Yes, that’s right MY teenaged daughter is off to a Christian
Camp this long weekend.
Her good mate is going and she thought it would be fun, so I
signed the forms without any issues.
You see it’s not my think to throw my beliefs down my kid’s
throat, tell them what they can or can’t do with their lives – excepting
perhaps “Don’t get a bloody tattoo!”
It’s up-to my daughter to make her own conclusions as to the
existence of God and the story of his son, emissaries.
I don’t feel threatened at all my house could soon be occupied
by ‘a believer.’
My only comment to her was a tongue-in-cheek “Remember you
come from a long line of atheists.”
Now I would like you to picture this situation.
A Catholic Family has a daughter come home wanting to go to
an Easter Camp run by Baptists.
The congregation Penrose’s Assembly of God (Auckland) church
is almost an exclusively Samoan.
The pastoral staff also share the same heritage including until
recently Pastor Reti Falaniko.
But Pastor Falaniko won’t be preaching anywhere in New
Zealand from now on.
He and his pacemaker are on a plane back to Western Samoa.
Falaniko savagely abused his wife over their three year
marriage, including gouging her eye out.
Last week The Immigration and Protection Tribunal heard:
- - The beatings started after he felt his wife did
not give his the respect in public he thought he deserved
- - After failing to say ‘thank you’ after one of
his sermons he stomped on her
- - He smashed a coffee table above her head
resulting in seven stitches
- - After falsely accusing her of having an affair
he told his wife “Watch this. You’re going to die” Then proceeded to gouge her
eye out with his thumbs. Doctors weren’t able to save it. His wife is now
considered ‘functionally blind’.
- - 11 offences were catalogued
Pastor Reti Falaniko exhibited all the tendencies of a
violent psychopath and with the same lack of remorse.
His only defence to deportation was he had a pacemaker
installed, the result of a heart-attack, that could not get serviced back in
his native country.
The Tribunal checked this out and found out his ascertains were,
not surprisingly, false.
So where was The Assembly of God over the three years this systematic
brutality was going on?
One of the earlier assaults occurred on Church grounds so it’s
hard to see how the leadership of The N.Z Assembly of God could have been
unaware one of their ministers was offending, intervened accordingly.
The N.Z Assembly of God therefore stand condemned along
with their ‘man’.
The fall from grace of United States evangelists Ted Haggard and George Rekers, are well known around the globe and bring a smirk to the face of any self-respecting secularist.
In 2005, New Zealand experienced a similar case of the Christian moral guardian ‘life of lies’ being exposed, and in this case his plummet from the moral high-ground, resulted in a ‘crash’ more spectacular than both Haggard and Rekers put-together.
'He' was Graham Capill, and for twelve years prior to his imprisonment for 12 years he led the fundamentalist Christian Heritage Party. At its peak, his Christian Heritage Party fell short of getting into Parliament by only a fraction of a decimal point at the 1996 general-election.
Four years later the parties support had dropped to 1.4 per cent – a decline Capill put down to a plot within Television New Zealand to deny him adequate coverage.
Frustrated at their lack of political success Christian Heritage/Christian Coalition had for some time sought for the threshold of 5 per cent (of party vote) to be reduced.
Over the years Capill has railed against erotic art, prostitution, the size of penises on Maori carvings, homosexuality, gay parenting, a mock crucifixion on Kiwi soap-opera ‘Shortland Street, pornography, The Toyota “bugger” adverts, South Park (both the series and the film), Hero Parade, Marilyn Manson’s tour, the child-smacking ban, liberalised prostitution, Dr Nitschke's visit to New Zealand, the paintings of Keith Haring, Virgin in a Condom sculpture, Family Planning distribution of condoms, award winning children’s book featuring two lesbian characters, the chief film censor, Ministry of Women, a workshop organised by The Post Primary Teachers Association for homosexual members, The United Nations, Repubilcanism, de-facto marriages, free birth control etc etc.
In December 1999 when asked to comment at the number of cabinet members who refused to swear on the Bible at their inauguration, he said it was "ominous (sign) for the country's future".
The month before, he warned New Zealanders of the "terrifying social crisis" – abortion, crime and single parents.
Capill was a staunch supporters of a ban on Easter shopping pointing to New Zealand’s Christian principles (1997) as the basis for continuing with the archaic tradition to deny business’s the right to open when they so choose. He also was the chief supporter of the right for parents to smack on the same-basis of Christian traditions and stated (29th January 1997) “God had given the power and responsibility to parents to train their children and sometimes smacking and strapping was called for”.
Capill, the man who was at one time in The Police Prosecutions Section in his capacity as a lawyer and is on record calling child-molesters “evil” – plead guilty (July 2005) to rape, unlawful sexual connection and three counts of indecent assault charges against two girls under 12.
Like Haggard and Rekers, Capill believed that gay people were inherently evil and could be ‘cured’ through Christian re-education.
At the same time Capill was calling for the introduction of Christian chastity programme for secondary school pupils, in which boys and girls would pledge to abstain from sex until they found a life partner, he was abusing an eight year old girl. One of his three victims (the oldest was 12) was a pupil at the Christian college at which the church minister-turned lawyer was preaching and ironically counselling as well.
“Anyone who uses children as a pawn in a game is playing for high stakes and needs to be careful," is what he told New Zealanders in 1999 in criticism of a radio competition run to ‘create a baby’.
In his trail summing-up, the judge highlighted the warped mind-set of Capill in respect to this victim, and his inability to distingush the boundaries between adult and child "You told the probation officer you were feeling lust and excitement when you were with (the victim). You had a high level of sexual arousal and your purpose was to get her to the point where she wanted sexual intercourse.”
Further evidence of Capills dangerous mental condition came out in an email to friends, in which the father of 10 said that sex with one of his young victims was consensual. In the same email he asked his friends to pray for a lenient judge and prison term before his sentencing.
As a boy he played violin with the National Youth Orchestra and also played the organ in Christchurch Cathedral.
In the court the day of his sentencing was spokeswoman for Lesbian Action For Visibility in Aotearoa, Ann Charlotte, a Christchurch woman who for years was dubbed "sexually perverted" by Graham Capill who made sure she was on hand to witness the fall of the now-disgraced moral crusader.
When I last heard Capill comes up for parole shortly.
Justifiably prior applications for parole have been refused.
Footnote: This song seemed strangely fitting...can’t think why?
You have just died and discovered, to your horror, that all those Christian stories of hell are true.
The Devil and his minions, all drunk and in black death-metal t-shirts, are there to greet-you.
Beelzebub looks at your mortal CV, concludes you are indeed in the right place.
Then welcomes you into the fold and allocates you a room with a view over-looking the active volcano.
So why the f*ck would The Devil now want to torture you?
He’s seen you have been a naughty-boy and ignored ‘the word of God’ and therefore surely he should be lining-up a big-titted whore and hard-liquor to celebrate, before you go off to see The Zappa concert.
But rather than congratulating you for being a staunch heathen – The Devil begins to punish you?
WTF?!
This is just not logical actions, oxymoronic, and no-one has ever explained to me why the ultimate evil-doer The Devil would want to punish mortals who follow his own path?
Christmas is the one time of the year where you would anticipate all of Christianities variants would unite to celebrate the birth of their messiah – bury the hatchet.
But there has been few Christian good-tidings for St Michaels Anglican Church in Auckland over the festive season.
Recently they placed this risqué poster outside their church to simulate debate amongst all peoples about the story of Christ’s birth , including non-believers, or as Archdeacon Glynn Cardy put-it “We actually think God is about the power of love as shown in Jesus, which is something quite different than a literal man up in the sky,"
The archdeacon says the plan behind the billboard was to lampoon the literal interpretation of the Christmas conception story – and frankly they did a good job and get my congratulations on a great marketing job – it’s a winner.
However whilst atheists may have gotten a giggle out of this novel approach to ‘bring Christ back into Christmas’ – not so the fundamentalists in the Christian ranks.
And it doesn’t get any more fundamentalist in New Zealand than Family First and The Catholic Church.
Their followers and ilk have been stirred into action and in the ultimate act of Christian charity first vandalized and then ripped the poster down.
St Michaels office phone has forced to go straight to a message centre after be lambasted with abusive calls and threats.
The Police are now involved.
Like any good fundamentalists the Christian Taliban see themselves as ‘the true believers’ and ‘holders of the truth’ and will break the law, threaten and abuse those that stand in their way – even if their targets are the largest Christian denomination in New Zealand.
To interpret The Bible any other way than their own – is to quote several threats emailed to the church ‘blasphemy’.
Well here is my own Christmas message to the spokespeople of Family First and Catholic Church, Bob McCoskrie and Lyndsay Freer and those who wish to stifle freedom of speech.
“Who needs Atheist bus adverts when there are bigots like you doing the job for free?”
Mark Sanford is the holy-rolling Governor of South Caroline, and a few days ago, he went walkabout without telling anyone close to him, or at least that was the original story.
For those of you unfamiliar with U.S Politics, Clement Mark Sanford is a man who has campaigned on ‘values’ and championed the cause of state-funding of religious education.
A bible-bashing George Bush clone, who looks to the same constituency to remain in power.
The U.S media have been full of the story of the missing Governor. His dutiful wife (pictured above with her hubby)said she had no idea where he was, even though his disappearance coincided with Father’s Day.
Even his Lieutenant Governor claimed had no idea, and didn’t even know if he was Acting Governor or not! It was first rumoured Sanford was on some sort of solo tramp in the Appalachians Trail.
This rumour also sparked another, more amusing line of speculation – that he was up in the hills naked, as one of the days he was off in the bush just happened to be ‘National Hike Naked Day’.
But all of this speculation, rumour begetting rumour, turns-out to be a load of crap.
Governor Sanford, was actually down in Argentina bonking some tart. All of this came out at in a Press Conference, that bordered on the comical as the philandering Sanford rambled on about the laws of God. He said, “the laws of God are not oppressive rules”, but “are always put into place for our own protection”. He also said “that the laws of God were absolutes and that he had been attending Christian bible studies”.
For the benefit of the non-theists not into this laws of God , what Sandford is telling the world is fairly simple:
1.)His wife is frigid and didn’t put out enough
2.)The power of a standing-prick trumps Gods cards every-time.
This is one of the widely portrayed depictions of Jesus Christ.
Everyone agrees, these pictures & statues etc of Jesus, all have a very stereotypical look to them.
Uniformly, it’s one of a tall, handsome, bearded, eastern European looking male, in his mid to late-twenties.
So what does The Bible (the only contemporary historical reference point we have at all for a Jesus of Nazareth) say about the appearance of this messiah bloke?
What biblical-record is there, taken from the thousands of witness’s that allegedly meet him?
The disciples in particular, must have had something to say on how Jesus looked?
Things like his height, the colour of his hair, his skin, facial hair etc?
“He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him” (Isaiah 53:2-5)
That’s it.
That’s the total of the information, believers have to go-on, in respect to what Jesus looked like.
Yet, all these millions of depictions we observe, in every-church around the globe, all look so strikingly similar?
Like much of Christian history versus Christian rhetoric – what you see depicted as Jesus hanging from crosses, in books, on the internet etc – is merely propaganda.
Share fiction, masquerading as fact.
Christianity has its ecumenical roots in Europe, not the middle-east.
These depictions of Jesus are constructed in the minds of Europeans, to extract monies from a European audience.
Rome knew when they started selling Christianity, they needed to present Jesus as looking like ‘one of them’.
There was no way they could market their chosen God, as a dark-skinned, dark-eyed Arab – even though that was most like scenario, given where he was born, and his mothers origins.
To paint Jesus as a Jew, or an Arab, in appearance, would have been an exact representation of their avowed theist enemies.
Even centuries later, those that run the varying Christian sects, know the concept of a dark-skinned Christian messiah – is unpalatable to their audience.
So they continue their advertising campaign with the lily-white, tall handsome ‘he-man’ we see today.
The one mere slither of Biblical record Christians have on the appearance of Jesus, being he was no looker, is completely ignored by virtually all, who depict him.
Goebbels was right, when he said a big lie will gradually become indistinguishable from the truth, and all the more believable, over time.
Perhaps Herr Goebbels was looking at the false characture of Jesus Christ, when he worked that one out?
Before we get to the latest murder making headlines, let’s take the liberty of profiling some of the other murders, anti-abortionists have undertaken in the name of their cause.
You’ll notice, the perpetrators of the crimes, hold one ideal, close to their hearts.
That’s the united belief they are on a mission, ordained by God.
If that modus-operandi, sounds strangely familiar – try thinking about planes crashing into buildings.
Indeed, such is the depth of hatred amongst and outright venom, amongst anti-abortionists here in New Zealand – they are lording this latest murder, as ‘justifiable’.
Just like the Islamic Terrorists, anti-abortionists are able to twist pervert their own Christian beliefs, to justify indiscriminate violence and murder.
1993: Florida, Doctor David Gunn, murdered by member of Operation Rescue.
1994: Dr. John Britton and James Barrett, a clinic escort, were both shot to death outside of another facility in Pensacola, by Reverend Paul Jennings Hill. The good reverend was executed.
1994: Two receptionists Shannon Lowney and Lee Ann Nichols, were killed in two clinic attacks in Massachusetts. John Salvi, with links to Human Life International confessed to the murders, but committed suicide, prior to trial.
1998: Robert Sanderson, an off-duty police officers, who moon-lighted as a security guard at an abortion clinic in Birmingham, Alabama, was killed when his workplace was bombed, by Eric Rudolf (infamous for The Atalanta Games bombings) Had links to a shadowy Christian group called The Army of God. Rudolfs crusade also involved bombing a lesbian bar.
1998: Dr. Barnett Slepian was shot to death at his home in New York. His killer, who was a member of The Lambs of Christ, fled to France where he was captured and returned to U.S for trial and imprisonment.
Now, these are just the known murders.
There are a number of unsolved cases where anti-abortion Doctors were killed, and where no one claimed responsibility & the guilty parties were never tracked-down.
These North American attacks go back to 1984, when an abortion clinic and two physicians' offices in Florida were bombed in the early morning of Christmas Day by a quartet of young people (Matt Goldsby, Jimmy Simmons, Kathy Simmons, Kaye Wiggins) who later called the bombings "a gift to Jesus on his birthday”.
2000, saw a Catholic priest drive his car into the Northern Illinois Health Clinic after learning that the FDA had approved the drug RU-486. He pulled out an ax before being shot at by a security guard.
In 2001, The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, receives a powdery substance at 90 of its facilities, from a group calling itself the Army of God. Samples taken later tested negative for Anthrax.
The list of this reign of anti-abortion terrorism is extensive, and damning.
And before you say “this is just an American phenomenon” – think again.
In 2002 a security-guard at a Melbourne abortion clinic was shot in the face, and killed by a pro-life activist.
The wife of my own Doctor, herself a part-time physician at a clinic here in Christchurch, has received treats.
So the anti-abortion movement’s, radical and dangerous under-belly, operates in every western country.
Mark my words – it will only be a matter of time till we see our own terror attacks here in New Zealand.
We will soon see our own Dr George Tiller.
In fact we are overdue home-grown terrorism of this kind, given the share venom you see on Kiwi ‘pro-life’ blogs, rejoicing at the murder of Dr Tiller.
Footnote: The first manifestation of Marilyn Manson, wrote & dedicated the following song to Dr David Gunn, the first person to die at the hands of Christian Anti-Abortion Terrorists.
If you believe what you read, yesterday the Pope, visited the baptism site of Jesus, in Jordan.
The fact is, this is one of two major sites that claim to be Jesus baptism site (there have been more) and no one actually knows, where the actual event occurred, or if it even happened in the first place.
As an historic record, The Bible is full of gaps, ones which Christians see no problem in filling-in, retrospectively and with little or no basis to known facts.
Christians shamelessly do this, revisionist history lesson, to suit their own purposes.
Christians have been making-up holy-sites and fictitious dates, to suit their story-book tales, for centuries.
When it comes to re-writing history and letting the story become fact, David Irving is a light-weight compared to say The Catholic Church.
Christian leaders know the billion plus suckers, that keep them in power – will believe these fictional stories, irrespective of the facts.
Jesus Birth Date – create a falsehood in the name of religion
Exact Birthplace of Jesus – create a falsehood in the name of religion
Date of Death & Resurrection – create a falsehood in the name of religion
Jesus Baptism location – create a falsehood in the name of religion
House of The Virgin Mary – create a falsehood in the name of religion
Christianities list of make-believe sites, and fictional dates is extensive.
So here we have the leader of the world’s largest Christian denomination, proving this very point.
Making a pilgrimage, to a so-called site, which has no more verifiable credibility, than any other lump-of-land, bordering Jordan River.
Unabashedly perpetrating - this historic deception on a grand scale.
This shameful exercise in re-writing history, is a damming indictment on the principals of Christianity, and its followers - that happily & complacently turn-the-blind-eye to bare-faced lies & share-fantasy, when it suits them.
Rob host’s Radio Rhema’s afternoon slot, called ‘The Home Run’.
The station describes his show as ‘a fresh mix of positive music and lifestyle talk’.
Rob and Radio Rhema, are clearly an insecure bunch, at best.
Unsure of the strength, not just of their own faith, but that of their listening audience - as well.
Beset with fear and anxiety, Radio Rhema feels threatened by this lady……
Children’s author, local Cantabrain, Margret Mahy.
Her novels have been translated into German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Italian, Japanese, Catalan and Afrikaans. In addition, some stories have been translated into Russian, Chinese and Icelandic.
In 2006 Mahy was awarded the international Hans Christian Anderson Awaard in recognition of a ‘lasting contribution to children's literature’.
She is a global literary gem in my books, worth bottling.
But whilst you and I may see Mahy as a fun-loving, respected author – this is not the way Holding and his righteous team at Radio Rhema see her through their coke-bottle sized ‘god-goggles’.
These ‘fine stead-fast Christians’ have taken the radical steps of banning her, from their air-waves.
And what pray-tell has caused this consternation, and raised their ire?
Was, Mahy discovered belonging to a coven of witches?
If you read her books backwards, you’ll hear the words of Beelzebub himself?
No, you’d be wrong.
It’s her latest Kids book, which pokes fun (in cartoon form) of religious institutions in New Zealand, amongst every other fabric of our history.
This is a ‘light-hearted’ humorous book aimed at young readers.
Yet, the petrified and feeble Bob Holding, felt so threatened by the 73 year-olds latest book, he’s banned her from his show!
All Holding is doing is publically admitting he & his inadequate listeners, lack the fortitude to hear & read the words of a 73 year-old children’s author - without feeling threatened.
The, pitiful, cowardly & narrow actions of a radio-station with, all the spine of a jelly-fish.
Hold-on one second - I’m just going to have to pinch myself.
O.K that’s fine, I am in my Christchurch study and it is the year 2009.
English is still my, first language and I’m not living in Nazi Germany in 1937.
Still, it was relatively easy to confuse the two eras, when we read of attempts by Christians in Christchurch to stifle sales of renowned children’s author, Margaret Mahy’s new book ‘Awesome Aotearoa, History of New Zealand’.
One look at the cover indicates it is ‘a tongue in check’ book of the countries history and Mahy and cartoonist/illustrator Trace Hodson makes no bones about poking fun, at all sorts of New Zealand institutions.
The object of the irreverent book was to make history fun for youngsters, but ‘thin-skinned’ Christians don’t see it that way, and labeled it ‘disrespectful’ and are doing their best to show their distain during Mahys promotional tour.
An example of this underlying humour in its pages, is Captain James Cook's discovery of New Zealand - which is described by Mahy as having been unwise, considering he landed on island full of cannibals with a name like ‘Cook’.
This is a quirky tale, illustrated with cartoons aimed at readers aged 6 to 10 – not the Satanic Bible for Kiwi Children.
What a sad bunch Christians are in this country, when they act in this bigoted and immature fashion, over a harmless children’s book of all things.
It appears the local Catholic Church is running scared of Swine-Flu.
Strange I thought it was just that Jews that avoided pigs?
From this Sunday, New Zealand’s Catholic Bishops are stopping parishioners receiving communion wafers on the tongue, communion wine from the chalice, and from shaking hands at the sign of peace at masses in New Zealand.
Doesn’t anyone in The Catholic Church of Aotearoa, follow the teachings of The Holy Bible anymore?
The Bible is very specific.
Diseases like this are a condition of sin or demonic possession, fixable by ordering the person to be well, forgiving sin, casting-out demons, and among other methods - the creative use of spit.
What a sad-day it is for religion in this country, when bastions of Christianity like this, turn their backs on Gods-word, to follow that secular hocus-pocus called modern medicine.
The Bishops that approved this rejection of Gods-word & still lucid enough to know what day-of-the-week it is - should be de-frocked.
One of the biggest jokes, are those throngs of Christians who trumpet their ‘conservatism’ as something to be proud of, yet all too conveniently avoid practicing what they preach.
This pious bunch consider being ‘conservative’ as a badge of honour, expecting everyone else should look at these self-appointed moral zealots, as holding some form of higher ground.
They also tend to run scared, or scuttle back under their rocks, when they are confronted with their hypocrisy.
Have you ever considered how these ‘conservative’ groups manifest their conservatism, in a societal context?
What happens in countries where large groups of conservatives live, and form the majority of the population?
What would be say a ‘conservatives’ position, on say 'the age of sexual consent'?
Sixteen years old, perhaps as exists in New Zealand and Australia etc?
Eighteen, even?
I’m about to show you what a pack of hypocrites, these so-called conservatives and their leaders are, by using something tangible and measurable, like this ‘the age of consent’.
Before, I start (and for the record), here in New Zealand the age of consent is 16 years. This is an across the board age limit here – irrespective of marital status or sexual orientation.
Now let’s look at where the largest populations of say, Catholics live, and spot-light the age, these Christian Catholic countries see fit to condone two consenting adults (or, as we’ll sadly soon find-out, children as well) are capable of making a decision to engage in sexual intercourse.
BRAZIL [150,00,000 Baptised Catholics] 14 if married MEXICO [ 90,000,000 Baptised Catholics] 12 if married PHILIPPINES [ 60,000,000 Baptised Catholics] 12 irrespective ITALY [ 60,000,000 Baptised Catholics] 14 irrespective USA [55,000,000 Baptised Catholics] 16 varies state by state
Of the 15 top Catholic nations I surveyed the average age of consent was slightly over 14 years-old.
Taking this another step, how does this directly compare to countries, where the moral bankrupts are located?
You know those places where evil ‘non-believers’, are found in large numbers?
Here’s the top five (based on population) Atheistic countries, and their respective ‘age of consents’.
JAPAN [80,000,000 Non-Believers] 13 irrespective VIETNAM [66,000,000 Non-Believers] 18 irrespective RUSSIA [50,000,000 Non-Believers] 16 irrespective GERMANY [40,000.000 Non-Believers] 14 under circumstances FRANCE [30,000,000 Non-Believers] 15 irrespective
As a direct comparison of the top 15 Atheist Countries through-out the world, the average age of consent was bang-on (no pun intended) 16.
I don’t know about you, but I think 14, let alone 12 is definitely far too young for anyone to be considered an adult.
So to be fair and impartial, I am encompassing atheistic countries like Germany, in my condemnation.
The fact still remains 12, is the age of consent in six of the 15 top Catholic countries around the globe.
Only four were 16 or over.
In the secular countries, six of the top 15 I surveyed, thought 16 year-olds were in a position to make the decision – an age, I personally concur with.
None said 12 years-old was O.K.
I can only gather, ‘blessing’ such a low age of consent in conservative Catholic countries is the legacy of Mary being impregnated by God, at the tender age of 14 or 15?
Biblically inspired even, or are its adherents simply following the orders from Rome?
The Vatican certainly appears to be all for the age, to be at the lower end of the worldwide scale.
Rather interestingly, my research turned-up the Vatican City has the lowest consent age in Europe, at just 12.
That’s right folks, The Pope and his ‘conservative bunch of male virgins’ think 12 years-old is an age when two ‘kids’ can start f*cking!!
According to my moral compass, if not The Catholic Churches, a 14 year-old is too young to undertake the responsibilities of parenthood (the end result) - let alone a 12 year-old.
But the secularist doctrine has no leaders, is not dependent on mass-breading and indoctrination of the young at all costs, for its survival.
So a message to all you ‘conservatives’ - tidy up your own back yards – starting with allowing 12 year olds to f*ck.
In July of last year, some of the 200 Indian pilgrims bound for Catholic Youth Day in Sydney, took the opportunity of a stop-over in Auckland to ‘do a runner’.
In total 33 of these Catholic pilgrims took their chances and absconded.
14 of them are still missing, nine odd months on.
At the time, New Zealand Catholic Church spokeswoman Lyndsay Freer told Radio New Zealand, the mass defection was “shocking” and “there was no reason to believe the missing pilgrims were not genuine”.
Freer may now wish to now change her initial statement, given it is obvious New Zealand Immigration have been taken for a ride by her representatives & the countries tax-payers continue to pay for their lack of vetting, and gross abdication of responsibility for their sponsored charges time, whilst stopping in New Zealand.
This was a large escorted trip, sponsored by N.Z Catholic Church, using local billets – but when the ‘shit hit the fan’ the Church didn’t want a bar of the massive cost trying to find such a large group of absconders.
Imagine the screams of indignation we would have heard if the so-called pilgrims had their applications for temporary visas refused in the first place?
Those cries would have been lead by Freer personally.
All the Kiwi tax-payer got was 'shocked indignation' at the time, and now a deafening silence from the very organistation, entrusted to care for them in the first place!
Not one ounce of moral responsibility to ‘pick-up-the-pieces’.
I wanted to expand upon the premise I gave below that: Jesus Christ did not exist based on the known evidence, and the implications of faith over-ruling facts.
From the reaction to this post and others of a similar vein, it appears ‘the want to believe’ or ‘faith’ trumps even common-sense & logic.
Facts themselves fail when put-beside faith.
I appreciate there are well established & powerful vested interest groups that need these myths to continue, or they would immediately become redundant, with little prospect of finding a real job, one suspects.
So what would it take for a Christian to say “the story of Christ I was told is not true?”.
Let me run these scenarios by you, and get your feedback.
Scenario One: A new set of Dead Sea Scrolls are found, pre-dating the oldest known set of scriptures by 150 years. They depict Jesus missing years, what he got up to in his teens and twenties. The picture they paint, is at odds with the divine, miracle-worker. The manuscripts tell stories of drunkenness, fights and sexual conquests of a man called Jesus of Nazareth.
Scenario Two: A new set of Dead Sea Scrolls are found, pre-dating the oldest known set of scriptures by 150 years. They depict Jesus missing years, what he got up to in his teens and twenties. The picture they paint, is one of his majesty and compassion. Hither-to-unknown miracles are outlined in its parchments.
Both set of scrolls are analysed and authenticated.
So which set of scrolls would be accepted as being genuine, or should I re-phrase this and say – which set would be believed?
Only the second set fits the established storyline.
Only the second would receive a blessing, from within the established theology.
The first scrolls would either be ignored or called a hoax, not because of any other reason than to accept what the contents said, would mean a complete re-write of the life of Jesus, and bring into doubt his divine heritage.
To believe what was written to the first set of scrolls, would turn Christianity on its head - but is that enough justification to dismiss them outright?
So, why do Christians never let the facts get in the way of a good story?
We often see criticism levelled against religion as being ‘an enemy of science’.
But rarely do we see religion called ‘the enemy of democracy’ & when we do, the focus is often on Islam.
Westerners are quick to criticise regimes such as Iran, which inter-weave politics & religion, and over-look what is going on in their own backyards.
The very foundation of modern secular world is that broad term we call democracy.
That’s people, getting to have a say about their future – not solely politicians and church leaders.
Have you ever stopped to think, that the political system we embrace is the antithesis of that which operates in the dominant religions operating in the world?
It’s not just the Middle-East where religious groups repress freedom.
To properly analyise what this, we need to take a look at the political structures of the major Churches to see how they operate, and then reflect on the compatibility with the freedoms we enjoy living in a secular democracy(cut and pasted off The BBC’s page on Religion, for the benefit of the theists, who always question my sources)
CATHOLIC CHURCH: the hierarchical nature of Catholicism sets it apart from other Christian churches. It is a pyramid with the Pope at the top, followed by cardinals (who have the right to elect a new pope on the death of the current incumbent), archbishops, bishops, priests and laity. All major decisions rest with the Pope and his advisors.
ISLAM: Today there are significant differences in the structures and organisation of religious leadership in the Sunni and the Shi'a communities. There is a hierarchy to the Shi'a clergy and political and religious authority is vested in the most learned who emerge as spiritual leaders. These leaders are transnational and religious institutions are funded by religious taxes called Khums (20% of annual excess income) and Zakat (2.5%). Shi'a institutions abroad are also funded this way. There is no such hierarchy of the clergy in Sunni Islam. Most religious and social institutions in Sunni Muslim states are funded by the state. Only Zakat is applicable. In the West most Sunni Muslim institutions are funded by charitable donations from the community at home and abroad.
Catholicism and Islam are the two dominant religions on this planet, and which one of the two, operates on a democratic basis?
The short answer is, neither.
Were, ‘brownie points’ to be issued for ‘democratic traits’ the Islamic system, would secure more, but both churches are variants of what we know as dictatorships, one on a macro level, one on a micro-level.
The system the Catholic Church functions under bears a striking resemblance to European fascist regimes of the 1930’s , except I guess you could argue, those historic dictators first came to power via the democratic system, voted for by the people not a small cliché of clergy.
The irony here is, despite running a totalitarian regime, The Catholic Church relies on ‘freedom of religion’ for its very existence, along with complaisant followers, who don’t have the fortitude, or are too scared to question ‘the system’.
For example evidently New Zealand’s Catholics are happy with edicts to ban contraception, stop stem-cell research etc.
The reason of course, no garden-variety Catholic would come out and say openly “I think condoms would prevent AIDS in Africa” at local parish level is - no one would listen anyway!
Even if 99% of Catholic parishioners worldwide believed supporting the distribution of condoms in Africa, was the correct action to take given the circumstances – those in Rome’s corridors of power, could or would ignore the will of the people.
Why should the non-Catholics amongst us, grant special privileges, like a tax-free life-style, to a group that wants to play by its own rules, and rejects the very system we ‘spilled blood’ to keep?
So why does secular society, like here in New Zealand, allow groups in our midst to operate outside the bounds we consider to be fair, for the rest of us?
Allows them to set-up a sepearte schooling system, that selects children on the basis of their parents religion?
The N.Z National Front can’t come-out and say “we don’t want none of them Jews n’ blacks”, without facing state sanction.
Yet, the same state authorities endorse sexism in Churches up and down the country, by taking the default position.
Even if The N.Z Government, made it illegal for Churches to select employees in a non-sexist fashion – the Churches in New Zealand don’t take orders from the state anyway!
Their mandate comes from overseas, exploiting the very freedoms, that they themselves reject outright.
Churches also ‘play politics’ in the public arena when it suits them.
This is not to say, all Churches operate in a totalitarian fashion, many have embraced democracy and the ability for the people to have a say has seen the ordination of woman, relaxation on discrimination against homosexuals etc, and a whole raft of liberalisms - all born of a groundswell from its followers.
So therefore, political pressure can be placed upon those in charge of religious entities, where a system of democracy exists within the Church itself.
But, where a Church rejects democracy outright, society must start asking questions –“why are we letting them get away with this, under the name of religion?”
So should the adherents question the morality of sexism and facism - if they had any fortitude and spine – which patently they don’t.
Let’s get things straight for starters peoples, Jesus resurrection did not happen over Easter, so the dates we currently observe, have as much validity as say picking the Northern Winter Solstice for his birthday.
Oh shit, that’s right, that’s what happens already, sorry.
To most Kiwis, Easter is a weekend off, a time to over-indulge in the consumption chocolate, relax.
For decades the religious-relevance of Easter has faded, and with it have come calls for regulations to stop retailers opening en masse on Friday and Monday.
Currently it’s only the likes of the neighbourhood dairies and petrol-stations that have ‘an indulgence’ from The Labour Department, to open on these sacrocede days.
Apparently Christians in New Zealand don’t see any hypocrisy popping into Mr Patel’s shop and grabbing a packed of Rothmans & loaf of bread on Easter Friday and Monday – but are up in arms at the prospect at Mr Patel’s neighbour, the bookshop, opening.
Also against the principal of business’s choosing to make their own decisions as to when they open and close, in harsh economic times like this, are The Unions.
So secularists & business’s face fighting ‘the axis of evil’, Unions and Theists, over the perennial issue of why can’t a Garden shop open, on one of their busiest & most profitable long-weekends of the year? Why can’t the consumer wake-up on Easter Friday and think “I’ll go get those pair of shoes I need”?.
Even though we have a so-called right leaning Government in New Zealand, its unlikely business pressure groups will ‘get much change’ out of the National Party (antipodean political wing of Opus Dei )
My bet is what we will see, are more rebellious retailers, who are prepared to risk facing fines opening on Easter, doing so.
The share number tide of this movement will swamp The Labour Department, to the point their staff can never hope to issue prosecution-notices all ‘law-breakers’, making the exercise one in futility.
Employees, who get time-and-half plus a day-in-lieu to work, will opt to staff the business’s happily and without coercion.
Consumers, can choose to buy the latest Radiohead Album, new pair of jeans or not.
Those that want to go to Church and have a day (historically misplaced, never-the-less) in quiet observance, still have that opportunity.
Atheists do look for answers to existence itself. They just don't make them up. What am I like? Well, imagine Reginald Perrin, only more neurotic & dependent on beer to function normally in public.
