Comments on The Pensive Quill: Hallelujah Hazel & Hallelujah Howell

John ‘Do you think that if you took religion out ...

2011-04-09T06:29:44.887+01:00

John

‘Do you think that if you took religion out of history, there would be any history left?’

Of course. Implicit in your question is that the great amount of bad history must have been associated with religion.

‘Last I looked the country that seemed to best express your view of religion, (the Soviet Union) wasn't exactly a recipe for love and tolerance, in fact now they are rediscovering religion.’

It didn’t express my view of religion anymore than the Taiping uprising expressed your view of religion. Religion is just an opinion and should, like other opinions, not be suppressed.

You blame religion, but it seems that even in its absence things are not all love and kisses.

I didn’t blame religion. The point I made in this article is that religion is no foil against seriously bad stuff. There are good atheists and bad believers. There is no facile determination to be made that allows for handy categories of good/religious bad/atheist – although it is clear you don’t make that point.

‘The real revolutionary thing would be if it were to be put into practice.’

The real reactionary thing would be a better choice of phrase.

‘But then that's the excuse the socialist use to explain why their systems never work.’

It is indeed

‘But just imagine if everyone did love their neighbour, and follow all the teachings of Christ. Do you really think society would be worse off?’

But it would not be society as we know it.

The god I worship John, the Flying Spaghetti Monster – not one person has died in his name.

Anthony, Do you think that if you took religion o...

2011-03-15T23:39:33.051Z

Anthony,

Do you think that if you took religion out of history, there would be any history left?

Last I looked the country that seemed to best express your view of religion, (the Soviet Union) wasn't exactly a recipe for love and tolerance, in fact now they are rediscovering religion.

You blame religion, but it seems that even in its absence things are not all love and kisses.

The real revolutionary thing would be if it were to be put into practice. But then that's the excuse the socialist use to explain why their systems never work.

But just imagine if everyone did love their neighbour, and follow all the teachings of Christ. Do you really think society would be worse off?

Praise the lord Iris and piss the plate

2011-03-12T20:11:03.070Z

Praise the lord Iris and piss the plate

Nuala, on this one I think I am pushing an open d...

2011-03-12T18:45:38.372Z

Nuala,

on this one I think I am pushing an open door. They are normally never that compliant. Think it is something we all managed to agree on for once

Mackers, this sounds more like a Sinn Fein convent...

2011-03-12T18:07:08.882Z

Mackers,
this sounds more like a Sinn Fein convention?
You say something and then they all chant in chorus!

Finished Alan Simpson,s Duplicity and Deception,I ...

2011-03-12T13:43:47.558Z

Finished Alan Simpson,s Duplicity and Deception,I think its well worth reading,however one question I,d put to the bold Alan,are we to believe that it was only SB who engaged in thugish and violent behaviour in interrogation centres like Castlerea,I dont think so Alan a bit of honesty here would have made my opinion of your book a great deal better.

Spot on bro Anthony praise the lord and pass the p...

2011-03-12T12:23:35.567Z

Spot on bro Anthony praise the lord and pass the plate!

Marty, when he has so many nasty stupid followers...

2011-03-12T10:33:38.348Z

Marty,

when he has so many nasty stupid followers who believe a good interventionist god would turn his back on Japan because he loves his creations he has no need to be nasty and stupid himself.

'Maybe she found something in the bible that j...

2011-03-12T10:26:47.936Z

'Maybe she found something in the bible that justified murder but not sex'.

Methodists?? sure they aren't RC? Maybe the absence of wee boys makes the difference.

Think maybe the dentist fella decided he'd had enuff doing his whack whilst his partner in crime swanned about town living her life claiming her dead hubby's pension.

I hear english teacher rates gone up to 100 pounds an hour in Japan...but how do you teach phonics through a radiation suite...ill let you all know before too long.

Theology or bolloxology Anthony when we witness th...

2011-03-12T10:26:46.807Z

Theology or bolloxology Anthony when we witness the destructive power of nature and hear the words gods will be done,I for one want to throw up,then we hear the words suffer little children, and lots of his followers really do make them suffer,if this is the result of intelligent design,thank fuck the creator wasnt a nasty stupid bastard,

Marty, our problem is that we don't understan...

2011-03-12T10:15:28.651Z

Marty,

our problem is that we don't understand theology. If we did we would understand god's love. And no smart answers about nt understanding fairyology either!! How can anybody look at Japan and even think of intelligent design or a god of love?

That would be the god of love Anthony,how kind of ...

2011-03-12T09:46:42.675Z

That would be the god of love Anthony,how kind of him to call so many to his embrace at one time, how lucky are they?

No doubt there is some of a religious persuasion w...

2011-03-12T03:11:33.569Z

No doubt there is some of a religious persuasion who'd view the catastrophic natural disaster in Japan as an act of their god, punishing us for the sins of the world. If such a god exists I for one want nothing to do with he/she/it.

Marty, I wonder what Intelligent design was behin...

2011-03-11T21:42:54.679Z

Marty,

I wonder what Intelligent design was behind the Japan quake

I,m only after getting smacked by a crowd of Japan...

2011-03-11T21:40:39.491Z

I,m only after getting smacked by a crowd of Japanese tourists,they asked me to take their picture.and all I said was gis a big wave!!!!

We have the churches lecturing us on moral laws, w...

2011-03-11T21:35:59.100Z

We have the churches lecturing us on moral laws, we have had Iris Robinson lecturing on homosexulaty,we have had Ian Paisley stirring up secterian hatred for generations,wouldnt you think its way past time for people to think for themselves and dump those b##tards,how many of us know f##kers who eat the alter rails and are nothing more than two faced greedy lying scum,the bearded one fits the bill here.we have left the dark ages long ago and its way past time we dumped this superstitious nonsense,all it does is corrupts minds and corrupt minds do corrupt things,I,ve a feeling here that John Mc Girr will give us another 200 posts on the bible here,

Fionnchú, a disgraceful action against this woman...

2011-03-11T20:59:28.089Z

Fionnchú,

a disgraceful action against this woman by yet another religious thug. And they want to provide morals for us! Bet you before the day is out we will hear some loon preaching that Japan got the earthquake because it was immoral

BUFFALO, March 9 (Reuters) - The founder of a Musl...

2011-03-11T20:46:24.227Z

BUFFALO, March 9 (Reuters) - The founder of a Muslim TV network who was convicted of beheading his wife was sentenced on Wednesday to 25 years to life in prison, the maximum penalty under the law for the charge against him.

Muzzammil Hassan, 46, was convicted last month of second-degree murder for the 2009 beheading of his wife Aasiya Zubair.

Hassan said only a few words prior to his sentencing in Erie County Court.

"I deeply regret that things came down to what they came down to," he said. "I truly wish there would have been some sort of alternate mechanism."

Hassan and Zubair founded Bridges TV in 2004 as a national network to counter negative stereotypes of Muslims.

Prior to her murder, Zubair sought an order of protection from Hassan and filed for divorce, records said.

According to court records, Hassan tried to lure his wife into their TV studio in Orchard Park, New York, in February 2009. He approached her in a dark hallway from behind and stabbed her more than 40 times with a hunting knife and then cut her head off, the records said.

Throughout his trial, Hassan tried to paint himself as a victim of abuse at the hands of Zubair.

(I figured this article speaks not only for itself but for your reflections, AM.)