two further stories in a trilogy by the author were to be released, in one of which Nicole Kidman was to star. But a campaign run by the well-known godbotherer, Bill Donohoe, and his misnamed Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, has held the movies up. The trouble is Pullman is an avowed atheist and the League worries that children introduced to the stories will read the books, where the message is uncompromisingly atheistic. The film company handling the movies is New Line, a subsidiary of Warner Brothers. [COMMENT: A large brickbats to Warner Brothers for letting the Catholic Church run their affairs. It would be a great thing if children, especially American children, had a chance to gain a different perspective on life and the universe than the superstitious nonsense surrounding them on every hand.] Atheist council member may lose seat . . . www.piperpost.net - 20.12.09. Cecil Bothwell, who was duly elected to the Council of Asheville, North Carolina, may be kept from taking his rightful place by a law that bars atheists from holding office. A state constitutional law specifically requires anyone holding office to believe in the deity. Commented American Atheists: 'Cecil Bothwell is one of a growing cohort of Americans who does not believe in Zeus, Allah, Jesus, Jehovah or any other sky god; and at his swearing-in, he courageously did not place his hand on a Bible as other newly-install council members did. He instead affirmed his commitment to uphold the Constitutions of North Carolina and the United States.' American Atheists assert that the state law is unconstitutional. The Supreme Court of the United States declared such provisions illegal and a violation of state-church separation in the landmark Torasco case (1961). Twenty-nine years later, despite the ruling in Torasco, another Atheist, Herb Silverman, challenged a South Carolina law barring non-believers from holding public office. It took eight more years of fighting for civil rights, but the state Supreme Court finally struck down the bigoted religious test. But eight US states still have laws 'on the books' requiring belief in a deity as a requirement for public office. Oral Roberts goes to his heavenly reward? . . . www.piperpost.net - 20.12.09. Oral Roberts, a Pentecostalist preacher and one of the first of the new breed of televangelists, has died at the age of 91. Roberts died from complications of pneumonia following a recent fall. It was perhaps a case of 'physician heal thyself' as Roberts was one of those evangelists who taught faith healing. At the age of 17 Oral, struck down by TB, was carried by an older brother to an evangelistic meeting where he was prayed over by the preacher. He was reportedly cured of his TB and stuttering as well. Healing became an important aspect of his developing ministry although there were accusations made from time to time about the nature of the alleged cures. When he visited Australia in 1956 there was strong opposition from some quarters but his visit helped develop the Pentecostalist movement in the country. Another aspect of the ministry was what has come to be known as 'the prosperity gospel' - the notion, promoted by many modern evangelists, that material prosperity flows from Christian faith. Such a belief, which flies in the face of the primitive faith of the Jesus followers, is used to justify the strong emphasis on money in such churches and clearly suits the American 'success' mentality.  A poster for the preacher [COMMENT: Poor Oral will never know he was wrong about
heaven. There is nothing to know in the oblivion that is death!]
News in brief . . . www.piperpost.net - 20.12.09. TEXTING NUDE PHOTOS WORRIES. As previously reported there has been controversy of late in the USA over the practice of teenagers texting nude photos of themselves to one another. There have, in fact, been some legal actions against senders, in at least one case prosecutors claiming the sender, a girl, was engaged in distributing child pornography. Recently a survey of 1200 American teens reported a good one-third, both boys and girls, had sent nude images of themselves to another teen. A campaign has now been launched to warn teens of what some consider to be the dangers of the practice. The campaign has been running on the teen-oriented channel, MTV and features a full frontal image of a nude teenage girl mildly blurred. [COMMENT: One of the legal eagles on Bill O'Reilly's show warned, among other matters, that the images might cause problems later in the teen's life. This, of course, only applies when people get uptight about such images as they often seem to do in the case of beauty contest winners, for reasons I fail to understand. But then Americans have too much of the Puritan horror of nudity. Why should it matter if someone has posed for nude photos or acted in a skin flick? PS: The girl in the advert has a nice figure; be great to see her without rhe blurs.]  MAN DIES WAITING FOR GOD TO HEAL. A man in Columbia, South Carolina, sat down in his recliner chair following an accident. Believing God would heal him by faith the man never got up again. There he stayed for eight months (it is not explained how he dealt with the calls of nature). He died eventually, just after getting up from the recliner. Explained his wife, Ada Webb, 'The man totally believed in God and his healing.' Shock! Horror! Lesbian bishops? . . . www.piperpost.net - 13.12.09. New Swedish bishop is a woman and a lesbian at that. And that's not all . . . Liberal ideas on marriage and church government are spreading through the churches. Already the Episcopal Church of America (Anglican) has a gay bishop, Gene Robinson, much to the annoyance of conservatives. Now the Church of Sweden, a Lutheran body, has ordained a female pastor, Eva Brunne, 55, as the Bishop of Stockholm. Not only is the church electing a female to this high office but that female is openly lesbian. Bishop Brunne lives in a civil union partnership with another pastor, Gunilla Linden. They share guardianship of a three-year-old child. At the same ceremony another female pastor, Tuulikki Koivunen Bylund, was ordained Bishop of Härnösand. Sweden, a country known for its liberal attitudes, has since May 2009 allowed gay marriages although there is some resistance to the progress of gays. The Lutheran Church only allowed such wedding to take place in church buildings in October. Same-sex couples are also allowed to adopt children. Meanwhile, back in the USA, where Bishop Robinson, an openly gay man, was consecrated as a bishop in 2003, the Diocese of Los Angeles has elected a lesbian as an assistant bishop. The appointment of the Reverend Mary Glasspool of Baltimore has yet to be approved by a majority of dioceses before she is consecrated. The ordination of female bishops in Sweden - one of whom is a lesbian - has upset conservatives in the Anglican Church, which has fraternal links to the Church of Sweden. High officials of the church in England, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, refused to attend the ordination service. And the actions of the Episcopalian Church in the USA has upset the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen, a hardline conservative. 'The Episcopalian Church has chosen to walk in a way which is contrary to Scripture,' said the Archbishop. FOOTNOTE: The Episcopalian Church in the USA has moved to allow freedom to its bishops to bless same-sex unions if they wish to do so. The Church has not, however, developed an official rite for such ceremonies and same-sex unions and the ordination of gay clergy remain divisive issues. There has been increasing pressure for such action, especially in states where gay marriage has been legalized. Sex abuse reported at Queensland Catholic school . . . www.piperpost.net - 13.12.09. Parents of three children who attended Toowoomba (Queensland) Catholic Primary School are suing the church. It is alleged the students were sexually abused by a 59-year-old teacher at the school but the church had failed to act when the first reports of abuse surfaced. The law requires school principals to report allegations of abuse to police. In September 2007 a 9-year-old girl claimed the teacher had 'touched' her but it is alleged no immediate action was taken. In November 2008 the teacher was charged with 34 counts of indecent treatment of a child under 12 and 12 counts of rape of students at the primary school. Damian Scattini, of law firm Slater and Gordon, is representing the three families who have launched separate civil claims against the Corporation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Toowoomba, the entity responsible for the school. When the school and diocesan authorities failed to act the children were 'put into harm’s way deliberately by the church. It is clear the church has been completely derelict in their duty to these children.' [COMMENT: Once again the Church is up ot its old tricks. The abuse is bad enough but the failure to report the abuse is in some ways worse. This may not have been a cover-up but it gives the appearance of being such.] Uganda wants death penalty for homosexuals . . . www.piperpost.net - 13.12.09. A bill before the Ugandan Parliament prescribes harsh penalties for 'criminal' activities involving homosexual acts, including the death penalty. And evidence is coming to light that the Ugandan move may be at the very least inspired by a group of fundamentalist American Christians. According to the www.politicsdaily.com website three men, Scott Lively, Lee Brundidge and Don Schmierer, attended a conference in Uganda where they lambasted gays for 'being out to destroy the country' and claiming that legalizing homosexuality is akin to' legalizing the molestation of children or having sex with animals.' The proposed law prescribes a seven-year jail term for anyone who 'attempts to commit the offence' of homosexuality or who 'aids, abets, counsels or procures another to engage in acts of homosexuality.' And anyone convicted of publishing information about homosexuality, or providing funds or premises for homosexual activity, would receive a seven-year jail sentence or a fine of $50,000. Authorities who fail to report homosexuals within 24 hours of discovering their behavior can be punished by up to three years in prison. The death penalty would apply to anyone being found having sex with a disabled person or someone under 18 years of age. The death penalty also applies if the accused is HIV-positive. 'I think the death penalty is not acceptable,' says Anglican Bishop Stanley Ntagali of Masindi-Kitara diocese, but, he adds: 'I think taking someone to jail for a period of time would be sufficient.' News in brief . . . www.piperpost.net - 13.12.09. VOICE OF GOD ON CHRISTMAS CD?. Pope Benedict 18th is featured singing litanies and chants on an album released for Christmas. The album, made in St Peter's Basilica, is said to honour the Virgin Mary. The Pope also recites prayers in Latin, italian, Portuguese, French and German. According to a Church authority (Lucius Ferraris) '...the Pope is as it were God on earth, sole sovereign of the faithful of Christ, chief of kings, having plenitude of power.' Pope Pius 5th went even further: 'The Pope and God are the same, so he has all power in Heaven and earth.' [There you have it, folks - an opportunity to hear God singing.] AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT REFUSES TO INVESTIGATE SCIENTOLOGY. Recently Senator Nick Xenophon called for an inquiry into the activities of Scientology (see earlier issue of Piper Post). The Senator had collected evidence from former members of the cult. But the Australian Government, supported by the Opposition, has rejected the call for an inquiry. The Government claims the Tax Office and police should investigate, not Parliament. 'That's a cop-out,' says Senator Xenophon. [Comment: The Government should investigate brainwashing by and the tax-free status of ALL religions.] TELEVISION ISLAMIC STYLE. The Saudi religious TV channel, Awtan TV, has taken a great leap forward by having female presentes on-screen. Not that the viewers can see much. The women are only allowed to appear on camera covered from head to toe in the black niqab. And no male technicians are allowed in the studio while the women are on the job. Saudi Arabia is known for its extremely restrictive laws and customs. Recently an Egyptian cleric, Sheikh Mohammed Tantawi, causes a stir when he said he would issue an edicts stating the niqab was 'a custom that has nothing to do with Islam.' US MOVE ON STEM CELLS.The Obama administration in the USA has given approval for experiments with embryonic stem cells, using federal funding. All cells are obtained from embryos left over by couples involved in fertility treatment. The Bush administration opposed the use of embryonic stem cells for research. The religious Right opposes the move. SEX PARTY IN ELECTIONS.The Australian Sex Party fielded candidates in the recent by-elections in Higgins and Bradfield. Among their opponents were several candidates for the Christian Democrats. In the event the Liberal Party won in both elections. A full report on this interesting party in my next issue. Swiss vote to ban minarets . . . www.piperpost.net - 06.12.09. The people of Switzerland have exercised their right to vote in a referendum and expressed opposition to the construction of minarets in the country. The move, instigated by a right-wing body, the Swiss People's Party, saw 57 percent of the population agree with the wish to stop construction of minarets on places of worship. The move was sparked by fears being expressed at the increasingly large numbers of Muslims moving into European nations. Switzerland alone has an estimated 400,000 Muslims. Critics of the growing proportion of Muslims point out that often Muslims have a higher birthrate than the local people. While the United Nations decried the result a Swiss Muslim imam, Youssef Ibram, called for calm. 'The Muslim world . . . must respect the Swiss decision,' he said, 'otherwise we would be the first victims.' The imam's mosque has reportedly been vandalized several times, highlighting the angry feelings of some. [COMMENT: First, let me say, if I was a Swiss voter I would not vote for this ban. It is petulant and achieves little. But, on the other hand, many Muslims have themselves to blame for such attitudes as are shown by the Swiss. Too often we hear some of their number sounding off about the need for an Islamic state or the establishment of a modern caliphate. Muslims must understand that many of us fear the notion of living under repressive Islamic regimes, exemplified by Iran or Saudi Arabia. We like our democracy, we like our freedoms and we don't want our women to be oppressed.] Godbotherer governor pardoned cop killer and rapist . . . www.piperpost.net - 06.12.09. Mike Huckabee, a onetime candidate for the US Presidency and now a TV star, in the period when he was Governor of Arkansas, pardoned Maurice Clemmons, who was recently alleged to have shot to death four police officers. Clemmons was also wanted for the alleged rape of a child. Governor Huckabee was noted for the many pardons he extended to felons. In this activity he reportedly outdid many previous governors. One of the factors influencing his decisions was any recommendation coming from a fellow Baptist pastor. There is a well known phenomenon in crime cases, with criminals conveniently 'getting religion' and expressing a belief in God, not to mention expressing the 'truly repentant' attitude they have adopted. As would be expected by any sensible observer Clemmons went on to pursue his criminal career following the pardon and had been recently released [stupidly!] on bail after which he engaged in his murderous rampage against the police officers. The revelation that Huckabee had pardoned Clemmons brought to light a slew of other cases involving the Governor. For example, a rapist and murderer, Wayne Dumond, managed to convince another godbotherer, a Baptist pastor, Jay Cole, that he was innocent of charges laid against him. Cole had 'prayed and read the Bible' with the prisoner. Huckabee supported the parole of Dumond, who later went on to rape and murder a young woman in Missouri. Dumond later died but police believe he murdered at least one other young woman. Yet again, in the case of a vicious rapist and murderer, Glen Green, an Air Force sergeant, a Baptist minister, Johnny Jackson, persuaded Governor Huckabee that the woman's death was an 'accident'. This so-called accident involved beating the woman to death with nunchucks, sexually assaulting her near-dead body and then running over her with a car. Of course, the man had now 'come to Jesus' and repented of his 'accidental' assault. Only a huge public outcry stopped Huckabee going through with a plan to release this killer. Woman to lead NSW State opposition . . . www.piperpost.net - 06.12.09. COMMENT: The new (female) premier of NSW (Australia), Kristine Kennealy, is another Catholic. (Seem to be a lot of Catholics in politics these days.) It is perhaps churlish to introduce religion into any comment but it is hard to avoid doing so given the fact politicians themselves so often introduce their faith into issues that should be determined democratically, maintaining a healthy separation of Church and State. The evil institution of the 'conscience vote' (which I have long opposed) allows politicians to exercise their particular religious outlook in decision-making. This is contrary to the democratic process. And one cannot escape the fact that religious leaders, especially Catholic prelates, continually try to influence the behaviour of politicians. A perfect example is the recent intervention of a bishop denying communion to a US politician, Patrick Kennedy, because of his stand on abortion and other issues. The Church has always meddled in politics; indeed it once virtually ran the state (in the time of the ironically named Holy Roman Empire). In recent times we have witnessed the Pope and various prelates virtually dictating how Catholic politicans should vote. Fortunately some politicians, including US House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, defy their church. But others, like the newly-elected leader of the Australian Opposition, Tony Abbott, a onetime candidate for the priesthood, too often let their Catholicism affect their judgment (e.g. in issues such as stem-cell research, abortion, gay marriage, etc). Religion has no place in determining public policy. Religion is superstition, pure and simple. It belongs in the dustbin of history. Surprise! Surprise! God (whoever he is) looks just like us . . . www.piperpost.net - 06.12.09. A team of American and Australian researchers have discovered what many of us already know - that God (or gods) look like us - reflections of human beings. Research conducted by the group - employing a variety of approaches, including psychological programming and studying brainwave patterns, is revealed in a paper titled Creating God in One's Own Image, which has just been published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The research showed a strong tendency for people's beliefs to be easily 'nudged' along the same direction they were already pointing. People subconsciously project their own views on controversial issues onto God, so much so that when their views change slightly, they think the deity's views have also shifted. [COMMENT: Like most Christians, in my believing days I often thought God had 'spoken' to me or was directing me in certain ways. It is so easy to convince oneself, especially when the 'answer to prayer' or 'direction' is one that is amenable to one's own inclination. But, you ask, what about when you are directed to do something difficult or even unpleasant? Simple answer: Submissiveness or masochism are often strong elements in the believer's makeup, witness the lives of the saints of old.] News in Brief . . . www.piperpost.net - 06.12.09. NEW YORK VOTES AGAINST GAY MARRIAGE. In another setback for gays the New York State senate has voted to disallow same-sex marriage unions. This leaves only a small handful of states where gays can join in matrimony. Some Democrats sided with Republicans to vote against a bill. Senator Reuben Diaz, a Democrat and a Pentecostal minister from the Bronx, said many New York religious leaders opposed the bill and called on Republicans to join him in defending 'traditional values.' [COMMENT: 'Traditional values' means marriages of heterosexuals that, in a high proportion of cases, ends in divorce. Mr Diaz has a sense of humour, at least.] FORMER POLICE CHIEF CALLS FOR DRUGS POLICY CHANGE. Norm Stamper, who retired as police chief in Seattle (USA) in 2000, is calling for a drastic rethink on drugs policy. Mr Stamper is a spokesman for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, a US organisation of reportedly numbering 13,000 current and former police officers, prison warders, prosecutors and judges. The organization believes drugs should be decriminalized and regulated in the same way alcohol in controlled. The war against drugs has failed, they say. PETA UPSETS CATHOLICS. Joanna Krupa, the multi-talented model and TV star, has appeared in advertisements supporting PETA. In one she is nude but with a strategically-placed crucifix covering her breasts, in another she is is holding her pet dog, Rugby, in her arms and dangling a rosary from one hand. The images have upset the Catholic League of America. Krupa, who has done numerous nude photo spreads, is a practising Catholic herself and comments: 'I am shocked that the Catholic League is speaking out against my PETA ads, which I am very proud of. I'm doing what the Catholic Church should be doing, working to stop senseless suffering of animals, the most defenseless of God's creation.'  First gay wedding in Australia . . . www.piperpost.net - 29.11.09. The ACT (Australian Capital Territory) has become the first jurisdiction in the country to allow gay marriages. And the first ceremony has taken place in Canberra, when Warren McGaw and Chris Rumble exchanged vows. 'Finally we're equal and we're not treated as second-class citizens,' Mr Rumble, a 38-year-old real estate agent, said. But the event has not gone unnoticed. Some conservative members of the Federal government were alarmed at the prospect of gay marriage being permitted. Under Australian law the Federal government can act to overturn laws passed in the ACT and the Northern Territory. This was done by the previous conservative government when they overturned the NT voluntary euthanasia law. However, after consultations between ACT and Federal authorities the law will stand, with minor amendments. Meanwhile the Victorian branch of the Australian Labor Party is pressing the (Labor) Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, to legislate for gay marriage. The party's state conference overwhelmingly passed a resolution calling for gays to be given the same rights as heterosexual couples. The resolution has the support of some state Labor ministers. [COMMENT: They might be fighting an uphill battle to convince Mr Rudd, who wears his Christianity like a banner. The attitude of many Labor politicians has been a big disappointment to many. They were expected to have a more progressive attitude on such social issues.] Animals slaughtered to appease goddess . . . www.piperpost.net - 29.11.09. A quarter of a millions animals were reportedly slaughtered in a recent Hindu festival staged in Nepal to appease the goddess Gadimhai. As the hoards of people sipped tea and ate snacks crowds of frightened animals were herded towards their deaths. Animal rights activists have endeavoured to stop the slaughter but have been ignored. Manoj Gautum, an activist, told reporters: ''It is like a live holocaust. These men had some kind of violent streak in their eyes. I didn't see any sign of humanity in there.' The Nepalese government donated a substantial sum of money to organisers of the event, which draws about one million people to the village of Bariyapur. Those who attend believe the goddess will reward them by fulfilling any desire they have within the following five years. Offensive emails sent to Islamics . . . www.piperpost.net - 29.11.09. Douglas Darby, son of well-known former politician, Michael Darby and campaign manager for the Australian Christian Democratic Party, is alleged to have sent 'offensive' emails to Muslims. Reportedly the emails included comments such as 'Muslim scum are too busy stacking ALP [Australian Labor Party] branches and raping Aussie chicks.' They also, according to the emails, 'habitually engage in child molestation, incest, [and] pack rape.' The recipients were urged to 'obey the laws of this country or f--- off to Afghanistan where Australians are allowed to shoot you people.' Leader of the Christian Democratic Party, the Reverend Fred Nile, has moved speedily to refute the claims made. However, Mr Nile and the NSW upper house Liberal right-wing MP David Clarke spoke at an Australian Christian Nation Association conference which had the theme ''Australia's Future and Global Jihad''. Ethics classes for NSW schools . . . www.piperpost.net - 29.11.09. The NSW government has agreed to introduce on a trial basis ethics classes into the state's public schools. The classes will provide an alternative to children not attending the compulsory weekly 'Scripture' classes. The Government will allow the St James Ethics Centre to conduct trial courses in ten schools for two terms next year. The vice-president of the Parents and Citizens Association of Baulkham Hills Public School, Sarah Flynn, told The Sydney Morning Herald she welcomed the move. She said it would give students who were not taking religious studies an opportunity to learn important life lessons on principles. [COMMENT: Maybe one day our governments will see sense and remove all religious teaching from state schools. Let people teach their superstitions in their own homes!] Christian school principal jailed . . . www.piperpost.net - 29.11.09. Frank Bailey, 44, the former Principal of St Andrews Christian School, in Grafton NSW (Australia), has been found guilty of engaging in sexual relations with a 16-year-old female pupil. He was sentenced to a maximum of three years and nine months' jail. Complaints about Bailey went back to 2006 when Hazel Bell, a science teacher at the school, went to deputy principal David Johnston and the board with concerns about the Headmaster. The teacher was disturbed by Bailey's 'playground cuddles' with female students, inappropriate behaviour at after-school Christian youth groups and student pool parties at his home. Within two weeks or laying the complaint the teacher was sacked. Bailey was also for a time working at Broughton Anglican College at Campbelltown, NSW and at the Cooloola Christian College in Gympie, Queensland. According to parents who wrote to the Gympie Times Bailey was accepted into the Gympie school in early 2008 even as he was being investigated in NSW. The course of this case has demonstrated an appalling attitude on the part of Church authorities. In October 2007 two 17-year-old students at St Andrew's, Sarah Johnson and Bec Gavan, were expelled after they expressed concern about the behaviour of the Headmaster, Fred Bailey, and were then unable to complete their HSC. They accused Bailey of being a 'sexual predator'. But the girls' warnings were ignored by the school itself, the NSW Education Department, the Department of Community Services and police from the child protection unit, Just one month later Bailey, 43, drugged and repeatedly raped a teenage girl. In March Bailey pleaded guilty to five counts of sexual intercourse with a person in his care. In the aftermath of this episode the two students, Sarah Johnson and Bec Gavan, have had their lives near- ruined as has the science teacher, Following investigations by the NSW Ombudsman Ms Bell sought to be reinstated but the school refused to have her back. All three are now engaged in legal action against the Presbyterian Church for damaging their reputations, potential career paths, and earning capacity, by ignoring their warnings about Bailey. See text of testimony of teenage victim
News in Brief . . . www.piperpost.net - 29.11.09. PATRICK KENNEDY FALLS FOUL OF CHURCH. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, a member of the noted politician dynasty and a Catholic, has upset his church by supporting, as a Democrat, women's right to abortion. The Roman Catholic bishop of Providence, RI, Thomas Tobin, has now told Kennedy he will not be allowed to partake of the Eucharist. [COMMENT: I will never understand why people like Kennedy remain members of such a church, headed by standover men like Tobin. It is time people stood up to these thuggish pastors.] RUDD GOVERNMENT POURS MONEY INTO CHAPLAINCIES. The Australian Labor Government, headed by Kevin Rudd, has agreed to pour over $A40 million into a school chaplaincy program. Proving little has changed in Australia under its new government, the program was instituted by the conservatives under John Howard and enthusiastically supported by the Rudd government. This brings to over $200 million the amount poured into school religion. [COMMENT: It would be better to spend the money on employing trained school counsellors with no connection to religion.] SCIENTOLOGY INQUIRY DELAYED. A parliamentary inquiry into the cult of scientology proposed by Senator Nick Xenophon has been deferred due, we are told, to the overload of parliamentary business at the end of the current year. As reported in our last issue Xenophon, an Independent senator, claimed there was evidence of widespread 'criminal conduct' in the church's actions. He said he had received letters from former followers detailing claims of abuse, false imprisonment and forced abortion. [COMMENT: One cannot help but wonder - are there forces behind the scenes trying to delay an examination of this cult indefinitely?] Messiah madness grips Christians and Jews . . . www.piperpost.net - 22.11.09. While Christians await the coming again - the Second Coming as they call it - of the Messiah the Jews are scanning the horizon looking for his first coming. Someone must have it wrong somewhere! Recently some Christians have been excited by the possibility that the End Time is near at hand, their hopes stirred by the interpretation of a Mayan calendar. While the bulk of Christians will pay no heed to Mayan prognostications many others are flocking to cinemas to see the latest Hollywood blockbuster movie, 2012, light on fact but heavy on CGI. The Mayans had a calendar that embraced a long period of time and then came to an abrupt end on 21 December 2012. This has been interpreted by some to mean that the world as we know it will end on that date. The Hopi Indians seem to embrace the same date (although some say 2011). Why we should believe that the Mayans or the Indians really know when the End is coming is not explained. Their prophesies join a long line of prophetic utterances as to the End, the majority naming dates that have come and long since gone! See my paper: ARMAGEDDON AND ALL THAT JAZZ. But while the Christians are anxiously looking skyward for the return of the Christ-god Jews will have none of it., They still await the FIRST coming of Messiah [Moshiach]; certainly they don't accept that the Nazarene carpenter was or is their Promised One. Dedicated Jews are preparing for that great day, which they believe is yet to come, maybe soon. UK Christian book business 'under severe financial strains' . . . www.piperpost.net - 22.11.09. The Christian retail bookshop chain Wesley Owen has been put up for sale, along with its related distribution arm, STL Distribution and publisher Authentic Media. The parent charity, IBS-STL UK reports it is experiencing 'severe financial and operational strains.' The organization is said to have 490 employees. Reportedly the organization has experienced a succession of financial problems but much blame is laid at the door of the failed implementation of a new computer system introduced in October 2008. This led to 'significant cash flow pressures, excess stock, and supply chain and service difficulties in its distribution and retail units.' The US parent group, known as Biblica (originally known as the International Bible Society), traces its origins back to the beginning of the 19th century. It is based in Colorado Springs and is evidently not affected by the UK problems. Biblica recorded revenues of $US70 million in 2008. The former Miss California reveals more skin? . . . www.piperpost.net - 22.11.09. Carrie Prejean, the Bible-thumping beauty contestant, seems to carry controversy with her wherever she goes. It all started when Carrie, then Miss California, answered a provocative question with her 'biblically correct' answer during the recent Miss USA contest she unleashed a storm of controversy. One of the twelve judges, Perez Hilton, posed a question about her attitude to gay marriage. Carrie replied: 'I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offence to anybody there, but that's how I was raised and that's how I think it should be, between a man and a woman.' Miss California did not win the contest and many believe she missed out because of this answer. Carrie Prejean is a committed Christian and framed her answer in terms that, as she put it, were 'biblically correct' at least in her view of the Bible. For his part Mr Hilton was probably being provocative in posing the question. Nevertheless, it is doubtful Carrie missed out because of her response. There were twelve judges in all and it is unlikely they uniformly voted against her. Carrie Prejean ended up in second place and believes her answer was the reason she missed the top spot. However, there was more, much more. As often happens in these contests nude photos of Carrie put in an appearance. Meanwhile Carrie sued the Miss California organization over comments made about her. She claimed libel, slander and religious discrimination. But the legal action was stymied when lawyers for Miss California USA revealed Carrie had made a hardcore sex tape. There are other amusing aspects in the story of this beautiful godbotherer. It appears Carrie had breasts implants, paid for by pageant organizers. Defending this action Carrie told Christianity Today magazine: 'I don't think there's anything wrong with getting breast implants as a Christian. I think it's a personal decision. I don't see anywhere in the Bible where it says you shouldn't get breast implants.' Carrie claimed the making of the sex tape was 'the biggest mistake of my life' but, alas, there's more: it has recently been claimed by RadarOnline.com that the beauty queen has made no less than eight sex tapes and there are at least 30 nude photos to her name. As in her previous sex tape, she performs solo on each video. Recently Carrie Prejean appeared on Larry King Live. She threatened to walk off the set after Mr King asked her about the deal she had made with the Miss California organization. PS; There is a nice semi-nude photo of Carrie on Google Images but spoilt by a stupid star covering her nipple. Why do people find nipples offensive?] Australian politician brands Scientology 'criminal' . . . Following the recent legal actions against the Scientology cult in France (see earlier Piper Post issue) an Australian politician has used parliamentary privilege to attack the organization. Nick Xenophon, an Independent senator, claimed there was evidence of widespread 'criminal conduct' in the church's actions. He said he had received letters from former followers detailing claims of abuse, false imprisonment and forced abortion. A spokesperson for the Church of Scientology immediately refuted the claims. Virginia Stewart said she is shocked to hear Senator Xenophon's claims, as no-one within the church seemed disgruntled. Senator Xenophon told Parliament the Church of Scientology hides behind its 'so-called religious beliefs.' He added: 'Do you want Australian tax exemptions to be supporting an organisation that coerces its followers into having abortions? Do you want to be supporting an organisation that defrauds, that blackmails, that falsely imprisons? [COMMENT: Whilst I have no particular reason to support Scientology it must be noted that much the same charges can be laid against at least some other religious bodies and I have long complained about the free ride religions get in regard to tax on their incomes and their rate-free properties. The whole mess needs cleaning up with religion being forced to pay its way - with special provision being made for genuine charity work, e.g. St Vincent de Paul and the Salvation Army welfare works (but not the preaching houses).] News in Brief . . . www.piperpost.net - 22.11.09. FIRST GAY MARRIAGE IN LATIN AMERICA. Argentina is the location for the first gay marriage in South America, to be celebrated on 1 December next. This date also marks World AIDS day. The male couple - Alejandro Freyre (39) and Jose Maria Di Bello (41) are both HIV positive. IPHONE APP GIVES ATHEISTS A CHUCKLE. One of the latest Apps for thje iPhone is called BibleThumper. This App provides running doses of humour - randomly displaying funny and/or irrational verses from the Bible on the screen. The user can shake the phone to bring up a new App. IRAQ WORRIED ABOUT CREEPING ATHEISM. A small trickle of people in Iraq are abandoning their Islamic faith and embracing atheism. The trend is disturbing some conservatives. Islamics believe 'once a Muslim, always a Muslim' but at least a few adherents are turning their back on their birth faith. Indeed, there is evidence that atheism is on the increase in other parts of the world, e.g. the USA. Fido and Ginger Tom will be cared for after the Rapture! . . . www.piperpost.net - 15.11.09. Never fear, you pet owners - your beloved cats and dogs will be cared for after you are caught up in the air in the coming Rapture. Sixty-one-year-old Bart Centre is the one to do it, working through Eternal Earthbound Pets, of which he is a part-owner. Canny Bart, a retired retail executive, doesn't hide the fact that this is 'a money-making venture' and warns that a 'no refunds' policy applies. You pay $US110 for 10 years' cover and if the Rapture hasn't occurred by then he keeps the cash. Adds Bart: 'If I thought the Rapture really was going to happen, I wouldn't have the business.' (For those uninitiated into the mysteries of religion, the Rapture is a concept -- although never named as such in the Bible -- that at the time of the End or thereabouts believers will be 'caught up into the air' to meet Jesus. The details are debated [like all doctrine] but the general idea is that those of us who are unbelievers will suddenly find friends, neighbours, relatives, all missing. So something has to be done about the pets the believers leave behind, thus Mr Bart's sterling efforts on their behalf. For an amusing account of Rapture Madness refer to the article RAPTURE in my Encyclopedia.) Proving Mr Bart, an atheist, has a good insight into the mindset of Christians, Terry James, editor of a popular Christian website known as Rapture Ready, commented that he thinks it is a scam but adds Christians who believe in the Rapture do worry about their pets. He says he has written a pamphlet to worried Christians counselling that if people in Heaven find they miss their pets, they can decide to have them brought up later! Website for this service: http://eternal-earthbound-pets.com/  Police raid pro-euthanasia group . . . www.piperpost.net - 15.11.09. Police in Melbourne have raided the offices of the Exit International organization from which Dr Philip Nitschke operates. Their purpose was to discover any documents that relate to the alleged assisted suicide of a Brisbane (Queensland) man, Frank Ward. Meanwhile NSW police also raided a private home searching for the banned euthanasia drug Nembutal. They seized some of the drug. Both raids have been criticised by Dr Nitschke, who is currently visiting the USA.' We haven't had any incident of this [kind] for a long time,' he said. Last month the right-to-die campaigner announced he would visit Sydney, the USA and Canada to promote a pill which is illegal to buy, import and sell. The drug has been developed from Nembutal and manufacturers say it can be stored for 50 years. [COMMENT: It is high time lily-livered politicians stopped allowing people to be persecuted for trying to help both themselves and others to a peaceful end of their lives and instead acted to introduce sane and humane voluntary euthanasia laws.] Catholic Church tries to refill clergy ranks . . . www.piperpost.net - 15.11.09. Pope Benedict has extended the hand of friendship to disaffected Anglicans. Conservative Anglican priests and laity have been threatening to defect to Rome in protest at the ordination of women priests and the consecration of openly homosexual bishops within the Anglican Communion. They will now be able to join Rome. Priests which are already married with be allowed to maintain their status. But, although the new situation could be cause for friction with existing unmarried priests, the Church will not allow the latter to marry. History has seen other defections from Anglicanism to Rome. One of the most noteworthy was Cardinal John Henry Newman, who left the Church of England in 1845. In recent times a group known as the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC), formed an international fellowship of several churches that split from the Anglican Communion in 1991. This group describes itself as Christian first, Catholic second and Anglican last. A spokesperson for TAC welcomed the Catholic Church's move. News in Brief . . . www.piperpost.net - 15.11.09. MUSLIMS CONDEMN BEYONCE. Member of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, Hamdi Hassan, has attacked the country's government for allowing a concert by pop diva Beyonce. 'Why are you encouraging this insolent sex party?' he demanded. 'You are accused of disturbing social peace and stability, encouraging vice and debauchery.' Conservative Islamics campaigned to halt the concert after posters featuring 'provocative' posters of the singer appeared in Cairo streets. Last word was that the event will go on. Event organiser, Ahmed Beltagi, commented: 'We are Muslims too . . . this will not stop Egypt from hosting an award-winning first-class artist.' INTELLIGENCE SQUARED DEBATE VOTES AGAINST CATHOLICISM. The latest debate in the BBC World series Intelligence Squared posed the motion, that 'the Catholic Church is a force for good around the world.' Supporting were a Nigerian Catholic Archbishop John Onaiyekan, and British Conservative MP and Catholic convert, Ann Widdecombe. Opposing were Christopher Hitchens and Stephen Fry. Before the debate 31.9 percent of the audience of 2,000 voted in favour of the motion, 51.8 percent against, with 16.3 percent undecided. After the debate the figures were: 12,4 percent for, 86 percent against and only 1.6 percent undecided. [COMMENT: It was always going to be an unequal contest!] AIRLINE ACCUSED OF PROMOTING CHRISTIANITY. Margaret Downey, an American businesswoman, atheist and social activist, has complained to American Airlines about promoting Christianity on their flights. As the plane on which she was travelling from Hawaii came in to land in Los Angeles she awoke to hear Christian songs being played. 'In total we had to listen to three songs about a religious doctrine we find disturbing,' she wrote in a message to American Atheists. Mrs Downey added that she had already given up travelling via Alaska Airlines because 'they promote and proselytize Christianity at every opportunity.' She wants American Airlines to assure travellers such an incident will not occur again. CHRISTIANS TO OPERATE PRISON. A Christian organization, Corrections Concepts Inc, is trying to establish a prison in the small town of Wakita, Oklahoma (USA). Speaking about his plans Bill Robinson, who is promoting the idea, commented: The staff, all born-again believers, will see this as a mission. I want people to understand what it's about. It's about changing criminals into citizens.' Mr Robinson should know; he's an ex-con and now a prison minister. A 6-hectare site for the prison has been selected and bonds are to be issued to pay the estimated $US42 million establishment cost. [COMMENT: As a disproportionate number of religious believers, Christian and other faiths, populate US prisons - established by surveys - this seems like a very necessary project!] Italy told to rid classrooms of crucifixes . . . www.piperpost.net - 08.11.09. Many Italian Catholics are seething following a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights banning crucifixes from school classrooms throughout the country. The Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini in 1924 ordered all classrooms in the country to display crucifixes - not only in church-run schools but in government institutions as well. Mussolini, a one-time atheist, became a Catholic in 1927, being baptized by a priest in that year although his religion was skin-deep, more a matter of political expediency than any sincere commitment to belief. Over the years various attempts were made to have the crucifixes taken down but without success. However, the case before the European Court of Human Rights was brought by a Finnish woman, Soile Lautsi, who is married to an Italian. Both are atheists and objected to the crucifixes they found in every classroom where their children attended. The case has dragged on for eight years and went through lower courts and appeals before being settled. in a 16-page decision the seven judges of the Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg stated: 'The presence of the crucifix could easily be interpreted by pupils of all ages as a religious sign and they would feel that they were being educated in a school environment bearing the stamp of a given religion.' The court rejected the Italian government's submission that the crucifix was 'a national symbol of culture, history, identity, tolerance and secularism [sic].' The country's Foreign Minister, Franco Frattini, claimed the court's move was 'a death blow for a Europe of values and rights.' The Vatican is said to be 'furious' over the ruling. Alessandra Mussolini, whose grandfather brought in the legislation, thundered: 'This is an attempt to erase our Christian roots. They are trying to create a Europe without identity and tradition.' [COMMENT: It is high time people everywhere got rid of their superstitious attachment to the figure of a naked man nailed to a cross - the absurd spectacle of a god being crucified as an offering to a god.] Mother seeks right for child to die . . . www.piperpost.net - 08.11.09. An English mother is fighting for the right of her brain-damaged 9-year-old son to be allowed to die peacefully. William Townsend had a brain haemorrhage at the age of three weeks and was permanently brain damaged. He has been kept alive all these years since by medical intervention. William is completely paralysed, partially-sighted, deaf, unable to breathe or swallow unaided, cannot recognise his own family and at all times he needs to be on a ventilator with access to specialist nursing care. He suffers from 49 different ailments and has had his life threatened on a number of occasions, through infections, including pneumonia, but doctors have treated him each time, saving his life. Now his mother has asked his carers not to treat him if he falls ill yet again. His mother Victoria, 46, is calling for a drastic review of his treatment and has questioned whether the £500,000-a-year cost of keeping him alive is justified. The mother travels twice a week to visit her son and has another child to care for as well. The strain of the situation has resulted in a marriage breakup. Doctors do not know how long William will live, but his mother says she wants a 'gentler treatment plan' which could allow him to die naturally if he picks up another complication. Andrew Ross, chief executive of The Children's Trust, said new technology has meant youngsters survive who might previously have died. [COMMENT: I'll be howled down by some but I believe there are too many such cases, children and adults - in near-vegetative state, who should be quietly allowed to die. But religious people, please to not offer your opinions! If you believe in a god then you need to explain why such cruel situations occur in the first place.] ACLU defends photo-taking schoolgirls . . . www.piperpost.net - 08.11.09. There have been a number of recent cases in the USA where teenage schoolgirls have been expelled from school or otherwise penalized - and even faced police action - because they sent naked pictures of themselves to other teens. In a recent case two girls (names not released) who posted what were described as 'sexually suggestive' photos on their MySpace pages during the summer vacation were banned by their school from all extracurricular activities. They were also required to apologize to an all-male coaches board and undergo counselling. In the time-honoured American way the girls have now moved to sue the school because of their treatment and their case has attracted the support of the ACLU (The American Civil Liberties Union). The suit claims the girls' free speech rights were violated. The girls took the photos during a sleepover with friends before school started and posted them on their MySpace pages, setting the privacy controls so only those designated as friends could view them. In the photos the girls wear lingerie and pretend to lick a penis-shaped lollipop. None of the photos made any reference to the school. Although intended for private viewing by friends the photos ended up being circulated through the school population. The ACLU argues that the Indiana case is different to some other cases. They say the photos were a joke intended to be shared only with friends. It wants the school district to expunge all references to the incident from school records and seeks to bar the school from taking similar action in the future. News in Brief . . . www.piperpost.net - 08.11.09. NO NAKED BOY ON BEACH. One of the exhibits at the recent Sculpture by the Sea artfest in Sydney featured the statue of a small naked boy. The exhibit was called Little Boy Lost and was a perfectly natural expression of that theme but the organizers thought otherwise and demanded the boy wear swimming trunks. The artist, Paul Trefry, reluctantly complied. [COMMENT: Shame on the organizers for such stupid outdated thinking! Why are people so frightened of the naked body? I thought Australians were more sophisticated than this.] BRITONS WANT CREATIONISM TAUGHT. Testimony that the religious establishment still has power to influence people's thinking, a recent survey conducted by the British Council recorded 54 percent of Britons believing science classes should include teaching about creationism (aka so-called 'intelligent design'). This was a higher percentage than the USA (51 percent) and much higher than Egypt. Prominent scientists and members of teachers' organizations have expressed shock at the findings. Some teacher complain that they have been under pressure to teach creationism. The British National Secular Society says schools should 'ban religious explanations in science lessons,' adding that the creationist movement was becoming 'more vocal.' [COMMENT: All efforts to treat creationist mythology as scientific fact must be resisted. The modern world in which we live has made progress through science, NOT through superstition which is a regressive force.] MERCY MINISTRIES CLOSES HOME. Mercy Ministries, which has links to the Hillsong cult, has announced it is closing its Sydney home. Mercy Ministries came in for public criticism earlier this year after an investigation by The Sydney Morning Herald and concerns expressed by Lyn Allison, a former Democrats Senator, and Ian Hunter, a South Australian Labor MP. The home has reportedly just spent more than $100,000 on renovations and improvements. Mercy Ministries has been supported by the Gloria Jean coffee chain. Reportedly the renovations were paid for through donations. News of the closure was greeted with relief by some former victims of the pressure-cooker tactics employed at the home. But they warned that the group was still operating in New Zealand, the US and Britain. CHURCH USES DECEPTION TO SNARE THE UNWARY. One of a growing number of online religions, LifeChurch.tv (of the USA) uses simple deception to trap the unwary. The Church runs Google Adwords for popular 'adult' search terms, e.g. naked ladies and sex. When the link is followed it takes the inquirer to the Church's website. [COMMENT: Surely Google should not permit this sort of deception and why aren't government trade authorities clamping down on such deceptive conduct?] MAINE VOTES DOWN GAY MARRIAGE. A poll of voters in the US state of Maine has resulted in rejection of marriage rights for gay men and lesbians. A slim majority, 53 percent, voted against the gays' right to marry. A law permitting gay marriage was enacted in Maine last May but conservative activists, supported by the Catholic Diocese of Maine, demanded a referendum. Five other states - Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire - have legalized gay marriage. IKEA WORSHIP? A customer of an IKEA store in Glasgow, Scotland, recently believed he saw the image of God in the store. He said it reminded him of the Shroud of Turin. Unwilling to have their stores treated as churches IKEA quickly asserted the image the man saw was of Abba's Benny Andersson. Perhaps Benny is a new messiah? Religions want law to stifle critical comment. www.piperpost.net - 01.11.09. Unable to defend their beliefs through logical argument and honest debate some religions are attempting to use the United Nations to have an international law enacted that would outlaw universally what is broadly termed 'blasphemy'. Islamics are at the forefront of this push to stifle free speech. A draft amendment introduced by Pakistan would mandate 'legal prohibition of publication of material that negatively stereotypes, insults, or uses offensive language' to describe any religious believers, creeds and groups. One of the prime movers in this plan is the OIC (Organization of Islamic Conference) which embraces 57 member states, many of which are undemocratic in nature. There have been a number of legal cases in recent times involving 'blasphemy' - effectively talking in an 'offensive' manner about the deity and/or religion. But militant Islamics extend the notion to any form of communications that in their view 'insult' Islam. Thus when the Danes produced some cartoons featuring 'insulting' portraits of the Prophet Muhammad the Muslim world erupted in anger. Islamic also want to use such a law to counter proselytizing efforts made by aggressive Christians in Middle Eastern nations. Local laws are already being used to prosecute Christian evangelists. Commenting on the proposed law US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said: 'The United States will always seek to counter negative stereotyping of individuals based on their religion and will stand against discrimination and persecution, But an individual's ability to practice his or her religion has no bearing on others' freedom of speech.' [COMMENT: 'Blasphemy' is one of the chief weapons in the armory of the priesthood, designed to stifle free inquiry. And made all the more absurd by the fact that in various parts of the world different sets of blasphemy laws exist, each asserting that one particular deity is the object in question - yet these deities are rivals! For example, in the United Arab Emirates in August 1994 six Indians were put on trial, charged with blasphemy after they staged a play in which ants ate the bodies of the Prophet Muhammad and Jesus of Nazareth. Four other men were jailed two years previously in connection with the same play. But the whole notion of 'blasphemy' turns on the proposition that there is something or someone, i.e. a deity, to be insulted. As no such beings exist blasphemy is a fictitious crime. Before the UN enacts a law it should demand representatives of the religions bring forth proof of the existence of the objects of blasphemy.] Euthanasia debate - 'Stop the pain!' demands Minister . . . www.piperpost.net - 01.11.09. Australians have once more - and by an impressive margin - expressed support for voluntary euthanasia. A recent Newspoll conducted on Behalf of Dying With Dignity NSW showed that support for euthanasia across Australia had reached 85% - up by 5 percent from the previous poll. Only 10 percent actively opposed voluntary euthanasia. Yet politicians continue to drag their feet, evidently frightened of the Churches. Commented the NSW President of the organization, Dr Robert Marr: 'It's a wake-up call for politicians, that they can't hide the issue under the carpet forever.' There needs to be a full debate on the issue, he said. 'What we would like to see is something similar to the US or the Netherlands where patients, after they accessed the best palliative care, can request and receive a prescription from a doctor to either self-administer a lethal dose of medication or have the dose administered by the doctor and that would possibly involve the pharmacist dispensing the medications,' he said, adding that there would need to be provision for a pharmacist to opt out if he/she had moral objections. Referring to a current debate on the issue in South Australia, former Northern Territory Chief Minister Marshall Perron, says: 'Hundreds of South Australians [read: all Australian] are dying needlessly painful and agonizing deaths as euthanasia is not legal.' Mr Perron headed the Territory when legislation was enacted for a regime of voluntary euthanasia, later struck down by the John Howard conservatives, headed by Catholic minister Kevin Andrews. At that time, speaking at the debate and writing later in The Sydney Morning Herald Peter Baume, former Liberal senator and Emeritus Professor of Community Medicine at the University of NSW, commented: 'We do not let dogs and horses suffer as we allow humans to suffer.' 'The law on the rights of the terminally ill that existed in the Northern Territory worked well,' wrote Professor Baume. 'The law gave people the right to die, by making voluntary euthanasia legal under strictly limited circumstances. The person had to have an illness that was severe and life-threatening, had to consent, and had to be free of treatable depression.' [COMMENT: Where are the brave politicians in every state who will stand up for the rights of the suffering and ignore the demands of the religious establishment to respond to the demands of the Australian population clearly expressed on many occasions?] French court says Scientology is a cult. . . www.piperpost.net - 01.11.09 The Scientology cult - which likes to describe itself as the Church of Scientology - has recently been on trial for 'organized fraud' in France. The charge: Scientology is a sect or cult that manipulates people psychologically, resulting in large sums of money changing hands for alleged cures. It has now been found guilty of fraud and fined a sum of about $US820,000. The action against the Scientologists' organization arose as a result of complaints by a woman that she had spent $US29,000 over a period of time on books and medicines, believing what the group had told her - that her poor mental state could be cured. The woman was recruited by the usual approach in the street by a church member in Paris 10 years earlier. The Scientologists are vigorously defending the organization. This is the first time France has taken such action against the group that was founded by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard (since deceased). Germany has banned Scientology but in many places, e.g. USA and Australia, it flourishes as a religion, with all the financial benefits attached to that title. Examining judges sitting at the Paris Correctional Court found six leading Scientologists guilty of fraud, including Alain Rosenberg, the sect’s leader in France. Rosenberg was given a two-year suspended jail sentence and fined the equivalent of just under $US50,000. FOOTNOTE: Movie Director Paul Haggis has broken ranks with other Hollywood Scientologists and publicly resigned from the 'church'. Haggis says he resigned because of the group's attitude to homosexuality. He is especially critical of the sect's support for the notorious Proposition 8 that denied Californian gays their human rights. The Scientologists joined another cult, the Mormons, to whip up opposition to gay marriage and the Proposition was passed with a slim majority. Haggis was a Scientologist for 35 years. [COMMENT: Scientology is undoubtedly a cult, but so too are all religions and all religions manipulate people psychologically in one way or another. I should know - I was once one of the manipulated!] Victims suffer in aftermath of Christian school abuse case . . . www.piperpost.net - 01.11.09. In October 2007 two 17-year-old students of St Andrew's Christian School at Clarenza (NSW), Sarah Johnson and Bec Gavan, were expelled after they expressed concern about the behaviour of the Headmaster, Fred Bailey, and were then unable to complete their HSC. They accused Bailey of being a 'sexual predator'. But the girls' warnings were ignored by the NSW Education Department, the Department of Community Services and police from the child protection unit, Just one month later Bailey, 43, drugged and repeatedly raped a teenage girl. In March Bailey pleaded guilty to five counts of sexual intercourse with a person in his care. His case has been adjourned until 20 November. Complaints about Bailey went back to 2006 when Hazel Bell, a science teacher at the school, went to deputy principal David Johnston and the board with concerns about the Headmaster. The teacher was disturbed by Bailey's 'playground cuddles' with female students, inappropriate behaviour at after-school Christian youth groups and student pool parties at his home. Within two weeks or laying the complaint the teacher was sacked. Bailey was also for a time working at Broughton Anglican College at Campbelltown, NSW and at the Cooloola Christian College in Gympie, Queensland. According to parents who wrote to the Gympie Times Bailey was accepted into the Gympie school in early 2008 even as he was being investigated in NSW. The parents who wrote the letter complain that the Gympie school refuses to speak with them. In the aftermath of this episode the two students, Sarah Johnson and Bec Gavan, have had their lives near- ruined as has the science teacher, Following investigations by the NSW Ombudsman Ms Bell sought to be reinstated but the school refused to have her back. All three are now engaged in legal action against the Presbyterian Church for damaging their reputations, potential career paths, and earning capacity, by ignoring their warnings about Bailey. [COMMENT: As legal action is currently in train comment must be limited but I am sure I speak for many when I express outrage at the way this whole matter has been handled.] FOOTNOTE: On another matter an interesting dispute has been raised in the NSW state parliament. It concerns REDEEMER BAPTIST CHURCH and MR GRAHAM GLOSSOP. Check Google to see reports of the matters being raised by Greens MP Dr John Kaye. News in Brief . . . www.piperpost.net - 01.11.09. NEW YORK MUSLIMS WANT PUBLIC HOLIDAYS. Muslim groups are urging New York city officials to close public schools on two Islamic holy days. They claim schools do this for Christian and Jewish holy days so should do the same for their observances. To date Mayor Michael Bloomberg is unmoved. BURIAL SPACES RUNNING OUT. Concern has been expressed in recent times that Queensland (Australia) is running out of burial spaces. Suggestions are being made to fit more graves into graveyards and/or to encourage more cremations, even scattering the ashes rather than putting them in urns. One official assured citizens that whatever plan is followed 'you will never lose your loved ones.' [COMMENT: I do not understand the superstitious attachment to dead bodies. Folks, your loved one is lost forever at the moment of death; that is the end of life. Thereafter all that is left is a heap of chemicals. There is no person there, nor in 'heaven' for that matter! These are vain notions entertained by people who cannot bear the thought of personal annihilation.] ANOTHER ATHEIST CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED. Eight New York City atheist and securalist groups have joined forces to sponsor a campaign running the slogan in 12 Manhattan railway stations: 'A Million New Yorkers are Good Without God. Are You?' The campaign sponsors call themselves the Big Apple Coalition of Reason. Anglican Church's huge gamble - and giant loss. www.piperpost.net - 25.10.09. As reported in our 14 June 2009 issue the Anglican Diocese of Sydney, Australia, said to be the richest Anglican diocese in the world, has lost heavily on the recent collapse of financial markets. Losses originally reported as running at around the $100 million mark have since been recorded as totalling about $160 million. When the losses were first reported The Sydney Morning Herald carried a subtitle to their story which ran: 'Jesus Saves, the Church Invests'. The problem was that the Church followed the lead of so many while the good times rolled and, not content with using its own funds, borrowed heavily from banks to gain the extra 'leverage' that has brought down so many investors. The Church's problems were compounded by the fact that 80 percent of 'growth assets' were placed with one fund manager The Evangelicals of Sydney diocese have very conservative views on many issues, including gambling. So much so that the newsagency located in their central Sydney property is, as part of the lease terms, not allowed to sell lottery tickets. The strictures on gambling evidently don't apply to gambling on the sharemarket. Church authorities are now working on plans to reduce costs and are cutting back on programs. Many aspects of the Church's widespread ministry will now be curtailed, employees stood down and building works curtailed. The Archbishop of Sydney said he was 'grief-stricken' and wondered if 'God was punishing them.' The Anglican Dioceses of Melbourne and Brisbane have also reported losses but nowhere near those of Sydney. Other churches record losses but the Catholic Church says it does not borrow to invest as had the Sydney Anglicans.  'Stop
complaining! Not only are you getting some good exercise but are
helping save the diocese from disaster. And reducing the carbon
footprint as well. The Lord will be well pleased.'
Islamic cleric harasses parents of dead soldiers . . . www.piperpost.net - 25.10.09. An Australian Muslim cleric, Mufti Sheikh Haron, has reportedly had charges laid against him after an uproar erupted as a result of letters written by him to parents of dead soldiers. The charges allege he 'used a postal service, or similar service, to menace, harass, or cause offence.' The Sheikh was bailed and will appear in court again on 10 November. Mufti Sheikh Haron has been sending offensive letters to the parents of soldiers who have died in Afghanistan. Copies of the text of the letters (in PDF format) had been available on the Mufti's web site (http://www.sheikhharon.com/) but have since been removed. Some had been mailed to families, one at least was hand-delivered on the occasion of the soldier's funeral. The Sheikh had also reportedly telephoned families. The letters began my using words of comfort and cheer for the grieving family then went on to denigrate the fallen soldier. Typical is this: 'I understand you are going through a difficult time for the loss of your son . . . I feel sorry for you for the loss of a member of your family but I don't feel sorry for the soldier who has murdered the civilians.' Later, in the same letter, the cleric writes: 'When the body of the murderers of the civilians is sent back to Australia we must not respect the body, such a dirty body does not deserve a respectful ceremony.' Sheikh Haron was born in Iran and holds citizenship in Australia. However, his rants, which span two years, have brought calls for the law to be changed to make it possible to reverse someone's citizenship and return them to their home countries. Sheikh Haron is not the only Islamic cleric who has preached and taught in a manner offensive to the majority of Australians. A female spokesperson for the Sheikh, Sister Amina - heavily veiled - appeared on television news programs defending his comments in an aggressive manner. Her defence has also appeared on YouTube. Anti-abortion activists open women's lives to world on web . . . www.piperpost.net - 25.10.09. Anti-abortion activists in the US state of Oklahoma have succeeded in having a law passed that compels any woman seeking an abortion to reveal personal information which will be published on a web site. Details include how many children they already have, their race and their relationships. The woman must answer a total of 34 questions. Their names will not be published but women's rights advocates say the details will often be sufficient to identify the woman. Last November a judge struck down a law that would have forced women seeking an abortion to undergo an ultrasound test and to listen to a doctor's description of the embryo or fetus before a termination was allowed. The plan was for the screen to be positioned in front of the mother and for the doctor to describe the developing limbs and organs of the fetus. Under the new law - due to begin operating on 1 November this year - doctors are obliged to collect and pass the information on to Oklahoma's health authorities. Jennifer Mondino, a lawyer for the Centre for Reproductive Rights, said the reporting requirements were aimed at 'making women more nervous about going to [abortion] doctors.' Ms Mondino said Oklahoma was a state with a small population and 'questions about race, number of children and other details can be used to identify a patient.' Abortion rights groups have filed a lawsuit to try to block the new law. Two years ago Oklahoma passed a law barring public funds from being used for abortions, except after rape or incest. [COMMENT: Doubtless the Christians of Oklahoma were behind this appalling abuse of women's rights. And what of the potential harm to women who are identified? The USA has more than its fair share of nutters running around with guns who may decide to execute summary justice according to their views.] Atheists renounce their baptisms . . . www.piperpost.net - 25.10.09. Many American atheists and agnostics have been engaging in recent times in mock ceremonies to renounce their baptisms. Participants say they are being 'de-baptized' and they take the opportunity to renounce the promises made either directly (if they were baptized as adults) or on their behalf by parents. Some people, especially in the churches of the southern USA, are baptized not as infants but as grown children or teenagers. Typical is 32-year-old Jennifer Gray of Columbus, Ohio, who was baptized at the age of 11. She told a reporter that her religious faith has become increasingly less important to her so she participated in a be-baptism ceremony with several dozen others. The participants received certificates stating they had 'freely renounced a previous mistake, and accepted Reason over Superstition.' Gray later told a reporter: 'It was very therapeutic. It was a chance to laugh at the silly things I used to believe as a child. It helped me admit that it was o.k. to think the way I think and to not have any religious beliefs.' Similar ceremonies were conducted in four US states at the same time and similar ceremonies have been conducted at numerous American atheist conventions and on US college campuses. Reportedly more than 100,000 Britons downloaded de-baptism certificates from the National Secular Society between 2005 and 2009. Even some Italians have joined the movement to renounce their baptisms. Some participants, having passed through the de-baptism ceremony, have demanded churches should remove their names from the baptismal rolls. They point out that as children they had no say in the ceremony. [COMMENT: I sometimes despair at the strength of religious superstition among Americans so news such as this is more than welcome. There is hope for the country yet!] News in Brief . . . www.piperpost.net - 25.10.09. MUSLIMS GET LUXURY HOTEL FOR HAJJ PILGRIMAGES. To be opened in April 2010 the building will be called Raffles Mecca. Features include a beauty parlour, segregated gyms and a spa and specialized food outlets. Ali al-Ahmed, Director of the Institute for Gulf Affairs in Washington, criticizes the plan, commenting: 'The al-Sauds want to make Mecca like Dubai, it is a money-making operation. By developing Mecca in this way they are making it inaccessible and unaffordable for the majority of Muslims. It will only be for the elite.' NEW AGE SEEKERS DIE IN SWEAT LODGE. Three people who participated in a New Age Large Group Awareness Training session in Arizona have died while a number of other participants ended up seriously ill in hospital. Paying $9,000 each for a weekend retreat conducted by TV guru James Arthur Ray, over sixty neophytes were crowded into what was described as a 'sweat lodge' when disaster struck. The intense heat and crowded conditions appear to have affected many people and three died. They had joined the group believing the promise: 'Create Harmonic Wealth in all areas of your life with James Arthur Ray: financially, relationally, mentally, physically and spiritually.' NOTED INDIAN RATIONALIST DIES. Basva Premanand, a well-known Indian sceptic, rationalist and conjurer, has died, aged 79. According to his wishes his body has been donated to a local medical college for teaching and research. As a teenager Premanand approached many swamis and gurus seeking spiritual knowledge but soon realized their supposed powers were fake. In 1969, he met the leading Sri Lankan skeptic, Dr Abraham Kovoor, who was in India for his popular 'Miracle Exposure' lecture tour. Kovoor inspired Premanand who immediately plunged into the work of debunking spiritual tricksters. Premanand continued to offer Kovoor's challenge of promising a financial reward to anyone who could demonstrate psychic abilities under fraud-proof conditions. There were few who even tried. Premanand visited 49 countries during his lifetime and wrote a popular book, Science Versus Miracles. Spanish Catholics campaign against women's rights . . . www.piperpost.net - 18.10.09. A move by Spain's socialist government to give women greater control over their bodies is being bitterly opposed by the Catholic male hierarchy and many Catholics. A huge crowd, claimed to number about one million (250,000 according to police), marched in Madrid to oppose the government's plans. The present law only allows for termination of pregnancy under exceptional circumstances but the government wants to allow women to avail themselves of abortion freely up to the 14th week of pregnancy. Further, the proposed law would permit girls aged 16 and over to have an abortion without seeking their parents' permission. Even with the existing strictures it is reported that there were 112,000 abortions reported in Spain in 2007. Surveys in several countries show that even among Roman Catholic lay people there is not insubstantial support for a woman's right to control her own body. [COMMENT: We should not be surprised at the opposition. Christians always want to foist their very doubtful moral values on the rest of us. They began doing this way back in the period of the Church's early history.] Controversial film-maker wins right to enter Britain . . . www.piperpost.net - 18.10.09. As reported in an earlier issue of Piper Post the controversial Dutch MP and film-maker Geert Wilders was refused entry to Britain some months ago. The MP has been warning of the dangers posed to Western society by Islam. Wilders describes the Koran as a 'fascist book'.' A controversial film, he produced, called Fitna intersperses images of terrorist attacks with verses from the Koran. When the film was released is sparked the inevitable protests from the Islamic world. Mindful of the large immigrant population in the country Britain banned the MP. However he has since appealed the ban and has now been allowed to enter the country. The Asylum and Immigration Tribunal commented on its decision: 'It is more important to allow free speech than to take restrictive action speculatively.' Meanwhile the MP faces a trial in his own country for 'inciting race hatred.' [COMMENT:
I
have
always
believed
that
if
your
'truth'
cannot
stand
against the
arguments of your opponents then it not a 'truth' at all. If you have
to resort to banning free speech, as so many do, especially Muslims but
also Christians at times, to defend your doctrines then they are
effectively indefensible. Nobody should be banned for what they
say - Baptists, radical politicians, Communists, Islamic imams,
Holocaust deniers. It is wrong to forbid any of them to speak but it is
also a bad reflection on their own cause when radicals physically
attack those with whom they differ. It simply demonstrates how weak is
their case.]
Catholic Church admits Galileo knew more than the Pope . . . www.piperpost.net - 18.10.09. In one of the most shameful episodes in the chequered and evil history of the Church of Rome one of history's greatest scientific minds, Galileo Galilei, was in 1632 tried by the Inquisition and found 'vehemently suspect of heresy'. He was forced to recant his views about the rotation of the planets around the sun and spent the rest of his life under house arrest. The 'infallible' Pope of the day, Urban 8th, acquiesced to this sentence. The Catholic Church has now moved to acknowledge the 'mistakes' it made in relation to the scientist. A new exhibition has been opened in the Vatican to mark the 400th anniversary of his work. It was only in 1992 that Pope John Paul 2nd declared the church's ruling as to Galileo's heresy had been in error. In recent years the Catholic Church has been anxious to demonstrate it is not antagonistic to science. Its views on issues such as creationism are not altogether clear but it certainly does not pursue the hardline stance of many fundamentalist Protestant groups. Praying parents indicted over death of infant . . . www.piperpost.net - 18.10.09. Yet another case of alleged parental neglect involving a faith-based approach to illness has reached the courts in the USA Prosecutors in Philadelphia assert that 2-year-old Kent Schaible died from pneumonia when his fundamentalist Christian parents failed to seek medical help for the toddler. The prosecution claims Herbert and Catherine Schiable chose to use prayer rather than medicine. The couple's public defender, however, asserts they did not realize their son was dying. Many American children die each year in such cases, often from diabetes, pneumonia and other treatable illnesses, according to Shawn Francis Peters, a University of Wisconsin lecturer who wrote the book, When Prayer Fails: Faith Healing, Children and the Law. About 300 children have died in the United States in the last 25 years after medical care was withheld on religious grounds. A similar case, that of 11-year-old Madeline Kara Neumann, who died when her parents chose prayer over medicine, was reported in an earlier issue of Piper Post. News in Brief . . . www.piperpost.net - 18.10.09. CATCHING FLU VIRUS IN CHURCH? Churches and other religious bodies in the USA are concerned about the possibility of the H1N1 (swine flu) virus spreading through group activities. Various bans, e.g. of hand-shaking, and changes of procedure (handing out communion wine) are being instituted to guard against spreading the disease. One Baptist Church is reportedly replacing handshakes and hugs with the 'elbow bump'. AYN RAND BIOGRAPHY. A new biography of Ayn Rand has been published. Titled Goddess of the Market, the book, is written by Professor Jennifer Burns of the University of Virginia. Ayn Rand is well-known as a standard-bearer for the conservative views on capitalism and limited government. What is not always so well known is the fact she was an atheist (reportedly from the age of 13) with an uncompromising attitude to religion. Many of us may differ from her on politics and society but we certainly join with her on her bold assertion (in a country steeped in religious superstition) that religion was untrue in all its manifestations and that its consequences were disastrous. PENGUIN CLASSICS WORRY AUSTRALIA POST. Recently the publishers Penguin have introduced a line of classic book reprints. These have found their way into the sales displays of Australia Post shops. However, the postal authorities have now decided that some titles are too risqué for their clientele, among them Nabokov's Lolita, Anaïs Nin's Delta of Venus and The History of Sexuality. CHAPLAIN ALLEGEDLY PRAYED FOR LAWYER'S DEMISE. Mikey Weinstein, a former military lawyer who is Jewish, is suing the Chaplaincy of Full Gospel Churches, claiming Gordon Klingenschmitt, a former US Navy chaplain of 'asking Jesus to plunder my fields ... seize my assets, kill me and my family then wipe away our descendants for 10 generations.' Mr Weinstein claims harassment started several years ago after he began protesting Christian proselytizing in the US Air Force Academy and founded the Military Religious Freedom Foundation to combat the strong influence of extremist evangelical Christians in the armed forces. Australians support women's abortion rights . . . www.piperpost.net - 11.10.09. The Australian Election Study has revealed that 57 percent of Australians now favour unrestricted access to abortion by women 'readily when they want one' and a further 30 percent support abortion 'in special circumstances.' Only 4 percent said they oppose abortion outright. The survey polled 1873 electors at the time of the 2007 federal election and the results are in marked contrast to a similar poll held 20 years earlier, when only 38 percent agreed with women's right to abortion. It it noteworthy that Queensland, a state dragging its feet on legislation covering the issue (as is NSW) had the highest number of respondents supporting women's rights. In Brisbane in particular the figure for unrestricted access as 63 percent. Writing in The Brisbane Times Adele Horin points out that although there is such strong public support for abortion rights the politicians fear religious minorities and pay more attention to them than the people. Interestingly, even 45 percent of Catholics said women should have the unfettered right to abortion. Victoria and the ACT have decriminalized abortion, and WA has modernized its laws. While the procedure is readily available in other states, it remains part of the criminal code. Polling of federal candidates in the 2007 election showed 77 per cent of winning candidates supported an unrestricted approach to abortion. It appears that the holdouts are state politicians who may have been, in the words of the study's author, Dr Katharine Betts, 'bluffed by the anti-choice groups, or are cowardly.' [COMMENT: Politicians need to take note of what the ELECTORS want, not what the priesthood demands. The same situation applies in the matter of voluntary euthanasia where the people are clearly in favour of such facilities being provided but politicians kowtow to religion. Sophisticated modern intelligent people shouldn't allow religious superstition (for that is all religion is, superstition) to guide their affairs.] Further proof (if needed) Shroud of Turin fake . . . www.piperpost.net - 11.10.09 Rational people have long believed the Shroud of Turin to be a medieval fake. The supposed burial shroud said to bear the imprint of Jesus of Nazareth has long been an object of veneration. Independent testing teams in Oxford, Zurich and Tucson (Arizona) examined pieces of the cloth. Carbon dating indicated that the material was not ancient, and probably made some time between 1260 CE and 1390 CE. Other workers on the shroud have duplicated similar imagery by using artistic techniques known to have been practised during the Middle Ages. The Roman Catholic Church has never claimed the Turin relic to be genuine but an army of superstitious faithful still believe it to be. Fakery was commonplace in medieval times, especially when such fakery served the useful purpose of attesting to the divine origins of the Church's faith. Now Dr. Luigi Garlaschelli of the University of Pavia, has duplicated the mysterious image on cloth. The scientist is presenting a paper to an international conference on the paranormal showing experiments that prove his contention that the original Shroud is clearly a fake and that no supernatural forces imprinted the image on the cloth. The Shroud of Turin is locked away in the Turin Cathedral. It was last publicly exhibited in the year 2000 and is scheduled to be displayed again next year. Doubtless the faithful will still hail it as a divine artefact. Insurance company
discriminated against atheists . . . www.piperpost.net
-
11.10.09.
GuideOne Mutual Insurance, based in Iowa, offered special benefits to 'god-fearing' clients. The company's Faithguard policy offered home owners and renters in 19 states special benefits if they demonstrated membership of churches. The program, however, upset many policy-holders not so favoured and the Department of Justice entered the story. The upshot was that a settlement was reached which saw the insurance company pay $US74,000 in compensation to policy-holders claiming they were discriminated against. GuideOne has agreed to change application forms and to no longer ask for information on religious affiliation when signing on new policy-holders. News in Brief . . . www.piperpost.net - 11.10.09. NAKED BROOKE SHIELDS OFFENDS TIMID POMMIES. In a strange reversal of the usual reactions a naked image of then 10-year-old Brooke Shields, shown without problems in New York, has been withdrawn from a British show. Curators at the Tate Modern Gallery said the image was 'challenging'. The picture by Richard Prince shows Shields standing with an oiled torso naked in a bathtub and was based on an original photo taken by Gary Gross. ISLAMIC HYPOCRITE SODOMIZED. Demonstrating that Christians are not the only ones who can act hypocritically it has been revealed that slain Malaysian terrorist Noordin M. Top was at some stage in his life sodomized. It has been suggested that Top may have been a homosexual and thus acting contrary to his Islamic religious beliefs. RICHARD DAWKINS MEETS BILL O'REILLY. Viewers of Fox News were introduced to Richard Dawkin's latest book, The Greatest Show on Earth, when Dawkins met with Bill O'Reilly recently. This was the second encounter between the well-known biologist and atheist and the Fox talk host and was 'lively' as would be expected. The book sets forth the case for evolution and follows the author's bestseller The God Delusion. [COMMENT: While I don't always agree with his conservative views I enjoy Bill O'Reilly's program. Interesting on this occasion to see Mr O'Reilly trot out the simplistic arguments against Dawkins' views. Thought you'd come up with something better, Bill!] GINGRICHES STILL REDISCOVERING GOD IN AMERICA. Former US Speaker Newt Gingrich and his wife Callista have produced a DVD to promote their vision of a Christian America. The film is said to illustrate 'the importance of our Creator to our nation's founders and their successor,' and is based on the Speaker's bestseller 2006 book with the same title. Gingrich has had a strong influence on the US Right - seeking to unite Evangelicals and Catholics to counter the supposed inroads of secularism. GAYS CRITICIZE PRESIDENT OBAMA. There is a rising tide of dissent from the American gay and lesbian community directed against President Obama. The community expected more progress coming from the liberal president. Meanwhile a survey finds that President Obama has strongest support from non-religious Americans and Jews. ATHEISTS CLEAN PUBLIC HIGHWAYS. The Society of Edmonton Atheists announced they would participate in a government plan to clean the highways. A 3.2 km stretch of road was adopted by the atheists, to be cleared on litter. UN says Hindu caste system abuses human rights . . . www.piperpost.net - 04.10.09. The long-standing Hindu caste system that has condemned millions of Indians to a life as lesser beings, has been called into question by the United Nations Human Rights Council. India has reportedly been resisting the move to declare the caste system a human rights violation. The lowest caste, the Harijans, formerly known as Untouchables, still suffer greatly under the castle system. Although officially abolished, in practice the system still applies in village life and in 1989 Indian authorities reported that there had been over 14,000 cases of murder, arson, rape and assault committed against these people. In recent times there has been a reaction and even bloodshed as lower caste people have asserted their human rights. But the upper classes do not give up their privileges easily. When the Indian Government promised in 1990 to assure a better sharing of jobs for deprived groups the reaction from upper caste groups was so violent that some students from those levels of society suicided by self-immolation. A typical case involving the abuse of one of the Harijans occurred in May 1990 in Uttar Pradesh State when Kuchchi Devi, a 24-year-old married woman, was approached by the local upper-class landlord, Arjun Singh, who wanted her to sleep with him. Her husband, Dhanraj, told the landlord to leave his wife alone. That night the husband was dragged from his home and burnt to death, allegedly by two of the landlord's nephews. There will probably be no penalty. In many incidents the police and public officials themselves are the persecutors and thus many victims do not even report the crimes committed against them. It is common for upper caste men, especially the landlord class, to persecute harijans. One form this takes is for a landlord to force a woman to strip naked and perform a dance while her husband is made to watch. And beatings are commonplace. A meeting in March 1994, including a former Judge of the Indian Supreme Court, currently serving judges, and other prominent persons heard from Ms Handita Huksar, a human rights activist. She said that an examination of over 50 cases of abuse of Harijans had revealed that women had been raped, children kidnapped, houses burnt, people poisoned, and actual mutilations had occurred. On August 31, 1995, the Harijan village of Kodiyangulam, in southern India, was raided by hundreds of police. It was claimed by the police that they were looking for arms but the Harijans accused the police of punishing them for not submitting to servitude and working for the upper-caste Thevars of the nearby area. Battle over ethics teaching in state schools. www.piperpost.net - 04.10.09. A dispute has broken out in the Australian state of NSW over a suggestion that ethics instruction should be given to students who opt out of 'Scripture' classes. State schools provide a period each week during which clergy or enthusiastic laypeople visit and expound their faith to the children. Those without religious affiliation or for one reason or another do not attend such classes are left largely to their own devices. The St James Ethics Centre has devised a course of elementary philosophy to be used for such children. The suggestion has not been welcomed by the religious establishment. Their protestations are backed by the Department of Education which specifically demands that the children have 'no ethics, values, civics or general religious education during this period.' The proposed studies were developed in consultation with with parents and teachers but the churches are vigorously resisting th introduction of such a course. [COMMENT: It is shameful that public schools allow even one hour a week for instruction in religious superstition. Let parents teach their fables and fictions to children in their homes! It is bad enough that public funds are poured into religious school, enabling them to brainwash young minds with the fantasies of religion.] Ex-actor attacks Darwin . . . www.piperpost.net - 04.10.09. God-botherer Kirk Cameron, who played in the TV series Growing Pains, is now a self-proclaimed 'born again' believer who is trying to subvert the celebrations marking the 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin's Origin of Species. Cameron, who was in his teens when the show was being made, experienced conversion at the time and has since become a zealous advocate for faith in Jesus. Cameron - one of those typical (and obnoxious) self-assertive Americans who wear their religion like a neon sign - recently made a video for YouTube setting out his plans. As well as seeking to subvert the celebrations on 22 November - Darwin Day - he and a group of like-minded zealots are planning to distribute 50,000 copies of a mangled version of Darwin great work to university students. Cameron's video claims Darwin is not only a racist, and a woman-hater but seeks to connect Darwin's theory of Evolution with Adolf Hitler. Kirk says he is embarking on a college tour, hoping to influence the minds of America's future lawyers, doctors and politicians. These students aren't stupid.' Commented TMZ.com: 'LET'S HOPE NOT!' [COMMENT: In a few years' time Kirk Cameron will be gone and forgotten but Darwin will not be. And his massive contribution to human knowledge will continue to bear abundant fruit. Religious superstition cannot supplant scientific truth.]
News in Brief . . . www.piperpost.net
-
04.10.09. MORE OLD BONES ON THE MOVE! Two Australian Aboriginal elders and a government official have flown to The Netherlands to take delivery of more old bones - the 'remains' of ancestors who were taken by scientists for study in the 19th century. One of the elders, Gwen Hickling, commented: ' Their souls haven't been put to rest so I'm excited.' The Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin, added her own superstitious gloss on the event: 'Indigenous Australians rightly believe their ancestral remains need to be returned to country so their spirits can be laid to rest.' [COMMENT: What tosh! And my comments are not directed at Aborigines alone, I have made similar comments in the past about the remains of dead soldiers being flown around the world. Refer previous issues.] BLASPHEMY DAY CELEBRATED. Unfortunately I was not aware of this until now but 30 September was celebrated as International Blasphemy Day when atheists and others expressed the ideal of not being afraid to think as you please and speak your mind without dogma. To celebrate the day some atheists in the USA engaged in the process known as 'de-baptism' - renouncing the vows made by or for them. MUSLIM WOMAN WANTS BURQA BANNED IN FRANCE. Sihem Habchi, who leads an advocacy group for French Muslim women, appeared before a parliamentary panel recently, urging the banning of the wearing of the burqa or similar garments. France is currently endeavouring to integrate the growing Muslim population into society while maintaining the country's secular basis. ENTERTAINMENT PROMOTER GETS DIVINE ADVICE? Michael Jacobsen, son of veteran entertainment promoter, Kevin, has received advice from God, he claims. The Sydney Entertainment Centre manager is in financial strife and Mr Jacobsen reports that God suggested a deed of company arrangement to the administrator of Arena Management that could pay unsecured creditors 35c in the dollar [paid over three years] and pay the 123 employees in full. 'I have consulted God in this matter,' reported Mr Jacobsen. Great news from Czechoslovakia. www.piperpost.net - 28.09.09. Christian faith is on the decline in Czechoslovakia, so much so that the Pope has rushed into the country to try to stem the tide of unbelief. Reporting from the capital, Prague, Dan Bilefsky of The New York Times said that banners welcoming the Pope and the large crowds usually seen on such occasions were 'conspicuously absent.' The deputy-editor of a local newspaper, Jaroslav Plesl a self-confessed lapsed Catholic, commented: 'If the Pope wants to create a religious revival in Europe, there is no worse place he could come to than the Czech Republic, where no one believes in anything.' During the period in which Czechoslovakia was under Communist domination the official intolerance of religion and promotion of atheism resulted in a country that was predominantly secular in outlook. But whereas other countries under Communist rule, e.g. Poland, tended to see a revival of religious faith, Czechoslovakia was remained stubbornly secular in outlook. The Pope now hopes to reverse that trend. [COMMENT: It is great to see so many sensible Czech people turning their backs on religious superstition.] UK
moves on assisted suicide. www.piperpost.net
-
28.09.09.
Following recent cases, especially involving UK citizens travelling to the Swiss Dignitas clinic to end their lives, the Director of Public Prosecutions in Britain has made a public statement on the issue of assisting intending suicides. As reported in an earlier issue of Piper Post the issue was raised when Debbie Purdy, a woman suffering from multiple sclerosis, sought a legal ruling about the involvement of her husband if he helped her travel to Switzerland. Under the law he could be prosecuted and jailed [for such a humane action! - sic] but the Law Lords called for a clarification of the law. The Director of Public Prosecution, Keir Starmer, has now issued guidelines that effectively say those who assist relatives in such situations are 'unlikely to be prosecuted' in Britain provided they were motivated by compassion and the victim was committed to dying.' However, the official warned, assisting a suicide was still officially illegal. FOOTNOTE: Christian Rossiter, a 49-year-old Western Australian quadriplegic, who went to court to win the right to refuse sustenance, has finally ended his life at the time of his own choosing. [COMMENT: Well, I guess it is a step in the right direction but doesn't go far enough. Once again I call on all governments to ignore the demands of the religious pressure-groups and institute humane legal regimes to allow sick and (usually) pain-wracked people to die with dignity at a time of their own choosing.] Playboy priests on Crime Channel. www.piperpost.net - 28.09.09. The Australian Crime & Investigation pay-TV channel is running a program on 28 October titled Playboy Priests. This is the amazing tale of how two Irish Catholic priests, Father John Skehan and Father Frank Guinan, were engaged in stealing millions of dollars from their Florida parish. It is believed the priests' activities had been carried on for many years. They had used the money - believed to total up to 8 million dollars - to support a luxurious lifestyle which included gambling trips to Las Vegas and even keeping a mistress. The crime only came to light in 2005 after an anonymous tip from a parishioner of St Vincent Ferrer Roman Catholic Church. Investigations followed and eventually the two men were arrested. The court heard how the priests had hidden church collections in the ceiling titles of the church then moved the funds into offshore bank account. They received jail sentences in what has been described as the largest such case involving the Catholic Church in the USA. NOTE THE
DATE (AUSTRALIA ONLY) - 28 October - Crime & Investigation Channel
Life made in laboratory? . . . www.piperpost.net - 28.09.09. In moves that are sure to upset those who cling to religious superstition for their explanation of life, scientists are reportedly making DNA in the laboratory. The creation of artificial life is a goal of the science known as synthetic biology, according to a report in The Sydney Morning Herald. Scientists would soon be able to add any genes they wanted to microbes, e.g. one that would make them produce hydrogen as a fuel. Many other possibilities arise, among them removing metal from contaminated water and producing drugs. MEL GIBSON LAPSED CATHOLIC? It is reported that Mel Gibson will not be marrying the Russian beauty Oksana Grigorieva so the child they conceived will be married out of wedlock. Gibson, a god-botherer extraordinaire who built a church for his faith and who produced a gorefest movie about the life of Jesus, seems now to have turned away from the Catholic Church. Or has he? It is reported the child, when born, will be baptized. CONSERVATIVE POLITICIAN DECLARES GAY ORIENTATION. One of the key candidates for preselection for the 'safe' Federal seat of Bradfield (Australia) has candidly spoken of his homosexuality. Simon Berger is looking to stand for the seat vacated by Brendon Nelson, who recently resigned. A 21-page brochure issued by Mr Berger discusses frankly his homosexual orientation. [COMMENT: Slowly the unspeakable is being spoken. Being a male gay or a lesbian no longer labels one as a 'freak' and society is learning to tolerate other deviations from the norm, e.g. fetishism (see my biographical notes) and bondage and discipline (one New York fashion show had the model girls parading with their wrists handcuffed behind their backs!). And about time, too. Provided only that others (especially children) are not harmed, people should be left alone to be what they want to be.] NSW IS DOOMED - THE CHRISTIANS ARE PRAYING. The troubles state of NSW (Australia) is clearly doomed to more trouble. Its Premier, Nathan Rees, has just received a letter from Michael Jensen, son of the Anglican Archbishop, Peter Jensen, telling the politician that the Christians of the state are praying hard for him. [COMMENT: As if Mr Rees doesn't have enough to worry about already!] Darwin movie being distributed. www.piperpost.net - 21.09.09. CREATION*, a film about the life and work of Charles Darwin, has run into opposition in the USA but latest news is that it will still be distributed in the land of the god-botherers. Jeremy Thomas, the film's producer, had opined that the ideas explored in the movie were 'too controversial for religious America.' A majority of the nation's citizens are said to reject the concept of evolution, clinging instead to the fairy-stories (there are two conflicting accounts) of Genesis. The film, described by one critic as 'beautiful, moving and eminently watchable,' deals, among other topics, with Darwin's grief over the loss of his daughter, the slow erosion of his faith as he uncovers the secrets of life and the tension this created with his wife Emma, who remained a believer. (* working title.)  A scene from the movie. Darwin with one of our close relatives. Bolivian godbotherer hijacks plane . . . www.piperpost.net - 21.09.09. Pastor Jose Marc Flores Pereira, an Evangelical preacher from Bolivia, had a revelation from God - so he claimed. The world was coming to an end and people needed to be warned, especially the people of Mexico, which would be devastated by an earthquake. What lent a special sense of urgency to the preacher's mission was the date - the 9th day of the 9th month of the year 2009! Clearly this is a very significant date, at least it was in the mind of this godbotherer, just what significance is a bit hard to discern. In any event the prophet of doom boarded an airliner armed with a fake bomb and a Bible, threatening to explode the bomb unless he could speak with Mexico's President Calderon. After causing mayhem and disrupting the travel plans of many people the preacher was subdued and led away in handcuffs. Women propositioned by clergymen . . . www.piperpost.net - 21.09.09. Researchers from Baylor University, Texas, report that a survey has found one in 33 American women attending religious services regularly has been propositioned by a priest or pastor. The researchers say that all denominations are affected and two-thirds of the offenders were married at the time [which suggests a high proportion of non-Catholic clergy are involved]. The problem has been exercising the minds of church authorities for some time and many churches have instituted systems to try to control the activities of their clergy. Many denominations now have official policies that identify sexual relations between adult congregants and clergy as misconduct, and subject to discipline. In two states, Texas and Minnesota, liaisons between clergy and parishioners are illegal. America is not alone with this problem. 'It is alleged that at least 500 women in Ireland are currently conducting clandestine affairs with Catholic priests - according to support groups for those in 'forbidden relationships'. Bishop Pat Buckley says a conservative estimate was that one in 10 of the 5000 priests enjoyed regular sex with women and some even referred to their clerical collar as the 'bird catcher'. Studies showed that 80 percent of clergy had broken their vows of celibacy. [COMMENT: Many years back I was taking some photos of a young Greek-Australian woman and she told me she was always trying to avoid being close to their priest as he was obviously trying to proposition her. At the time in my naivety I was quite shocked to know such a thing could happen!] Pro-evolution t-shirt upsets Christians . . . www.piperpost.net - 21.09.09. An American high school band director upset the Christians when the band produced a t-shirt, drawing on a well-known depiction of men evolving from apes, and linking the illustration to the band's program, titled Brass Evolutions. The clever design has monkeys and humans holding trumpets through the various stages of evolution. But some Christian parents in Sedalia, Missouri, objected and the band members were ordered not to wear the t-shirts. In spite of this outcome the firm making the shirts, Main Street Logo, has done a roaring trade since. As word of the ban has gone around the world the firm has received orders not only from the USA but from many other countries. [COMMENT: The Neanderthals depicted in the illustration have their counterpart today. How sad to learn that biassed parents are trying to keep the real truth of evolution from their children, feeding them instead with the juvenile unscientific tosh of Genesis.]  The offending t-shirt (Illustration copyright - Main Street Logo, USA) News in Brief . . . www.piperpost.net - 21.09.09. INDONESIANS TO EXECUTE ADULTERERS. As reported in our last issue the Indonesian province of Aceh was about to pass a law making adultery punishable with death by stoning. The law has now been passed. The legislation also provides jail sentences of up to eight years for homosexuals. The population of Aceh province is almost wholly Islamic. [COMMENT: The joy of religion!] PRIEST SELLS CHURCH PROPERTY. Father Bob Maguire, an elderly Catholic priest well-known for his work with the poor of Melbourne, has upset the hierarchy by selling church property to raise funds for the parish. Father Bob is well known through a Triple J radio show. Archbishop Denis Hart complains that the priest sold seven properties for a total value of $3 million between 1980 and 2004. The parish has reportedly run defecits for a number of years. IRANIAN COURT ALLOWS TRANSSEXUAL MARRIAGE. An Iranian court has rejected the demands of a girl's father and given permission for her to marry a schoolfriend who had had a sex-change operation and who is now living as a male. Under Iranian law the girl, Shaghayegh, had to receive her father's permission to marry Ardashir but the father refused, claiming to be driven by 'fear of humiliation'. He could not accept the idea that the young girl who had often visited with his daughter was now a man and was marrying her. Although homosexuality is illegal in Iran the law does allow sex-change operations. EDITORIAL Sexual orientation and the Bible's evil influence. www.piperpost.net - 14.09.09. Two news stories this week in juxtaposition serve to highlight the evil influence of the Judaeo-Christian Bible, the supposed Word of a supposed God. How much misery has resulted from the application of the words of Leviticus 20: 13 ('And if a man lie with mankind, as with womankind, both of them have committed abomination: they shall surely be put to death: their blood shall be upon them. - RSV). Yet this primitive uninformed view of human sexuality found its way into the very laws of western nations, resulting in the persecution, even the jailing, of homosexual men and women, some of them the finest among our people. One has only to remember that great writer, Oscar Wilde, who went to jail because he was a homosexual. And this past week we are reminded of a great scientist, one of the men who brought the computer age into being, Britisher Alan Turing. The British Prime Minister has issued a belated apology to Turing for the way he was treated by the society of the day. Alan Turing, a hero of World War 2, with his work on breaking the Enigma code and his work on early forms of the computer, suicided in 1954. The scientist was given the option - go to prison or undergo 'therapy' designed to change his sexual orientation. Turing was among many who were persecuted by a legal system derived from the perverted understanding of human nature peddled by the Church through that monstrous book of lies known as the Bible. He was depressed, and who wouldn't be, under such a threat. And he was but one of thousands who were persecuted through laws that had their origin in the blinkered thinking of a bunch of primitives in the Middle East. At the very same time that this belated apology was being issued controversy arose over the uncertain gender of a female runner, Caster Semenya. At this juncture the tests administered appear to show the runner has what is described as an 'intersex' status. Regardless of the final outcome of this dispute the essential fact is that human beings have varying degrees of 'male' and 'female' components in their makeups. It is not the place here to go into technicalities but the black-and-white view of homosexuality enshrined in the Biblical texts is, like so many doctrines in that book, wholly and dangerously wrong.  Pentecostalist cultist warns Canberra . . . www.piperpost.net - 14.09.09. Pastor Danny Nalliah made a name for himself by blaming relaxed abortion laws in the Australian state of Victoria for the raging bushfires that killed many. The pastor has now turned his attention to the evils lurking in the nation's capital, Canberra. Worried when he learnt of a coven of witches practising their enchantments on Mount Ainslie, Pastor Nalliah has called for a gathering of 'born again' Christians in Canberra to launch an offensive against the 'demonic forces' taking over the capital. Pastor Nalliah claims the usual personal communication from the Almighty. 'God has given us a strategic spiritual warfare assignment to take back the high places [Mt Ainslie?] in our nation,' he intones on his website. Danny Nalliah, who heads a cult known as Catch the Fire Ministries, was a Family First candidate for the senate in the last election. A leaflet he issued at the time targeted a wide range of his enemies: 'Spot Satan's strongholds in the areas you are living - brothels, gambling places, bottleshops, mosque, temples - Freemasons/Buddhist/Hindu etc, witchcraft.' The Greens and also the Australian Sex Party have also been targets of the pastor's invective. Securalism progressing in Australia . . . www.piperpost.net - 14.09.09. Commenting on recent census figures, The Sydney Morning Herald recently ran an article headed 'God takes back seat at weddings.' Census figures show that more Australians are living together before marriage than ever before, that more children are being born out of wedlock, and that when weddings are celebrated fewer occur in churches. Latest figures show 65 percent of wedding were performed by civil celebrants. And recent census statistics also show growth in the number of Australians who say they have no religion - 21 percent. [COMMENT: All good news!] Advertising blitz promotes Jesus . . . www.piperpost.net - 14.09.09. Worried about the increasing strength of secularism among Australians the churches are spending $1 million on a new advertising campaign to win back support for Jesus. Some 15 denominations and 1500 churches are involved in the campaign. 'Jesus. All about Life' is the slogan being used on billboards across the nation. A light touch, even humour, will be featured in the approach. 'We've deliberately not made the campaign overly eligious,' commented Daniel Willis, of the Bible Society. But Paul Harrison, a senior lecturer in consumer behaviour at Deakin University has warned the churches that the campaign may fail. Mr Harrison said it would be better for them to put money into working out why people are turning away from their message. [COMMENT: One simple answer might be that intelligent human beings are finally discovering that the whole religious belief system is a self-perpetuating fraud.] News in Brief . . . www.piperpost.net - 14.09.09. ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER PLACATES VATICAN. The Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, under a cloud because of his alleged philandering, Is reportedly seeking to placate the Vatican by taking a hardline stance on issues such as living wills and voluntary euthanasia. Mr Berlusconi has promised to maintain Catholic beliefs when dealing with moral issues. Criticis believe this means opposition to living wills and voluntary euthanasia and the use of the RU486 abortion pill. [COMMENT: Berlusconi's government will be remembered for its unconscionable insistence, until a court intervened, on keeping alive Eluana Englaro, who had been in a vegetative state for 17 years. Such abuses are a direct result of Catholic Church teaching.] ECONOMIC DOWNTURN AFFECTING FUNERALS. The Sydney Morning Herald ran a feature recently reporting on reduced spending on funerals in these straitened times. Space for burials is also becoming a problem. Some burials are now costing $10,000 and even more. [COMMENT: As I am nearing the end of my time on earth I recently investigated locally and found they could cremate me for a total cost of about $3,000 if all the fripperies were dispensed with. There are people in the USA who have got it down to an even lower level but government red tape makes it difficult to do what some do in the USA and bury their own.] STONING DEATH FOR INDONESIANS? It is reported that Islamic conservatives are trying to get laws enacted in the Indonesian province of Aceh that would prescribe death by stoning for adulterers and public floggings for anyone engaging in sex outside of marriage. An unmarried person accused of adultery would be given 100 lashes in public while a married person would be condemned to death by stoning. Consenting adults who are unmarried but who had sexual relations would be caned. ENTERTAINMENT CZAR TURNS TO GOD. Australian entertainment czar, Kevin Jacobsen, faced with a financial crisis involving his Arena Management empire, has turned to God. Mr Jacobsen reports having consulted God about his problems and evidently been advised to seek a 'Deed of Company Arrangement.' EDITORIAL Assisted Suicide debate heats up. www.piperpost.net - 07.09.09. Another sad case of someone assisting a loved one to die and being penalized! Those who should be penalized are our lily-livered politicians who would rather kowtow to the Church than obey the will of the majority of Australians, clearly expressed in one survey after another. Poll after poll indicates figures between 60 percent and 80 percent of the population support legalized assisted suicide, i.e. voluntary euthanasia. Unfortunately our politicians are in thrall to religion and ignore the wishes of the people. No wonder we need a Bill of Rights! And isn't it interesting that the former Prime Minister, John Howard, is strenuously opposed to such a Bill. It was this same Prime Minister who, working through his Catholic lieutenant, Kevin Andrews, overturned the humane voluntary euthanasia legislation enacted in the Northern Territory. Too many religious bigots, politicians (but not all), disabled people (but not all) and doctors (but not all) continue to oppose the provision of humane facilities for people to end their lives. The reason is simple, in these cases: their vested interests are paramount. Surely as rational human beings (with the superstition of religion removed from the picture) we should be able to determine the way we deal with our exit from this life. With suitable safeguards to protect the vulnerable (which appears to be a big worry for some) a regime is possible - and is actually working in a number of places in the world, with great success, I might add. Someone may wish to see out their time as a helpless quadriplegic in a wheelchair; that is their business, and I would never seek to deny such a choice to a person. But others, like me, have no desire whatever to vegetate in 'palliative care' in a half-dead state. You can keep your palliative care, thank you! I am a sane, rational human being who would like to know that I can choose a simple death by injection when my time comes and not prolong my suffering. Wake up you negligent politicians! Tell the Church to go to that fictional place they call hell. Saudis allowed to use telescopes. www.piperpost.net - 07.09.09. This year was the first time Saudi people were officially allowed to view the crescent moon that marks the start of the 'holy' fasting month of Ramadan. Sighting of the moon are used in Saudi Arabia and most other Muslim countries to determine the starting and ending dates of Ramadan. The Shiites of Lebanon use astronomical calculations for their observance. [COMMENT: It is always fascinating to observe the vestiges of primitive beliefs shining through the surface of the 'revealed' religion. Here we see the ancient moon worship evident in the determination of Ramadan and likewise we can see the same ancient moon worship evident in the Christian observance of Easter. The more things change, the more they stay the same!] Former Catholic teachers face court. . . www.piperpost.net - 07.09.09. As reported in earlier issues of Piper Post nine former teachers at St Stanislaus Catholic College in Bathurst, NSW (Australia) have been charged with alleged offences against boys. Strike Force Belle was set up by NSW Police with the sole purpose of investigating allegations of sexual and indecent assault against students at two Bathurst schools between 1960 and 1993. Numerous charges have been laid against various individuals. Appearing before a Sydney court a few days ago was the former school chaplain of St Stanislaus College, Brian Spillane. The court heard that an informant alleged he had witnessed Spillane sexually and indecently assaulting students during prayer sessions. The informant alleged he also saw Spillane engaging in sexual activity with students in a shower block. A total of 132 charges have now been laid against Spillane, who was, however, granted bail. The prosecution strenuously opposed the granting of bail. The court also heard when one student complained to another teacher he was sent to a psychiatric institution for assessment. News in Brief . . . www.piperpost.net - 07.09.09. NSW POLICE GIVEN BOOK OF LIES. A custom-made edition of the Christian Bible in 'police blue' complete with a police crest on the cover is being distributed to members of the NSW Police by the Bible Society. The book also includes what is described as the 'police prayer' and images of police in action. The NSW Police Commissioner is reportedly a 'committed Christian' but the Bibles were paid for by the Bible Society, and not from public funds. [COMMENT: One often hears the word 'integrity' bandied about in relation to the administration of justice. Integrity demands that those promoting the Bible explain why our police should be encouraged to read this fraudulent book.] COMPLAINTS ABOUT BUSH PROGRAMS. An Inspector-General's audit of US aid programs in Africa criticizes the manner in which lessons from the Christian Bible have been used to teach sexual abstinence as a counter to the use of condoms and other protective measures. Taxpayer funds have been used, says the complaint, to support what are 'inherently religious activities.' The US Agency for International Development rejects the claims, stating their main goals in Africa are 'secular in nature.' MORE BONES ON THE MOVE. The headline in The Sydney Morning Herald ran: 'Men from Magpie 91 returned home' - a news report of the return of the recently-discovered remains of two soldiers who died in Vietnam being brought back to Australia for burial. Without wishing to reflect on th grief of their families, please let us not maintain the fiction that people continue to exist beyond death. It was not 'men from Magpie 91' returned but the bodies of men from Magpie 91. Death is the end of life; all that remains when we die - rotting flesh and bones. ABORTION DRUGS ALLOWED IN QUEENSLAND. Following an uproar over a case involving a drug-induced abortion the legal position in the Australian state of Queensland has been clarified by Parliament. Abortion as such is still effectively illegal but allowed under various circumstances. There were problems with using drugs such as RU486 but such drugs may now be used if a patient prefers them to surgical abortion. Australian government's massive support for religious schools. www.piperpost.net - 30.08.09. The Australian Labor government has announced not only a continuance of massive financial support for religious schools but an increase in that support. The previous Howard conservative government poured huge sums into private-sector schools, ranging from the top-echelon 'exclusive colleges such as The Kings School and Cranbrook down through to the humble locally-supported fundamentalist Christian school, as well as schools run by Islamics and others. It is estimated that the increase over coming years amounts to about 32 percent over past funding, Over the next four years $A26 billion will be lavished on these schools. At the top of the list is Trinity Grammar in Sydney which will receive $29 million and Hunter Valley Christian College, $21 million. An Islamic school at Greenacre, NSW will receive $45 million and numerous schools in the $20 million range. [COMMENT: I have no objection to funding private education; if only the recipients didn't use these public moneys to promote their divisive sectarian view of the world and the massive superstition of religion.] |