Category Archive For "Religion"
Why Israel Deserves Western Support
I have been gobsmacked by suggestions from some people that there is some sort of moral equivalence between Israel and Hamas (the idea that they are both as bad as each other), or even worse, that the current conflict is Israel’s fault. The present Palestinian people are Arabs, most of whom arrived in the area …
The Cruciality of the Cross
A little article for our church newsletter: Why do some Christians make the sign of the cross? Many of the saints of the early Church talk about this practice. Here are quotes from just a few. St Ephraim the Syrian: Go not forth from the door of thy house till thou hast signed the cross. …
Why Does the Mainstream Media Protect Muslim Terrorists?
I am glad the muslim terrorist attack in Nairobi was so widely reported, even though the real horror of what happened was underplayed – the torture and mutilation of children, for example. Perhaps this signals a change of heart in the mainstream media, and a willingness to acknowledge at last the reality of widespread jihadist …
The Nastiness of the Compassionate Elite …
I am often horrified by the easy assumption of moral superiority made by people on the green/left side of politics. It is as if they are so sure that they are intellectually and morally superior that it never occurs to them that they should actually check what the people they think they disagree with are …
A Series of Excuses for my Failed Prognostications
Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio briefly flickered through my mind as I was considering who might be elected Pope, but quickly flickered out again. He flickered in because of persistent rumours that he was runner–up in the Conclave that elected Pope Benedict. But the rumours were doubtful, while the factors weighing against him seemed decisive. There were …
Papal Form Guide
My latest for Quadrant Online: One of the most interesting phenomena of the last weeks has been the enthusiasm with which media pundits who have previously expressed the opinion that the Church is dying and irrelevant have expounded upon the importance of the right person being elected to be the new Pope. Like liberal nuns …
America, What the Heck?
On the anniversary of 9/11 two US embassies are attacked. One of your ambassadors is killed and his body dragged through the streets, and you are apologising because someone, somewhere, might have hurt muslim feelings? The muslim world hates you. They see you as the enemy. Nothing you do will appease them. They will not …
Wrecking Stuff
From Raymond Ibrahim in Frontpage Magazine: According to several reports in the Arabic media, prominent Muslim clerics have begun to call for the demolition of Egypt’s Great Pyramids—or, in the words of Saudi Sheikh Ali bin Said al-Rabi‘i, those “symbols of paganism,” which Egypt’s Salafi party has long planned to cover with wax. Most recently, …
This Is Cool
I often post videos of ungrateful idiots. This is a refreshing change: Amen to the thanks to the monks of Mt Athos, and to everyone who is faithful in prayer.
Islamism/Nazism – Opposite Sides Of The Same Coin
I have had some doubts about the EDL – the English Defence League. But the more I hear from Tommy Robinson, the more I like him. Some of the things to note in this video are his absolute rejection of racism, his pointing up of the double standards in policing and reporting of islamist protests (frequently violent) and …
Theology By Numbers
An insightful and amusing article by Anthony Esolen on the banality of modern church music: Why, when we have a trove of profound, beautiful, and poignant hymns, do we have to endure what is banal, clunky, and silly? We have a rich treasury of hymn-poems to read, to sing, and to keep close to the heart. Some …
Poverty and Alienation Cause Terrorism
Right. From the Harrow Times (also via Blazing Cat Fur): Four men who pelted eggs at young Jewish people during racially motivated attacks in Golders Green have been ordered to pay compensation to their victims. Mohammed Khalifa, 19, Aimen Mohamed, 19, Mohammed Jawad, 21, and Haider Al-Fardan, 21, carried out the attacks as they drove …
Interesting Stuff
Some thought starters from Ben Peter Terpstra’s blog Weekend Libertarian: 1. Government schools aren’t necessarily public schools. BP quotes from an article by John Stossel: Politicians claim that education and health care are different — too important to leave to market competition. Patients and parents aren’t real consumers because they don’t have the expertise to …
Egypt’s President – Death Is Our Goal
Great. Egypt’s Constitution should be based on the Koran and Sharia law, presidential candidate from the Muslim Brotherhood Islamist movement Mohamed Morsi said. “The Koran is our constitution, the Prophet is our leader, jihad is our path and death in the name of Allah is our goal,” Morsi said in his election speech before Cairo …
The Dominating Heresy of Our Time
Every age has its own besetting heresy. Looking back – at Arianism or Montanism, for example – it is clear that these sprang out of the way society was structured at the time, and the way people understood themselves and their purpose in that society. Heretics occasionally realise they have departed in some way from …