Friday, April 25, 2008
Banking on Deadly Cluster Munitions
While being extremely appreciative of those who demonstrated last Sunday in front of the Tasmanian parliament against cluster munitions, it would have been more appropriate if they had managed to do so in front of the headquarters of three well-known Australian banks and a Dutch plus French financial institution: each of the five has investments in plants that manufacture cluster munitions that keep killing and maiming long after they have been dropped from the air.
WYD Complainants
Reminding complainants about World Youth Day's cost to the taxpayer that every year Australians waste hundreds of millions of precious dollars on porn, inane magazines, innumerable mobile phone calls and poisonous ciggies. At the same time, a big slice of our tax money is spent on participating in a non-winnable war in Afghanistan, the country whose regime eliminates anyone daring to convert from Islam to Christianity. Besides, millions of tax dollars are spent on subsidising the killing of tens of thousands of our unborn, while during pre-election periods state and federal governments spend many millions of our tax dollars on wasteful advertising.
Apart from the obvious material benefits that WYD will bring to NSW, there will be massive opportunities to build bridges of friendship between citizens of many countries. Also, the event provides an opportunity for ordinary Australians to do something for others: many Sydneysiders will provide a roof over pilgrims' heads and provide them with free breakfasts.
What will the constant whingers be doing – apart from more whingeing, of course – before World Youth Day takes off?
Apart from the obvious material benefits that WYD will bring to NSW, there will be massive opportunities to build bridges of friendship between citizens of many countries. Also, the event provides an opportunity for ordinary Australians to do something for others: many Sydneysiders will provide a roof over pilgrims' heads and provide them with free breakfasts.
What will the constant whingers be doing – apart from more whingeing, of course – before World Youth Day takes off?
US Wal-Mart Setting up Shop in Australia?
Someone writing in The Sydney Morning Herald stated that she would like the unions to be up in arms at the suggestion Wal-Mart set up shop in Australia.
Who will take notice of the unions, though? The previous federal government emasculated them; treated them as though they were agents of darkness. Also a reminder that local big business has been allowed to infiltrate our country towns, causing thousands of small shops to disappear, and replacing country-town shopping streets by big city-controlled shopping malls.
The results have been a regular outflow of money from country towns to the headquarters of the big stores, and the payment by shopkeepers of inflated rents to absentee landlords such as Centro, Stockland, Westfield, AMP and others.
Who will take notice of the unions, though? The previous federal government emasculated them; treated them as though they were agents of darkness. Also a reminder that local big business has been allowed to infiltrate our country towns, causing thousands of small shops to disappear, and replacing country-town shopping streets by big city-controlled shopping malls.
The results have been a regular outflow of money from country towns to the headquarters of the big stores, and the payment by shopkeepers of inflated rents to absentee landlords such as Centro, Stockland, Westfield, AMP and others.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Goebbels NOT originator of Olympic torch relay
Someone claimed in The Canberra Times that the Olympic Torch relay was a ritual invented by Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels. There is no evidence that Goebbels was behind the introduction of the Olympic torch relay.
Historical records indicate that Dr Carl Diem, General Secretary of the German Olympic Organising Committee, was its originator. Originally, Diem had planned for the 1916 Summer Olympics to be staged in Berlin, but World War I had intervened.
Diem's relationship to the Nazi party is unclear: in 1934, the Nazis even had classified him as "politically unreliable", possibly because of his wife's Jewish relatives. He was never a member of the Nazi party.
In 1968, on the occasion of the Mexico City Summer Olympics, the West-German postal department (Deutsche Bundespost) issued a stamp bearing his portrait.
Historical records indicate that Dr Carl Diem, General Secretary of the German Olympic Organising Committee, was its originator. Originally, Diem had planned for the 1916 Summer Olympics to be staged in Berlin, but World War I had intervened.
Diem's relationship to the Nazi party is unclear: in 1934, the Nazis even had classified him as "politically unreliable", possibly because of his wife's Jewish relatives. He was never a member of the Nazi party.
In 1968, on the occasion of the Mexico City Summer Olympics, the West-German postal department (Deutsche Bundespost) issued a stamp bearing his portrait.
Responding to letter by a John Tuckfield
Yes, John Tuckfield (The Sydney Morning Herald Letters column of April 17, 2008), Islam and Christianity are still religions, and representative democracy is indeed a secular political system. It is also true that America's third president, Thomas Jefferson, established a central government that was to stay clear of the domain of theology. Keep in mind, though, that he had been able to do so with considerable Christian support. Also note that Jefferson and his supporters, wittingly or unwittingly, were reflecting Christ's advice to keep separate the domains of Caesar and God.
Yet, Jefferson still insisted that religious faith was the very foundation of liberty. There had been no intention to erect a "wall of separation" to insulate the central government from the province of morality and its sources.
These days, US courts frequently interpret the original concept of separation of church and state as meaning that religion has no place in the public arena, or that religion-inspired morality should not be permitted to shape laws. US secularists are intent upon emptying the public square of religion and religion-based morality. It looks as though quite a few Australians would like our nation to follow that very same path.
Yet, Jefferson still insisted that religious faith was the very foundation of liberty. There had been no intention to erect a "wall of separation" to insulate the central government from the province of morality and its sources.
These days, US courts frequently interpret the original concept of separation of church and state as meaning that religion has no place in the public arena, or that religion-inspired morality should not be permitted to shape laws. US secularists are intent upon emptying the public square of religion and religion-based morality. It looks as though quite a few Australians would like our nation to follow that very same path.
God's 'job description'
If God had been doing his job, he would have ensured the bullet that missed Jose Ramos Horta's spinal cord would have missed him altogether, wrote someone in a letter to The Canberra Times of April 2008.
Thank heavens that, at last, we have someone who's conversant with God's job description!
Thank heavens that, at last, we have someone who's conversant with God's job description!
Atheism still China's official doctrine
Religion has very little to do with what is happening in Tibet now, claimed someone in an April 2008 letter to The Sydney Morning Herald.
Atheism is still the official doctrine of China. Its atheism suggests that it is intrinsic rather than incidental to a regime that persecutes even members of quasi religions such as the Falun Gong.
Tibetan serfdom should not be confused with slavery which was practised for centuries in ancient China, or with the status of the medieval serfs of Western Europe who could not be turfed off the land, as happens, at times, to rain-deprived Aussie farmers.
Atheism is still the official doctrine of China. Its atheism suggests that it is intrinsic rather than incidental to a regime that persecutes even members of quasi religions such as the Falun Gong.
Tibetan serfdom should not be confused with slavery which was practised for centuries in ancient China, or with the status of the medieval serfs of Western Europe who could not be turfed off the land, as happens, at times, to rain-deprived Aussie farmers.
Those awful "Dark Ages"...
Someone alluded to the ruthlessness by the landlords of the "Dark Ages". It was the revival of Roman law in the 16th century, thus after the Middle Ages had ended, which put an end to the legal rights that medieval serfs and feudal lords had enjoyed. It was also the time that slavery was reintroduced, women were again be subjected, workers were beginning to be exploited, and absolutist states began to take off.
The bond of serfdom had acted as a benefit for the peasant. Unlike the land of some of our 21st-century drought-stricken Aussie farmers, it could not be sold from under the serfs' feet by absentee financiers, as can be experienced by 'free' farmers in our 'enlightened' country.
The medieval serfs were anything but slaves. It was during the post-medieval period that fellow human beings in the West's colonies were treated by ruthless landlords like things that could be bought and sold, shipped as cargo, and treated as non-persons.
The bond of serfdom had acted as a benefit for the peasant. Unlike the land of some of our 21st-century drought-stricken Aussie farmers, it could not be sold from under the serfs' feet by absentee financiers, as can be experienced by 'free' farmers in our 'enlightened' country.
The medieval serfs were anything but slaves. It was during the post-medieval period that fellow human beings in the West's colonies were treated by ruthless landlords like things that could be bought and sold, shipped as cargo, and treated as non-persons.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Oh Dear, a Stamp Showing a Pope?
Someone in a letter to The Sydney Morning Herald didn't like the idea of a stamp with a picture of the Pope. It's fascinating to see the many ways in which anti-popery does manifest itself. But why whinge about a stamp bearing a pic of a pope? Surely, one with a papal image could not possibly be interpreted as a form of 'religious indoctrination'...
Australia has had stamps showing basketballers, jockey Roy Higgins on a horse, a swamp daisy, a woman putting radishes into a paper bag, a yellow-bellied sunbird, the Hubble space telescope, a box jellyfish, and even a stamp that showed Kath & Kim with a "Look at me!" heart in the background while Kimmy is stuffing some food into her mouth.
All those stamps were stuck onto envelopes without a hint of a complaint.
Australia has had stamps showing basketballers, jockey Roy Higgins on a horse, a swamp daisy, a woman putting radishes into a paper bag, a yellow-bellied sunbird, the Hubble space telescope, a box jellyfish, and even a stamp that showed Kath & Kim with a "Look at me!" heart in the background while Kimmy is stuffing some food into her mouth.
All those stamps were stuck onto envelopes without a hint of a complaint.
Saudi Arabia's Religious Police 'Below Strength'...
Saudi Arabia's 'religious police' detained and strip-searched a businesswoman 'caught' being in a coffee shop with a non-relative. In view of the many abuses suffered by non-Saudi women, one could be forgiven for concluding that the 5000-strong religious police is below strength.
However, it looks as though abusing foreigners, especially women, is OK in Saudi Arabia. Not surprising, really, after leading Saudi government cleric and author of the nation's religious curriculum, Sheik Saleh Al-Fawzan, said, "Slavery is a part of Islam. Slavery is part of jihad, and jihad will remain as long as there is Islam".
Men and women from several Asian countries who travel to Saudi Arabia to improve their financial status may face restrictions on their movements, the withholding of their passports, the non-payment of wages, plus physical and sexual abuse. Women from Yemen, Morocco, Pakistan, Ethiopia and Nigeria have been trafficked into Saudi Arabia for commercial sexual exploitation, while non-Saudi women have been forced into sexual slavery after escaping from abusive employers.
However, it looks as though abusing foreigners, especially women, is OK in Saudi Arabia. Not surprising, really, after leading Saudi government cleric and author of the nation's religious curriculum, Sheik Saleh Al-Fawzan, said, "Slavery is a part of Islam. Slavery is part of jihad, and jihad will remain as long as there is Islam".
Men and women from several Asian countries who travel to Saudi Arabia to improve their financial status may face restrictions on their movements, the withholding of their passports, the non-payment of wages, plus physical and sexual abuse. Women from Yemen, Morocco, Pakistan, Ethiopia and Nigeria have been trafficked into Saudi Arabia for commercial sexual exploitation, while non-Saudi women have been forced into sexual slavery after escaping from abusive employers.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
What a beat-up!
A number of recent newspaper articles and letters referred to a fresh string of sins promulgated by the Vatican. What a beat-up!
It all began with Archbishop Girotti after speaking to L'Osservatore Romano about "new forms of social sin in our era"; this morphed into "The Vatican has issued a list of new sins".
Undoubtedly, reality checks would make newspaper stories and letters pertaining to the Vatican infinitely less interesting.
It all began with Archbishop Girotti after speaking to L'Osservatore Romano about "new forms of social sin in our era"; this morphed into "The Vatican has issued a list of new sins".
Undoubtedly, reality checks would make newspaper stories and letters pertaining to the Vatican infinitely less interesting.
New 'list of deadly sins'...?
Time and time again, readers of Australia's secular newspapers discover that they have been had: thus what some papers presented to them as a genuine news item frequently turns out to be unadulterated myth. The 'new list of deadly sins' (allegedly issued recently by the Vatican) is just one case in point. Some papers also appear ultra-eager to accept letters from those who accept as gospel everything they have read in the very same papers. Letters that endeavour to put the Catholic Church in a bad light invariably appear to receive preferential treatment, and hardly ever is an opportunity given to anyone to set the record straight, present the other side, or inject some balance.
At times I wonder whether some secular newspapers incorporate a reincarnation of that virulently anti-Catholic Aussie rag that was popular with anti-Catholic bigots over half a century ago: a scruffy publication called The Rock.
I strongly recommend to all bigots, and the editors, subeditors and proprietors of secular papers, that they invest in a copy of Christianity on Trial (subtitled Arguments Against Anti-Religious Bigotry) by Vincent Carroll and David Shiflett. An unbiased reading should reduce historical illiteracy, cure tunnel vision, and be a potent antidote against Christophobia.
At times I wonder whether some secular newspapers incorporate a reincarnation of that virulently anti-Catholic Aussie rag that was popular with anti-Catholic bigots over half a century ago: a scruffy publication called The Rock.
I strongly recommend to all bigots, and the editors, subeditors and proprietors of secular papers, that they invest in a copy of Christianity on Trial (subtitled Arguments Against Anti-Religious Bigotry) by Vincent Carroll and David Shiflett. An unbiased reading should reduce historical illiteracy, cure tunnel vision, and be a potent antidote against Christophobia.
'Biblical Analysis' & 'Social Observation'
Someone referred to "biblical analysis and social observation" (The Sydney Morning Herald letters column of 11 April, 2008).
Be careful when engaging in biblical analysis, George! Some passages, if taken literally, may lead to incisive measures: Origen (185-254 AD), after reading in Matthew 19:12 that some persons made themselves "eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven", castrated himself.
When you refer to "social observation", am I correct in assuming that you take that to mean that the Bible should be read only through the lens of contemporary secular assumptions?
Be careful when engaging in biblical analysis, George! Some passages, if taken literally, may lead to incisive measures: Origen (185-254 AD), after reading in Matthew 19:12 that some persons made themselves "eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven", castrated himself.
When you refer to "social observation", am I correct in assuming that you take that to mean that the Bible should be read only through the lens of contemporary secular assumptions?
Atheists wish to control the public square...
No longer do atheists want to be tolerated: instead, they want to monopolise the public square, and to expel Christians from it. They are eager to control our schools' curricula in order to promote a secular ideology, and undermine Christianity in the process. They try very hard to discredit the factual claims of religion, especially of Christianity. They blame religion for the crimes of history, and even blame it for some conflicts going on at this very moment.
They would love religion, especially Christianity, to disappear altogether from Mother Earth.
Segments of the secular media which are controlled by true-blue atheists are proving themselves to be staunch allies of the atheist cause.
They would love religion, especially Christianity, to disappear altogether from Mother Earth.
Segments of the secular media which are controlled by true-blue atheists are proving themselves to be staunch allies of the atheist cause.
No room for faith...?
There is no room for faith in the climate change debate, wrote Ian McPhail (Victorian Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability) with a degree of faith in a letter to The Australian.
Strangely enough, the greatest idea of modern science is based on faith, not on reason: it is the belief that the universe operates according to what has been called 'the principle of universality'. This means that there is faith in the idea that there is order in the universe; that the rules applying to our earth apply everywhere else. Yet, there is no way to prove this. However, without this intrinsically 'irrational' faith in the premise that we live in an ordered universe, modern science simply could not function.
Like scientists, I too have faith in science's ability to determine the exact nature and causes of climate change, if any, and its ability to come up with solutions. Ultimately, of course, it would be up to those who control the world's corridors of powers (politicians, manufacturers and financial institutions, to name but a few) whether the solutions devised by science would be put into practice for the good of humanity.
Strangely enough, the greatest idea of modern science is based on faith, not on reason: it is the belief that the universe operates according to what has been called 'the principle of universality'. This means that there is faith in the idea that there is order in the universe; that the rules applying to our earth apply everywhere else. Yet, there is no way to prove this. However, without this intrinsically 'irrational' faith in the premise that we live in an ordered universe, modern science simply could not function.
Like scientists, I too have faith in science's ability to determine the exact nature and causes of climate change, if any, and its ability to come up with solutions. Ultimately, of course, it would be up to those who control the world's corridors of powers (politicians, manufacturers and financial institutions, to name but a few) whether the solutions devised by science would be put into practice for the good of humanity.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Christianity on Trial...
Perhaps the Sisters of St Joseph should also be selling packets of condoms to promote safe sex during the WYD festival, wrote someone in a letter to The Sydney Morning Herald of 9 April 2008.
For the sake of social harmony, it would be a far better idea if the sisters were to make available copies of Vincent Carroll and David Shiflett's book entitled Christianity on Trial - Arguments Against Anti-religious Bigotry.
For the sake of social harmony, it would be a far better idea if the sisters were to make available copies of Vincent Carroll and David Shiflett's book entitled Christianity on Trial - Arguments Against Anti-religious Bigotry.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Navel salute
There was much brouhaha after Australia's Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, 'saluted' Dubya. What will be next? An uproar if Rudd happens to blow his nose with a pre-loved tissue?
The only salute I know is the navel salute, when the right hand is placed just above the navel. It’s quite common in nudist colonies, but is also used by people with tennis elbows, plastered arms and RSI. (Navel-saluting with the left hand is generally frowned upon, unless one's right arm is missing.)
The only salute I know is the navel salute, when the right hand is placed just above the navel. It’s quite common in nudist colonies, but is also used by people with tennis elbows, plastered arms and RSI. (Navel-saluting with the left hand is generally frowned upon, unless one's right arm is missing.)
No "new Marx", please!
No "new Marx" for the CSIRO, please! The bloke hardly worked a day in his life, neglected his kids and was supported most of his life by others. Since Karl Marx claimed that “The individual human being has no value unless he is a member of the revolutionary masses”, a “new Marx” could hardly be portrayed as a person embodying heterodoxy, being an asset for the CSIRO.
As far as the subject of Galileo is concerned (raised in a newspaper letter by the same Marx devotee), it was the insistence by St Thomas Aquinas and other Catholic thinkers on the rationality of God and His creation that paved the way for someone like Galileo.
It is interesting to observe how modern physics is catching up with Catholic thinking: as early as 1215, the Fourth Lateran Council taught that the universe had a beginning in time. It was an idea that would have scandalised both an ancient Greek and a 19th century positivist; these days, it’s a common ingredient in modern cosmology.
As far as the subject of Galileo is concerned (raised in a newspaper letter by the same Marx devotee), it was the insistence by St Thomas Aquinas and other Catholic thinkers on the rationality of God and His creation that paved the way for someone like Galileo.
It is interesting to observe how modern physics is catching up with Catholic thinking: as early as 1215, the Fourth Lateran Council taught that the universe had a beginning in time. It was an idea that would have scandalised both an ancient Greek and a 19th century positivist; these days, it’s a common ingredient in modern cosmology.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Forget about the "fables"...
A letter writer advised a Sydney newspaper to print actual "news" and leave the fables - stories not founded on fact, or stories about supernatural beings - "to those who still believe in them."
Clearly, the writer's perspective of reality falls short of that held by followers of the world's great religions who have a transcendental view of reality that has been described as "God's eye of reality". If God is indeed the Creator of all things seen and unseen, human perception of reality must, by its nature, fall infinitely short of God who IS.
We must keep in mind that external reality comes to us, mere mortals, from two sources: external objects, and our internal apparatus of perception. This becomes very clear, for example, when we look at the green colour of a Granny Smith apple, smell its aroma, and taste its flavour. We may realise then that those three aspects (colour, aroma and flavour) are not in the apple but in the person who sees the apple, smells it, and takes a bite.
Atheists persist in claiming that their reason is capable of figuring out all there is between 'heaven and earth', the religious believer, on the other hand, acknowledges the limits of human knowledge, and admits there has to be a reality which our senses and minds cannot fathom; a reality referred to as "God".
Clearly, the writer's perspective of reality falls short of that held by followers of the world's great religions who have a transcendental view of reality that has been described as "God's eye of reality". If God is indeed the Creator of all things seen and unseen, human perception of reality must, by its nature, fall infinitely short of God who IS.
We must keep in mind that external reality comes to us, mere mortals, from two sources: external objects, and our internal apparatus of perception. This becomes very clear, for example, when we look at the green colour of a Granny Smith apple, smell its aroma, and taste its flavour. We may realise then that those three aspects (colour, aroma and flavour) are not in the apple but in the person who sees the apple, smells it, and takes a bite.
Atheists persist in claiming that their reason is capable of figuring out all there is between 'heaven and earth', the religious believer, on the other hand, acknowledges the limits of human knowledge, and admits there has to be a reality which our senses and minds cannot fathom; a reality referred to as "God".
The embrace of atheism by some/many must be seen as baffling since atheism is a true-blue dismal ideology. Atheist biologist Jay Gould speaks for fellow atheists when he pontificates that death is the end; that there is no cosmic purpose or divine justice, and that free will is but an illusion.
Today's atheists are Johnnies-come-lately, really. They follow in the faded footsteps of chaps such as the ancient-Greek philosophers Epicurus (born 341 BC) and Democritus (born ca 460 BC), and the Roman philosopher Lucretius (born ca 99 BC). The threesome believed that material reality is all there is. Epicurus confessed that his aim was to get rid of the gods and the idea of immortal souls; he also desired to remove people's longing for immortality. Had those three gentlemen lived around the time of Christ, they, too, might have championed Christianity - like Paul of Tarsus who, initially, was an overzealous persecutor of Christians.
Many centuries later, David Nicholls, President of the Atheist Foundation of Australia, echoes Epicurus and the latter's soul mates. David's materialistic philosophy regarding the killing of the unborn, the killing of fetuses for research purposes and the killing of adults on demand, should not surprise us: his ideas are natural outcomes of an earthbound and dead-end philosophy.
Today's atheists are Johnnies-come-lately, really. They follow in the faded footsteps of chaps such as the ancient-Greek philosophers Epicurus (born 341 BC) and Democritus (born ca 460 BC), and the Roman philosopher Lucretius (born ca 99 BC). The threesome believed that material reality is all there is. Epicurus confessed that his aim was to get rid of the gods and the idea of immortal souls; he also desired to remove people's longing for immortality. Had those three gentlemen lived around the time of Christ, they, too, might have championed Christianity - like Paul of Tarsus who, initially, was an overzealous persecutor of Christians.
Many centuries later, David Nicholls, President of the Atheist Foundation of Australia, echoes Epicurus and the latter's soul mates. David's materialistic philosophy regarding the killing of the unborn, the killing of fetuses for research purposes and the killing of adults on demand, should not surprise us: his ideas are natural outcomes of an earthbound and dead-end philosophy.
The term "assisted suicide" a misnomer?
Is the term "assisted suicide" a misnomer? Is a person who helps a person to die not actually killing a fellow human being at his/her request? Does the act of killing not make the assisting person a killer? And since the killing is intentional, does the act constitute murder?
In a letter to The Sydney Morning Herald, someone claimed the history of Christianity is "full of offence", then presented a 'litany of horrors' that would have caused great mirth among atheist mega-mass murderers Mao, Stalin and Hitler.
During the disgraceful Salem 'witch' trials in America, 19 women were sentenced to death. The Inquisition (which had authority only over Christians) caused the horrible death of, it is estimated, between 1500 and 4000 persons. To blame the Church for the spread of AIDS in Africa is ludicrous: US flooding of the continent with billions of condoms has actually aided the spread of AIDS. The only country that has had a measure of success combating AIDS is Uganda. How come? It's the only country where Church-suggested abstinence has been widely practised. As far as child molesters and pedophiles are concerned, they operate in increasingly large numbers in every nook and cranny of secular societies.
It's high time the letter writer read some real history books!
During the disgraceful Salem 'witch' trials in America, 19 women were sentenced to death. The Inquisition (which had authority only over Christians) caused the horrible death of, it is estimated, between 1500 and 4000 persons. To blame the Church for the spread of AIDS in Africa is ludicrous: US flooding of the continent with billions of condoms has actually aided the spread of AIDS. The only country that has had a measure of success combating AIDS is Uganda. How come? It's the only country where Church-suggested abstinence has been widely practised. As far as child molesters and pedophiles are concerned, they operate in increasingly large numbers in every nook and cranny of secular societies.
It's high time the letter writer read some real history books!
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