What Goes Around, Goes Around

I have often wondered why it is that some Christians have this annoying drive to spread the news about their religion by pestering and annoying other people. You don't see troupes of Muslims or Hindus hitting a neighbourhood near you and going door to door "spreading the word". Well, aside from the usual Jehovah's Witnesses passing by on a regular basis, annoying as they are (they know by now to skip my door), recently I have started seeing "regular Christians" taking up this tactic as well. This morning in fact I was awoken by a knocking without the door only to find a father and son couple attempting to enthusiastically hand me a (full colour nogal) leaflet through my security gate announcing a "memorial service for the late Jesus Christ". Not only are these (undoubtedly) well-meaning folk only about two thousand years too late, but these smiling, beaming and suited folk also claim theirs is the "one true faith" and that nobody else - especially Jehovah's Witnesses - has it right. 

WARNING - Sense Of Humor Failure Imminent!

"Comedian Rowan Atkinson has criticised hate speech legislation, saying that the House of Lords must vote against a government attempt to remove a free speech clause in a homophobic hatred offence.

The Blackadder actor, addressing a meeting of Lords on Tuesday, warned of creating a culture of "censoriousness" by removing free speech." - Pink News UK

I used to be, right up until this moment, a fan of Atkinson, be it for Mr Bean, Black Adder or Keeping Mum - but that is IT.

How is discrimination against sexual orientation in the form of HATE speech in any way different from racism? Is sexual orientation and gender identity not also an inborn trait like race? Hate is hate and I think Mr Atkinson has lost sight of that small detail.

Flexible Morality & Other Fairy Tales

SA Government has today launched into a tirade of criticism of Madagascar's latest coup. They have also asked the AU to expell Madagascar from membership on this basis. Curiously enough, they claim they will not support a government which has taken power through undemocratic means yadda, yadda, yadda. Pull the other one, apparently it has bells on.

Interesting hypocrisy. For quite some time they have done or said nothing at all of the kind for our friendly northern neighbours in ZimBOBwe who have for a decade or so been suffering under the yoke of a senile fool who seeks his own glorification and enrichment and has set these goals ahead of the good of his own people and is not even moved by their suffering. He has insanely clung to power through intimidation, violence, corruption and manipulation of election results - and still, STILL - after nearly railroading unity government negotiations for months, he is referred to as PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe. Why is that?

In Africa The Last Light Flickers And Wanes

This morning I heard the news on 5fm, and the thing that caught my attention was the announcement that Barrack Obama had announced the USA was going to sign the UN Declaration to decriminalize homosexuality. This, following the previous administration under Bush who refused to sign, along with the Vatican. Not very surprising because we all know those religious fundamentalists think they are better than everybody else and make a big show of hating gay people and anybody who happens to be different. 

Bumble, B. - Armchair Critic, PHD, Bsc, Esq, Etc

One of my pet peeves is snobs. Another is armchair critics. And worse yet, snobbish armchair critics. Somebody asked rather condescendingly the other day what qualifies me to be human rights activist? I suppose my answer could have been rather blunt, like "Well, I am human - aren't I?" I mean after all, what more do I need to qualify me, other than a sense of outrage at human rights violations - and to know that persecution is wrong - and to be determined to DO something about it?

No, no, not that - he meant whether or not I had a post graduate degree in anything.  Well, this is my answer: 

How The ANC 'COPEs' With Christian Fascism

What interesting developments in politics take place these days!

Yesterday Mr. Zuma, president of the ANC and also the man grooming himself to be president of South Africa after next month's election, addressed upon invitation, the Rhema Bible Church - known also for its blatantly homophobic stance.

In an article in the Burger today, Zuma claimed that the ANC received its "strong moral vision" from the church and that after the 2009 elections, the ANC would continue its partnership with religious groups.

He also invited churches to enter into dialogue with the government over matters such as same gender marriage and legalized abortion. So now it seems the ANC is siding with the fundamentalists and has invited this dialogue to address their views on same gender marriage and legal abortions, presumably to romance them for their vote.

What, I wonder, would be the purpose of dialogue on matters which are already written into law, except of course if there was a clear possibility that these matters may be written OUT of law?

What's For Dinner?

I was interested to note how some people have opposing takes on fairness and "right and wrong" in this world. I refer specifically to the debacle around "Sax Appeal". It seems that some people like things to go all their way - in essence what is good for the goose, is not good for the gander.

What am I talking about?

Pinning The Tail On The Donkey

How interesting that yesterday I received a barrage of cryptic inferences to "my homosexual agenda" and my "selfishness" in promoting it and "threatening civilization" ad absurdum. It seems a couple of 'moral minority' supporters of the ACDC - oops, sorry ACDP - tracked me down and tried to knock me flat with their devastatingly powerful love for gay people. Yes, these nice folks made all sorts of interesting assertions - all of which could easily have come straight out of a fundamentalist gay-hater's textbook. For one thing, they use 'Jesus loves you' like some kind of curse. Surely they should see they sully the image of their Christ by ending off a message of hate expressed by them in his name by claiming that he - and himself - love me, when it is plain that they are full of venom.

Hiissssssss ;)

I've Lost My Religion - Have You Seen It Anywhere?

Today I continued a debate on the ACDP wall. One guy claimed that "Government was created by God" and followed it up with a load of unintelligible rhetoric that made me think he was some kind of pulpit-pilot who was at 80 000 feet and still climbing (possibly suffering the effects of asphyxia). Now to begin with, I find statements like that to be utterly astounding. Which god was that exactly? Ok, I understand he and those like him are religious and they think their religion has everything right. This train of thought however, can be derailed by two simple words: "PROVE IT".

Can You Help Me, Officer? Somebody Hijacked My Religion!

Some champion of religious intolerance had this to say on a topic on the ACDP Facebook site today and drew my attention:

"Do you even know what the DA stands for? I challenge you to take a look at www.savotersguide.com and see. And please don't accept it at face value, follow up on the footnotes to check if the statements are true. As a Christian, I can't vote for someone who is Pro-Abortion, Pro-Pornography, Pro-Homosexuality, and Anti-God." - Lambertus Petrus Johannes Louw.

Mr Louw was criticizing somebody for saying he would prefer to vote DA than ACDP because of their hateful attitude and policies directed at GLBT. And Mr Louw was clearly stating his position on people's sexuality and ergo his ignorant perception that this somehow indicates GLBT are "anti-god" simply by their birthright. What a fascinating perception - completely off the rails - but fascinating.