‘New Ways Ministry has never been contacted by US Conference of Catholic Bishops to discuss our work.’… Read the rest
All entries by this author
US Bishops Warn: No Being Friendly to Gays 
Feb 9th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘New Ways Ministry does not speak for the Catholic faithful.’ But the bishops do?!… Read the rest
Hardeep Singh Kohli Not Keen on Daggers in Class
Feb 9th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
While going to school in Barnet may be challenging, it’s not the Punjab in 1708.… Read the rest
Sikh Judge Criticizes Ban on ‘Ceremonial Dagger’
Feb 9th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Sikhs should be allowed to wear their ceremonial daggers to school and other public places, he says.… Read the rest
David Aaronovitch on Amnesty’s Poster Boy
Feb 9th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Begg fell for the Taliban that whipped women for ‘improper dress’ and had fired all women in public service.… Read the rest
Go to School and Learn to Pick Lettuce
Feb 8th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A vacuous ideology robs too many US schoolchildren of hours they might have spent reading books.… Read the rest
Germany’s Catholic Sexual Abuse Scandal
Feb 8th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The code of silence has been upheld for decades, informally or by virtue of Vatican directives.… Read the rest
Terry Glavin on AI and Cage Prisoners
Feb 8th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
They don’t belong together.… Read the rest
Ukpabio’s Lawsuit Against Igwe Struck Out
Feb 8th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Helen Ukpabio of the Liberty Gospel Church failed to show up, so her suit against Leo Igwe is over.… Read the rest
The ‘Islamophobia Watch’ Take on Gita Sahgal
Feb 8th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
She is ‘a member of a nutty group called Women Against Fundamentalisms.’ … Read the rest
Nick Cohen on Amnesty and Gita Sahgal
Feb 8th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Given a choice between violent patriachy and women’s rights, like many liberal institutions AI chooses reaction. … Read the rest
Amnesty Shafts What it Purports to Defend
Feb 8th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
AI suspended Gita Sahgal for suggesting AI should not cozy up to the Taliban.… Read the rest
Humanism and the Quest for Justice in Africa
Feb 8th, 2010 | By Leo IgweJustice, they say, is the first condition of humanity. That means justice is imperative for human existence and coexistence. Justice is necessary for any society to grow, develop and flourish. Any movement that gives primary consideration to the human being must take the quest for justice- the enthronement of a just society- seriously. Millions of people around the world are living, languishing, suffering and dying under unjust conditions imposed on them by fellow human beings. And this is particularly the case in Africa.
The humanist outlook cannot thrive in a situation of so much injustice and deprivation. Humanism cannot take a firm hold on a society where unjust institutions abound and oppression prevails.
So for humanism to flourish in Africa, … Read the rest
Holding onto a shadow
Feb 8th, 2010 11:47 am | By Ophelia BensonDer Spiegel takes a hard look at the Vatican’s secretive ways with abusive employees.
According to the instructions from Rome, the bishops were to deal very firmly with each individual case — so firmly, in fact, that everything would remain within the confines of the Holy Church…On the surface, the Vatican’s objective is to protect the sacrament of the confession. In reality, however, it is trying to uphold the Catholic Church’s claim to being a superior moral authority. Nothing can be allowed to besmirch this authority: not the sexual abuse of children and adolescents, committed by thousands of Catholic priests worldwide…
And there you have it – the Catholic church’s total moral failure, in a nutshell. The failure is total … Read the rest
Just get on with the gardening
Feb 7th, 2010 5:45 pm | By Ophelia BensonMark Vernon tells us that the key issue in Kant’s Critiques was understanding the limits of human knowledge.
… Read the restWhen Kant said that Enlightenment was maturity this is what he meant, being able to live with this finitude and not reach out for false certainty. So we have Enlightenment humanism as scepticism and grappling with the reality of human knowledge and experience. This I would actually relate to a tradition within religion, though it is one lamentably in decline today. It is called the ‘apophatic’, meaning ‘negative way’. It stands in marked contrast to the ‘cataphatic’, meaning ‘positive way’, the strident assertions of indisputable religious dogma and divine truth. The apophatic is a way of approaching what is ultimately unknown by
Gita Sahgal Publishes a Statement
Feb 7th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Defence of the torture standard has been allied to political legitimization of individuals and organisations on the Islamic Right. … Read the rest
Richard Bartholomew on Gita Sahgal
Feb 7th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Amnesty has suspended her in the wake of the article.… Read the rest
Gita Sahgal and Amnesty International
Feb 7th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Sahgal suggests AI supports Begg and Cageprisoners out of fear of being branded racist and ‘Islamophobic.’… Read the rest
The Role of Program Code in Climate Research
Feb 7th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
We really do need to be sure that we’re not getting any of our sums wrong.… Read the rest
The People Speak on Autism and MMR
Feb 7th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
My kids aren’t vaccinated and they don’t have autism. Explain that, smarty! [The Onion]… Read the rest
