People say the pope didn’t do enough about child rape. He did a lot.… Read the rest
All entries by this author
Do public workers lose free speech rights?
Sep 20th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonIncluding when they’re off duty?… Read the rest
Polly Toynbee on Ratzinger’s social call
Sep 20th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonThe Holy See is not a democracy, nor a signatory to the European Convention of Human Rights, and it stands above mere democratic law.… Read the rest
The BBC just adores the pope
Sep 20th, 2010 12:19 pm | By Ophelia BensonThe BBC is all but wetting itself in its excitement about the pope’s visit. Everything was so wonderful! It was just so so so beautiful and touching and moving and spirichal and compassionate and terrific and brilliant.
A pope who had previously been regarded as someone rather cold, professorial, aloof and authoritarian; had suddenly been perceived as a rather kindly and gentle grandfather figure.
Ohhhhhhh – that’s so sweet! Of course kindly gentle grandfather would let any woman die before he would let her have an abortion, and he condemns Africans in their thousands and their tens of thousands to a miserable death and their children to orphanhood with his stupid, pointless, arbitrary Law against condoms, and he shielded … Read the rest
UK converts to Catholicism en masse
Sep 20th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonThe pope is thrilled, the BBC is thrilled, Priss Choss and Cmilla are thrilled, the Telegraph and the Guardian are thrilled, the MCB is thrilled.… Read the rest
Traipsing
Sep 20th, 2010 11:34 am | By Ophelia BensonThe Guardian must have scared itself with its “turbulent priest” editorial on Saturday – it has now taken it back.
The one on Saturday was not wholly admiring of the pope’s performance.
[H]e believes that there is only one one spiritual source – again his – from which all our values derive. He is attacking not only the Reformation, the separation of church and state, but the very basis on which a secular society is built.
But today, well, on further consideration, when confronted with an actual pope, the only thing to do is grovel.
… Read the restDespite Benedict XVI’s unbending and in some senses cruel conservatism, the Guardian supported his visit, recognising that there was diplomatic business to do and,
Catholicism is on the ropes in Belgium
Sep 20th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonIt’s not just the child-rape and the concealment, it’s all that from people who claim to uphold the highest moral standards.… Read the rest
Joan Smith says no thanks to papal ethics
Sep 20th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonShe’d be happy to ignore all religions “if their leaders didn’t keep telling me that their ethics are better than mine.”… Read the rest
Guardian rebukes the pope’s “militant opponents”
Sep 20th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonThey “failed to afford sincere faith the respect it is due.”… Read the rest
Dawkins: Ratzinger is an enemy of humanity
Sep 20th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia Benson“Original sin means that, from the moment we are born, we are wicked, corrupt, damned. Unless we believe in their God.”… Read the rest
This fine radar
Sep 19th, 2010 6:03 pm | By Ophelia BensonThere’s another thing that frets me (for want of a better term) about Julian’s “why I didn’t sign the anti-pope letter” article. I mention this again because it seems to me symptomatic of a particular school of anti-atheist tut-tuttery.
It is that it seems kind of frivolous, at bottom. I think that’s probably why the arguments seem unconvincing…it’s because they are! Maybe he didn’t actually have any real reasons, maybe the letter just got on his nerves, and he had to reach for reasons, and it was a big stretch, and the reasons aren’t up to much.
And that makes the whole thing a bit self-regarding. He certainly wasn’t required to sign the letter, but for actually arguing that … Read the rest
Sweden narrowly re-elects centre-right alliance
Sep 19th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonPM Fredrik Reinfeldt says he will not make a deal with the far-right Sweden Democrats.… Read the rest
Full text of the pope’s Westminster Hall speech
Sep 19th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonHe tells the piously listening government boffins that religion is marginalized, thus performing an oxymoron.… Read the rest
What the pope said
Sep 19th, 2010 5:23 pm | By Ophelia BensonI watched part of the pope’s speech at Westminster Hall on C-Span yesterday evening. He’s sure as hell not what you’d call charismatic, or even tolerable to listen to – fast, whispery, monotone – not fun. But the substance is what counts. The point is what he said.
… Read the restBritain has emerged as a pluralist democracy which places great value on freedom of speech, freedom of political affiliation and respect for the rule of law, with a strong sense of the individual’s rights and duties, and of the equality of all citizens before the law.While couched in different language, Catholic social teaching has much in common with this approach, in its overriding concern to safeguard the unique dignity of every human
Better video of Dawkins’s speech at pope protest
Sep 19th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonThat’s Peter Tatchell behind him, and Maryam Namazie on his right, with Johann Hari next to Maryam.… Read the rest
Maryam Namazie at protest the pope rally
Sep 19th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia Benson“Isn’t it racism to say that billions of people deserve nothing better than to live under sharia law?” [cheers]… Read the rest
Informational question
Sep 19th, 2010 11:45 am | By Ophelia BensonIs anyone else unable to get to Talking Philosophy? I’ve been getting a page that says “Forbidden” for almost a week; is it just me or is it some kind of magnetic disturbance over the US?… Read the rest
Miranda Hale on the permanence of Catholic guilt
Sep 19th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia Benson“I still catch myself wondering what I need to do in order to rid myself of the guilt, shame, and feeling of dirtiness that, in one form or another, is almost always my companion.”… Read the rest
Nick Cohen on the Paul Chambers case
Sep 19th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonHe has a criminal record and has been fired from two jobs because of a jokey remark on Twitter.… Read the rest
Paula Kirby on the pope’s pastoral visit
Sep 19th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonWhen people are persuaded that real human suffering counts for less than the religious concepts of sin and purity, then greater human suffering is the inevitable result.… Read the rest