The Subtle Knife and the Sledgehammer

It started with a trilogy of books by Philip Pullman. "His Dark Materials" is the overarching title of them and the three books "Northern Lights", "The Subtle Knife" and "The Amber Spyglass" are just spellbindingly brilliant. Read them if you haven't already.

The National Theatre have made a two-part play of the books (touring the UK next year). See it if you haven't already.

New Line, the cinema people (now merged with Warner) made the first book into a film called "The Golden Compass". It was good. If you hadn't read the books you'd probably love it. If you had read the books you'd love the fact that it had been made as it would encourage more people to enrich their lives with the books.

Anyway, I got myself some tickets for the play(s) and have been genuinely bubbling with excitement (intermittently) ever since. It was with a great sense of anticipation, then, that I headed to the internet to find information on the imminent release of the next film installment.

Imagine my dismay when I find that the studio have decided not to make the remaining 2 films because the fundamentalist christians in America protested so hard against the first one that it only took $70m at the US box office. (they seem completely unaware of the fact that in the rest of the world - where people are more aware of the ridiculous logic behind following the morals of a book written 2,000 years ago- the film took a massive $300m)

But what is it exactly that the church finds so objectional in the films (and books)?

Anyone fortunate enough to have read the books will know that they are fantasy books which involved an organisation which controls its followers and behaves rather appallingly. The only way the church could be offended is if they recognised themselves in it...

Methinks they protesteth too much.

Bears in the Bible

I thought that on this chilly, autumn Sunday morning, it would be good to have a Bible reading. Please turn to Kings, chapter 2, verse 23.

"From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some youths came out of the town and jeered at him. "Go on up, you baldhead!" they said. "Go on up, you baldhead!" He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty‑two of the youths."

And the lesson here is clear. Teenagers who say rude things will be mauled by bears at the request of our mighty, peaceful and loving god.

Should, on your way home, a young rapscallion call you a name or refer to a lack of hair on your head or similar behaviour punishable by death, send me a message and I'll get a mate and we'll pop over and maul 42 of the rapscallions.

The Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments are quite tricky to follow so I thought I would help. Here they are translated. The first three are essentially pig-headed self-centred nonsense from God and the rest are fairly standard human sentiments.

1. ME ME ME ME ME ME ME

2. ME ME ME ME ME ME ME

3. ME ME ME ME ME ME ME

4. Have a day off

5. Be nice to your parents

6. Don't be a murderer

7. Don't be a slapper

8. Don't be a burglar

9. Don't pretend your neighbour is a horrid person if he's not

10. Stop being jealous of stuff.

It's really just "worship ME" made to look reasonable by some fairly obvious dictats.

You wait ages for a God and then two London buses turn up at once

'No God' slogans for city's buses

Bendy-buses with the slogan "There's probably no God" could soon be running on the streets of London.

The atheist posters are the idea of the British Humanist Association (BHA) and have been supported by prominent atheist Professor Richard Dawkins.

The BHA planned only to raise £5,500, which was to be matched by Professor Dawkins, but it has now raised more than £36,000 of its own accord.

It aims to have two sets of 30 buses carrying the signs for four weeks.

The complete slogan reads: "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life."

As the campaign has raised more than anticipated, it will also have posters on the inside of buses as well.

The BHA is also considering extending the campaign to cities including Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh.

Professor Dawkins said: "Religion is accustomed to getting a free ride - automatic tax breaks, unearned respect and the right not to be offended, the right to brainwash children.

"Even on the buses, nobody thinks twice when they see a religious slogan plastered across the side.

"This campaign to put alternative slogans on London buses will make people think - and thinking is anathema to religion."

Hanne Stinson, chief executive of the BHA, said: "We see so many posters advertising salvation through Jesus or threatening us with eternal damnation, that I feel sure that a bus advert like this will be welcomed as a breath of fresh air.

"If it raises a smile as well as making people think, so much the better."

But Stephen Green of pressure group Christian Voice said: "Bendy-buses, like atheism, are a danger to the public at large.

"I should be surprised if a quasi-religious advertising campaign like this did not attract graffiti.

"People don't like being preached at. Sometimes it does them good, but they still don't like it."

However the Methodist Church said it thanked Professor Dawkins for encouraging a "continued interest in God".

Spirituality and discipleship officer Rev Jenny Ellis said: "This campaign will be a good thing if it gets people to engage with the deepest questions of life."

She added: "Christianity is for people who aren't afraid to think about life and meaning."

The buses with the slogans will run in Westminster from January.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7681914.stm

Comments:

Let's just have a look at those quotes from the religious chaps again.

"Christianity is for people who aren't afraid to think about life and meaning."

and

"People don't like being preached at"

Ahhhh, you gotta love the loonies