Geert Wilders and Pat Condell
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- Created on Saturday, 06 February 2010 05:20
- Published on Saturday, 06 February 2010 05:20
- Written by John Draper
- Hits: 2701
Geert Wilders is on trial in the Netherlands for speaking the truth. The truth offended some Muslims so the Dutch Government told their courts to prosecute Wilders for hate speech. Wilders is also very popular with the people so this case could also be construed as the Dutch Government stamping on its opposition.
One of the outspoken critics of Muslims - at least the ones who get in the news with their hatred, terrorism and violence as they follow the Qu'ran - is Pat Condell. He has a way of telling it like it is and if he was in Amsterdam, he would no doubt also be in court. He is supporting Geert Wilder's latest strategy of taking his story to the world via the Internet - he has just released a new video that really blasts the "Crooked Judges of Amsterdam".
Read more: Geert Wilders and Pat Condell
Assisted dying - becoming more important
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- Created on Thursday, 04 February 2010 05:06
- Published on Thursday, 04 February 2010 05:06
- Written by John Draper
- Hits: 2282
The argument for assisted dying is most strongly felt by people who have slow acting terminal diseases. The arguments against are the "slippery slope" argument plus a belief that it is usurping God's will. But if you are an atheist, one argument is gone immediately. Prolific and very popular British author and humanist Sir Terry Pratchett, (born 1948), publicly announced in December 2007 that he was suffering from early-onset Alzheimer's disease.
On February 1, 2010 he gave the Richard Dimbleby Lecture - the title: Terry Pratchett: Shaking Hands with Death. He makes the case that modern society, confronted with an increasingly older population, many of whom will suffer from incurable illnesses, will need to redefine how it deals with death. The Richard Dimbleby Lecture is delivered each year by an influential business or political figure but this is the first time by a novelist.
The Story of Suzie – the believer
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- Created on Wednesday, 03 February 2010 05:00
- Published on Wednesday, 03 February 2010 05:00
- Written by John Draper
- Hits: 2433
Many people go through life in a dream world – they believe that God looks after them and the rest of the world when that is clearly not the case. They pray daily for things to happen which do not happen. But as the pastor explains, “that was God’s plan” so their prayer was not able to be answered. One example of this and you can say “Oh well, that’s the way it is” but many examples daily and you have to ask “Have I got this story right?” “Is there a God out there at all?”
Head Coverings and the hijab
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- Created on Tuesday, 02 February 2010 05:40
- Published on Tuesday, 02 February 2010 05:00
- Written by John Draper
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When I was a boy, and being brought up as a Catholic, all women were obliged to wear a hat inside a Church. Likewise men had to remove their hat. At the time, most men no longer wore hats and most women wore a hat with their "Sunday best" so there was no problem. It did not matter what Protestant Churches did or had as rules - the Catholics had the Eucharist and therefore a real presence of Jesus in the tabernacle(!). After a while, women stopped wearing hats - it was a fashion thing - but still had to wear a hat in Church. So they took to putting a handkerchief on their heads! You still see that a bit in Italy - they cling more to tradition.
Does Morality come from God?
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- Created on Monday, 01 February 2010 00:40
- Published on Monday, 01 February 2010 03:00
- Written by John Draper
- Hits: 5057
Many Christians and possibly other theists will say that without God, we would not be moral. They must have a really poor opinion of themselves! The person you know best is yourself and yet they are saying that the only reason they are moral, the only reason they don't go around lying, stealing and even murdering, is because God told them not to. That sounds a bit like a criminal psychotic who only avoids criminal behavior because he is afraid of getting caught. Psychologists tell us that this is a sick abnormal behavior; that normal people are not like that.
God believes what I believe
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- Created on Saturday, 30 January 2010 13:58
- Published on Saturday, 30 January 2010 13:00
- Written by John Draper
- Hits: 3258
The human mind is a strange thing - if I give an argument as to why something is true, many would reject it - perhaps with a comment "what would he know?". Writing it down makes more people believe than simply saying it but the ultimate in providing credibility is if someone has done a scientific study. As long as the study has been done properly, then it is reasonable to accept its conclusion.
So now we have a study reported in New Scientist about beliefs and why we believe. You would think that beliefs start with evidence that point to a conclusion but often we start from somewhere else. Often we start from being told by our parents (when very young) or someone we see as an authority and only then look for reasons.
Islam incompatible with Democracy
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- Created on Sunday, 31 January 2010 06:06
- Published on Sunday, 31 January 2010 06:06
- Written by John Draper
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Recently, Muslims have started to understand that their religion is fundamentally incompatible with democracy. The Islamic worldview is that 'man's life remains under the supervision of Allah; it is Allah who guarantees man's freedom, and guides him in his life journey.' Further, 'in Islam, the ruler is not held accountable to the people; his responsibility is to Allah alone. Muslims have no right to reject the Shariah. To date, not one Arab ruler has ever dared to rethink or amend the Shariah's requirements. It is quite evident that Islam is not compatible with democracy; the very word "democratos" (people's rule) contradicts the essence of Islam, where rule belongs exclusively to Allah.'
These are quotes from an Algerian writing on an Arab web site where he wrote an article: Muslims in the West: Lost within Modernity.
Four Canadian Universities lack true academic freedom.
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- Created on Saturday, 30 January 2010 05:32
- Published on Saturday, 30 January 2010 05:32
- Written by John Draper
- Hits: 1014
Universities by definition, are meant to be places where ideas are explored and "not places to create disciples of Christ." So says the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) which criticizes one Canadian University for failing to meet this criterion. B.C.-based Trinity Western and three others have been accused of "imposing a requirement of a commitment to a particular ideology or statement as condition of employment." In all four Universities, its faculty sign a statement of Christian faith before being hired.
The academic calendar at Trinity Western says: "All teaching, learning, thinking, and scholarship take place under the direction of the Bible" and their web site says: "there is one God, the Bible is the inspired Word of God, and Christ is God incarnate."
Read more: Four Canadian Universities lack true academic freedom.
