STOP PRESS - The Bible doesnt make sense!

If there really is a God, so intelligent that he designed the universe and all that is in it, and so omnipresent that he can see and hear everything that each of us ever does or think, then there's a problem with the Bible. Because the Bible makes so many basic mistakes - the sort of thing that a 12 year old nowadays would be able to see are just wrong (sun goes round the earth; earth made in 6 days; that sort of thing).

So, there's two explanations. First, the Bible isn't actually the word of God, its just the ramblings of deluded bronze-age tribes in the middle east who just didn't understand how things work and are saying what they (not some god) thought to be the truth at the time. Secondly, it has all come from God, but he must have known that he was having a joke - because he is so intelligent that he would know it was all wrong.

So, in either case, its a bit silly to lead your life by the Bible - you're either living by stone age morals or you're unwittingly part of a great cosmic joke. And what a book to lead your life by - full of instructions from God to murder, rape, abuse women, be bigoted, commit genocide, kill people for working on Sundays, all that sort of evil stuff. I really do wonder whether the folk who say that this book rules their life have ever actually read it - all of it, not just the bits they like.

The wise always learn from History

Well, I just wonder..........I'm reading a great book about the life of Talleyrand, the Foreign Minister of France during the reign of Napoleon and (due to careful manoeuvring) the French kings who succeeded him. It all starts to sound a bit familiar. In France there developed this huge divide between the aristocracy (specifically the court of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie-Antoinette) and the rest of the country. As the nobility enjoyed huge wealth and an amazing lifestyle, consuming the largest amounts of the nation's wealth, the (majority) general population of France starved. They died whilst the rich partied.

Jump forward 200 years. The Nation state is actually just an 18th century phenomenon. Now, with global communications and travel, the world itself is becoming one community. I just wonder whether we need to learn from the fate of the French Court. A relatively small, privileged group, was consuming and living well whilst the masses starved and gradually became aware what was happening. And now we in The West party, consume and live well, whilst the masses.....you get the picture.

Maybe, just maybe, we need to learn from the French Revolution......... except, of course, that our control of power is SO great, its impossible ever to think of it ever being overthrown....... hang on.... that's what Louis XVI thought........

As you sow, so shall ye reap

One of the good things about having a blog is that, on those rare occassions when your letter to The Times is not printed, you can reproduce it here. So, here's my last letter to The Times.

Last week The Times covered 3 pages with a story about Christian Unions (the christian societies on university campuses) suing students unions. This is because the CUs dont comply with the SU's policies, especially their anti-discrimination policies (e.g the CUs wont let homosexuals attend their meetings). Here's my letter -

"Christian Unions who are complaining that they are being prevented from following their religious beliefs on campus would deserve more sympathy if they were not so selective about which beliefs they choose to follow and which they ignore. For example, whilst the Bible clearly proscribes homosexuality – which the Christian Unions uphold – it also dictates that menstruating women should not be allowed within a mile of a temple and that a Christian woman who chooses to marry into a different religion should be stoned to death. I don’t think that the Christian Unions are actively seeking to uphold these particular Biblical teachings. In reality, selective religious belief has for too long been used as a cover for plain bigotry.

"And whilst everyone is free to hold their beliefs, small groups of Christian activists should not be surprised when our overwhelmingly secular society refuses to support their blatant attempts to avoid complying with basic human rights and anti-discrimination legislation."

There, that feels better. Lets keep fighting the good fight against all these horrible religions.