Vatican City: Due to the internets being a bit recalitrant, this gem of fiscal losses has come my way. The Vatican has announced that it has had its first loss in four years and quite a hefty loss it is too at €9.1m (£7.25m or US$14.3m). Not something you're likely to find down the back of the couch. It seems the weak US dollar is being blamed and I was a wee bit baffled by this as I would have thought the Holy See would have been running on the Euro.
Much of the Vatican's income comes from donations from Catholics around the world. The US was the largest single contributor to Peter's Pence — the collection used by the Pope for charitably donations — sending almost US$19m (£9.5m).Continue reading "Holy See Plunges into Red"
Zimbabwe: Barry Duke of The Freethinker feels that the Roman Catholic Church might have its priorities ever so slightly the wrong way round, and isn't afraid to use robust language to say so. In particular, he notes that the Church seems uninterested in criticising members of its flock who are, for example, murderous dictators:
Notice the book in Robert Mugabe’s hand when he was hastily sworn for a sixth term as President of Zimbabwe? Yes folks, the lunatic dictator – a devout Catholic – was clutching a Bible.
Mugabe is 84-years-old, and with any luck will soon be dead. And when he does finally turn up his toes, what’s the bet that religious revisionists, shaking their heads over the destruction he wreaked on his country, will vilify him as an atheist – just as they do now in respect of that other great Catholic dictator, Adolf Hitler.
For the moment though, Mugabe remains in good standing with the Roman Catholic Church...
Of course, should anyone suggest that pooves be treated as actual human beings, they would be deafened by condemnations from representatives of that same church.
Mugabe - a good Catholic dictator … just like Hitler!—The Freethinker, 3rd July 2008.
Scotland: As previously reported, a tiny Catholic extremist organisation has taken aim at HIV/AIDS activists, the Order of Perpetual Indulgence. As part of their vendetta, they published the e-mail address of one of the Sisters and, not surprisingly, that individual has been receiving hate mail. Which she forwarded to me. I expect there's more that got eaten by the spam trap,
she notes, but I'm not going to bother looking for it.
So, what do members of Catholic Truth have to say in the name of their imaginary friend?
United Kingdom: The Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement has published a 10 page document criticizing the government's decision to appoint homophobic Christian activist Joel Edwards as an Equality Commissioner. Edwards has campaigned against equalities legistlation in the past, and the LGCM report uses his own words to demonstrate why Joel Edwards should not have been appointed to the Equality Commission and should resign
. The report summarises the case against Edwards on page 1:
- Joel Edwards aggressively lobbies against law reforms introducing gay equality
- Joel Edwards promotes groups seeking to
curegay people- Joel Edward’s organisation seeks exemptions from the very laws Equality Commissioners are charged with upholding
They note that the organisation he leads, the Evangelical Alliance, explicitly opposes any kind of fair treatment for lesbians and gay men.
a homosexual lifestyle is a choice and is not to be classified in terms akin to race or gender. [p.3]
Of course, Edwards regards such criticism as religious discrimination and whines I therefore find it a shame that the LGCM considers my belief system less equal than others and a barrier to my serving the British public
. Of course, as a religious lifestyle is a choice
, surely it's not deserving of any kind of protection anyway, at least not according to Edwards' reasoning.
Joel Edwards and The Evangelical Alliance: Opponents of human rights for lesbian and gay people [Word document]—Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, 21st January 2008; Gay Christian group criticises new equality commissioner—The Guardian, 21st January 2008.
United States: Another case of someone who used the Bible to justify their abuse of children being jailed.
Robert "Bobby" Hale, the Scripture-quoting "Papa Pilgrim" who used the Bible to pound subservience into his 15 children, went before a judge in Alaska last month, looking old and frail beyond his 66 years as he learned his punishment -- 14 years behind bars -- for sexually assaulting one of his daughters.
The strange story of 'Papa Pilgrim'—Star-Telegram, 9th December 2007.
England: Anyone old enough to have been involved in neopaganism in the UK in the 1980s will remember the Rev. Kevin Logan (a.k.a.Kev. the Rev.
). The Anglican vicar spent a lot of time and effort promoting the Satanic Abuse Myth, and propogating outrageous lies about neopaganism. He fell from grace after a seriously disturbed woman, Caroline Marchant, committed suicide while in his care. R.A. Gilbert summarised the story:
Caroline Marchant professed to be a victim of satanic abuse and to have been involved in child sacrifice.... Her story, however, was utterly untrue.... Many of the 'satanic' elements in her story seem to have been derived from the work of Doreen Irivine (who counselled Miss Marchant at the Zion Christian Temple at Yate, near Bristol). What she needed most was psychiatric help, whereas what she received was spiritual counselling by fundamentalists who saw demons rather than a disturbed mind. In February 1990, while in the care of the Reverend Kevin Logan, Caroline Marchant committed suicide. (Gilbert 1993, 154).
Well, he obviously thinks no-one can remember him after 17 years, and is back having a go at Harry Potter. Nor does he seem to have spent the time learning anything about neopaganism, as he strangely seems to think that Rowling's books have something to do with it.
The Rev Kevin Logan, of Christ Church with Cannon Street, Accrington, said that JK Rowling's teenage hero has many similarities with Jesus Christ - but the author's references to paganism could lead children into danger...
The Potter epic encourages kids to be curious in an area that God forbids,he said.It is also an encouragement to the vulnerable and under-age to learn more of paganism and the occult, which have a track record of emotional and spiritual damage.
Obviously failing to look after someone in your care, and contributing to intense religious pressure on her to lie, to the point where she kills herself, does not give the Rev. Logan himself a track record of emotional and spiritual damage.
But there is a reason for his sticking his head over the parapet. In 1988, he published a book which he entitled Paganism and the Occult: A manifesto for Christian Action, in which he expounded, well, a load of complete bollocks. Gilbert (a Christian) was more restrained when he reviewed the work:
The author's aim is to provide the basis for converting occultists to Christianity, but his lack of objectivity and of factual accuracy remove credibility from his attempt. (Gilbert 1993, 177)
So, why do we think Kev. the Rev. is back to his old media-whoring ways?
Christian comment on the issue is being sought as Mr Logan prepares to update his book 'Paganism and the Occult'.
I wonder if they'll send the Prattle a review copy?
Vicar calls for Harry Potter debate—The Blackburn Citizen, 19th September 2007; Gilbert, R.A., 1993, Casting the First Stone: the Hypocrisy of Religious Fundamentalism and its Threat to Society, Shaftesbury, Element Books.
Australia: A month has passed since the news of Ken Dyers' suicide and it seems his cult has been attempting to create a martyr out of him, even if that means screwing over his victims.
Supporters of the 85-year-oldContinue reading "Cult Attempts to Turn a Paedophile into a Civil Rights Martyr"Kenjafounder — who shot himself last week while facing 22 counts of child sex assault and indecent assault — took the extraordinary step of placing advertisements in weekend newspapers declaring his innocence.
The full-page ads, which were run in The Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday, accused Dyers' two alleged victims of deliberately lying and behaving in anappallingfashion.
They also claimed police were out to get him to further their careers.
Australia: Feòrag's trusty bampot filter brought me the news that professional charlatan, kiddie-fiddler and previous Prattle notable, Ken Dyers, topped himself on Wednesday rather than face court proceedings that he wouldn't be able to weasel out of.
Kenneth Dyers, 85, founder of spiritual organisation, Kenja Communications, was found dead at his Bundeena home on Wednesday.Continue reading "Kiddie-Fiddling Australian Cult Leader Commits Suicide"
Police went to the house in Crammond Avenue, Bundeena around 11am and found a man dead from a gunshot wound.
Police media would only say said it was not treating the death as suspicious and police were preparing a brief for the coroner.
The Vatican has told Roman Catholics not to support Amnesty International because the organisation considers that criminalising women who want to control their fertility, especially those who have been raped, is counterproductive. This is, according to the Vatican, a much worse thing than rape, torture and judicial killing.
Amnesty International does not have any position at all on whether abortion is morally acceptable and accuses the Vatican of misrepresenting its position.
We are saying broadly that to criminalise women's management of their sexual reproductive right is the wrong answer,Amnesty's deputy Secretary General Kate Gilmore told Reuters news agency.
The Catholic Church, through a misrepresented account of our position on selective aspects of abortion, is placing in peril work on human rights,Ms Gilmore said.
Vatican urges end to Amnesty aid—BBC News, 13th June 2007.
England: Further to their getting upset that someone noticed the existence of one of their buildings, the Church of England is now demanding money from Sony and access to young people to promote their particular superstition.
Sony has so far given them the attention they deserve - none.
Church demands Sony game donation—The Guardian, 11th June 2007. See also Church annoyed at game makers—Pagan Prattle, 9th June 2007.
I can't read Spanish, but I know for sure what's being spammed to me today. But is the Bible an illegal drug, pornography or pirate software, because we know that's all that spammers advertise. The first spam came in at 06.35 this morning. Just in case I didn't get the message, it was repeated at 08:24, 16:02, 17:53 and 21:30. A look at the spam shows that it offers lots of Catholic clip art too—so why send it to my antipope.org address?
United Kingdom: Two recent court cases involving allegations of child abuse have a certain similarity. First up is Eunice Spry, a foster mother who has just been sent down for 14 years. The court heard that she routinely beat, abused and starved children over a 19-year period, sometimes forcing sticks down their throats or making them eat their own vomit or rat excrement.
During the trial, the three victims, known as A, B and C, all gave evidence describing how their daily routines were punctuated by random acts of bizarre and sadistic violence...
Victim B, also now 21, told how her foster mother would pull her hair and shove her face in her pet dog's faeces as punishment.
Victim C, now 18, described how his foster mother held his hand down on a hot electric hob until it was left looking like agooey mess. He said he had been force-fed so much washing-up liquid by Spry that he could now differentiate between the brands on taste alone.
The children were made to eat lard and if they were sick, would be forced to eat what they had thrown up.
The relevance? Spry is a devout Jehovah's Witness
though, to the credit of that organisation, it was another member who secretly confronted victim A about marks to her head, caused when Spry rubbed sandpaper over her face
, and so exposed the abuse.
A similar case is being heard at Canterbury Crown Court. Two Mormon women are accused of torturing six young children by forcing them to eat red-hot chillies and whipping them with nettles
. The prosecution presented a detailed description of the alleged abuse, which they claim went on for nine years:
The children were woken at 5am every day, made to say prayers and read scripture, before doing hours of housework. If they did not do their chores quickly enough and to a high standard, they were punished.
The cruelty amounted to physical harm, punishing these children even when they were very young,he said.The physical abuse included striking and slapping, administering chilli powder and chopped chillies, using rolling pins and spoons to strike them, making them eat on the floor, making them eat raw eggs and striking them with stinging nettles.
The eldest, a boy now aged 13, was gagged when he was naughty and bundled into a sheet to be restrained while he was beaten, the court was told. The women were also said to have placed him between them and punched him to each other likea football. They would also pick him up and throw him across the room...
She said she was a member of the church and had strict principles to teach the children how to work and be obedient.
'Sadistic' foster mother jailed for 14 years—The Guardian, 19th April 2007; Mormon women 'tortured children to instil discipline'—The Times, April 2007.
United States: Joe Murray used to be a columnist for the American Family Association, but is now strongly critical of their homophobic stance. This interview with him at Pam's House Blend makes interesting reading, and serves as a reminder that not all Christians are hate-filled loons (via Box Turtle Bulletin).
Pam's House Blend mocks all sorts of homophobia, especially fundie homophobia, and has recently featured some gems, such as What is it with Michael Savage and transpeople?—in which we learn that trans people are to blame for the Columbine massacre. The blog subtitle ...always steamin'
means something quite different in these parts, though.
Vatican City: A religious leader in an undemocratic city state has declared that the EU is headed for oblivion, because it doesn't give lip service to his imaginary friend.
Angry that aBerlin Declarationunveiled yesterday listing the EU's achievements and challenges on its 50th birthday contained no reference to the continent's Christian roots, Pope Benedict said that Europe couldnot be built by ignoring its people's identities.
So no doubt he'll be setting an example to us all by respecting the identities of LGBT Europeans, and those who chose an alternative imaginary friend, or none at all?
No, thought not, but for a change, he's decided to blame women for Europe's woes, not pooves:
In his remarks to bishops gathered for ceremonies in Rome to mark the signing of the treaty that founded the EU in 1957, the Pope declared that the reluctance of women in Europe to have babies and Europe's failure to regenerate itself was putting the continent on the path to oblivion.From a demographic standpoint ... Europe seems set on a path that could lead it to take leave of history,he warned. Europe waslosing faith in its own future.
Strangely, it's the countries that most respect him—Poland, Italy and Spain—that currently have their lowest birthrates in history.
As the EU turns 50, Pope says it's on path to oblivion—The Guardian, 26th March 2007.
United States: Four Amway distributors have been ordered to pay Proctor and Gamble over $19 million in compensation. The four had spread rumours that the company was involved in Satanism, and the case has dragged on for over a decade. The judge had earlier decided that Amway itself could not be held responsible for the actions of its self-employed distributors.
P&G filed suit against Randy Haugen of Ogden and three other distributors in 1995. The company charged the four had disseminated the devil-worship hoax through Amway's voice-mail system.
P&G said the Amway quartet passed along the false story that P&G's president had told a television talk show that his company was affiliated with the Church of Satan.
That never happened. But the Cincinnati-based maker of laundry detergent, soap, shampoo, toothpaste and other products claims the rumors still cost it millions of dollars in sales.
Jury awards Procter and Gamble $19 million over devil worship rumors—The Salt Lake Tribune, 19th March 2007. See also: Let sleeping myths lie—Pagan Prattle, Summer 1994, for an example of the rumour from Usenet.
United Kingdom: A BBC survey has revealed that British Christians think they suffer discrimination in the workplace, and in the way they are portrayed in the media, but Christian think tank Ekklesia has told them not to be so paranoid:
Christians are also privileged — for example there are 26 unelected bishops in the house of Lords, and a quarter of state-funded primary schools are run by churches selecting on the basis of people's faith, said Ekklesia co-director Jonathan Bartley on The Heaven and Earth Show this morning.
He also said that when Muslims and Jews faced attacks and desecration of their cemeteries, talk ofpersecutionneeded to be put into context.
Meanwhile, down in Dorset, a Druid group has some charming (and almost certainly Christian) neighbours:
After [The Dolmen, a Neopagan band] played one particular gig in Weymouth someone left a dead bird with a noose around its neck on the windscreen.
They also typed the words 'Die Witches' on a piece of paper stuck to it...
Then someone put nails under the tyres of the van as it was parked in Radipole Lane, the night after they had played another gig.
At our last ritual at Maumbury Rings a group of people came along to barrack us for no apparent reason.
BBC survey says Christians feel they are discriminated against—Ekklesia, 18th March 2007; Pagans suffer ritual abuse—Dorset Echo, 17th March 2007. See also today's Jesus and Mo for some topical commentary!
United Kindgom: The Prime Minister has said that churches who want and exception from anti-discrimination laws for faith-based adoption agencies has said they will not get it. Instead, they'll get a 21 month transition period, in which they won't have to consider same-sex couples, but will be obliged to refer them to other, less superstitious, agencies. After that, they will be bound by the law like everyone else. He also reminded us of whose money it is the churches want to use for discriminatory purposes (emphasis mine):
There is no place in our society for discrimination. That's why I support the right of gay couples to apply to adopt like any other couple.
And that way there can be no exemptions for faith-based adoption agencies offering public funded services from regulations that prevent discrimination.
This is likely to be subject to a free vote in parliament, so it's still worth signing the Prattle's petition!
No exemption from gay rights law—BBC News, 29th January 2007.
United Kingdom: A correspondent writes to the Prattle:
I think you missed the best part of the story. As per the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6293115.stm... the little bully-mob of Archbishops claims that:
rights of conscience cannot be made subject to legislation, however well-meaning
In other words, they are claiming that if they want to do something (or perhaps that their Invisible Friend wants them to do something) then the government should not be allowed to tell them otherwise.
Anything.
They are, in fact, demanding the right to be above the law in all cases, should they choose to exercise that right.
Hmm.
Hmm indeed. Our attention is also drawn to a petition on the government website, supporting the law. The end date has been extended, so we are asked to ignore the 17th January bit.
But here at Prattle Towers (Northern Hemisphere) we have our own modest proposal, and have our very own petition: We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to allow religious organisations to discriminate against lesbians and gay men, on condition that they accept discrimination against themselves.
You know it makes sense!
Another interesting petition request the extension of the law to cover trans-people: to prohibit discrimination in the provision of goods, services and facilities, includng health care,on the grounds of transsexual or transgender status
United States: Some schools have a system whereby non-profit organisations may give flyers to schoolchildren. A recent court ruling affirmed that, to avoid church and state issues, the system had to be made available to all non-profits, or none at all. The case was brought by an organisation run by preacher Jerry Falwell.
The dispute started last summer when Gabriel and Joshua Rakoski, twins who attend Hollymead Elementary School, sought permission to distribute fliers about their church's Vacation Bible School to their peers viabackpack mail.Many public schools use special folders placed in student backpacks to distribute notices about schools events and sometimes extra-curricular activities to parents.
School officials originally denied the request from the twins' father, Ray Rakoski, citing a school policy barringdistribution of literature that is for partisan, sectarian, religious or political purposes.
A Charlottesville weekly newspaper, The Hook, reports that Rakoskisicced the Liberty Counsel on the county,and the policy was soon revised to allow religious groups to use the backpack mail system. Liberty Counsel is a Religious Right legal group founded by Mathew Staver and now affiliated with Falwell.
So, when a Unitarian Universalist congregation used the system to advertise an event about the pagan origins of Christmas, followed by a Yule celebration, who got all upset about it? Yep, Christians.
Suddenly not everyone was pleased by the open forum. Jeff Riddle, pastor of Jefferson Park Baptist Church in Charlottesville, wrote on his personal blog,If the school allows the Baptist or Methodist church to send home a note to its students about Vacation Bible School, it also has to allow the Unitarian Church to send home a note about its 'Pagan ritual to celebrate Yule'....This kind of note adds weight to the argument that it is high time for Christians to leave public schools for reasonable alternatives (homeschooling and private Christian schools).
Another conservative Christian blogger in the county complained about finding the flier in her child's folder. Apparently unaware of Falwell's role in bringing it about, the blogger who goes by the name Cathy, noted disclaimer language at the bottom of the flier noting that the event is not connected to the school and wrote,They [the school officials] aren't endorsing or sponsoring this? Then it shouldn't have been included in the Friday folders. The Friday folders have never been used for any thing other than school work and school board and/or County sanctioned/sponsored programs.
And the stushie soon came to the notice of the fundies at World Net Daily:
Amazing — government schools ban orthodox Christianity, but allow an openly pagan organization to proselytize six-year-olds!one observer who asked for anonymity told WND...
The banner also displays three symbols: a cross, a Star of David and a pentagram — a star enclosed in a circle — often associated with paganism, witches groups such as Wicca, and even Satanism.
At least the World Nut Daily can tell the difference between a pentacle and a pentagram, unlike most Neopagans these days.
Andrew Ian Dodge also pointed me towards a forum discussion of the issue, where one or two people were a little upset about it.
I'm shocked that people think this would hold up. What about local control? Aren't local standards used to define what is obscene?
I thank God for Christian schools!
Obviously, the obscenity in question must be the gruesome method of execution depicted on the flyer.
Falwell’s Flub: Jerry-Rigged Policy Opens Door For Pagan Proselytizing In Virginia Public School—The Wall of Separation, 5th December 2006;Pagan Christmas ritual pressed on young kids—World Net Daily, 8th December 2006.
United States: It seems that the phenomenon of not reporting certain terrorists is not limited to the UK. Over in the US, Jennifer L. Pozner, executive director of Women In Media and News has drawn our attention to an appalling attempted suicide bombing which took place in Iowa on the 5th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. A man drove a car into a building with the intention of causing an explosion which would kill himself, and destroy the building. Like the September 11th terrorists, he was taking part in a holy war, but David McMenemy is a white Christian fundamentalist, so only one news source bothered to report the incident.
He is also a particularly stupid Christian terrorist—he attacked the Edgerton Women's Health Center because he thought abortions were done there. They're not. The centre specialises in providing smear tests, immunisation and other ob-gyn services for low income families. The cost of the damage was $170,000.
The terrorists who aren't in the news—Newsday, 8th October 2006. (thanks to Arthur D. Hlavaty).
Update: there is more coverage and analysis of this issue over at Wisse Words and Making Light.
United Kingdom: Val has noticed something a little, well, interesting in the newspapers recently. What interested her was the way in which the guilty plea of a Muslim to terror charges was all over the national and international press. Her eyebrows were raised further by a note that no funding had been received for the plots, nor had any of what would have been the necessary vehicles or bomb-making equipment been acquired
.
During the same week, another story of dastardly terrorists was reported. Two men were arrested after chemicals which could be used to make bombs, an NBC suit and rocket launchers were found in a house in Burnley. The chemical components recovered by police are believed to be the largest haul ever found at a house in Britain
. But you won't have heard about it - the story only appeared in local newspapers in Lancashire. The two men arrested, Robert Cottage (49) and David Bolus Jackson (62), are both white, and one of them stood as a BNP candidate for Pendle Council earlier this year. They were due in court today—perhaps the papers might notice this time?
Wales: Stephen Green of Christian Voice has been arrested after distributing leaflets at Cardiff Mardi Gras. Naturally, after trying so hard to suppress free speech, he's suddenly supporting it. More at MediaWatchWatch.
United States of America: Georgia Representative Lynn Westmoreland co-sponsored a bill which would mandate the display of the Ten Commandments in the US House of Representatives and Senate. Steve Colbert interviewed him about this and asked him to recite those Commandments. Interestingly, he knows fewer of them than I do! Stephen Colbert and Congressman (YouTube link - Flash video) (via The Woolamaloo Gazette).
England: An Oxford witch who claimed that a fire which damaged her flat, and several others in the same building, was caused by a spell going wrong failed to impress the jury. She was found guilty of arson and jailed for three years.
Patricia Swift, 50, said that she had been performing a ritual to ward off a man who had threatened to kill her. The ritual did not involve phoning the police, or seeking an injunction, but instead required her to place a number of items on the floor and set them on fire. When the fire went out of control, she tried urinating on it to put it out. Strangely, the incident occurred three days before Ms. Swift was due to be evicted, and her relationship with her neighbours was not good.
[Peter Coombe, prosecuting,] told the court:Rose Wallace, who lived above, described enduring a long history of abuse over a five-year period.
On the day of the fire, Miss Wallace heard the defendant making a lot of noise in her flat, throwing furniture around.
Shortly afterwards she smelled smoke and called 999. She went to the door and heard the defendant shouting, 'Fat cow, burn, fat cow, burn'.
Swift initially gave a another reason why she set the fires: I was burning my things because they are going to evict me
. She made up the spell story later.
Spell for flaming disaster—Metro, 22nd May 2006 (thanks, Norman).
United States: A love of Classical music led to a 16-year old girl brutally slaughtering her mother in a ritualistic killing, the Prattle can reveal. Neighbours thought Esmie Tseng was a kid any parent would be proud of
, but her involvement in the "Classie" scene was slowly turning her from a talented honour student into a vicious murderer.
...she stabbed her mother to death with a knife in an incident that apparently took the mother and daughter through several rooms of their home.
The murder happened after Tseng's mother threatened to sell her piano, an instrument popular among Classies. Police are investigating whether Classical music's frequent use of occult and violent imagery, influenced Tseng. Such music has provoked violence in the past, such as the riot at the premiere of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, a glorification of sexual pagan ritual.
Like many teenage Classies, Tseng kept an online journal in which she detailed her increasing hatred of her parents, along with her obsession with classical music. After the murder, neighbour Jacob Horwitz read through her site and was shocked at what he found there:
My God,Jacob Horwitz remembers thinking when he read her weblog,it's a shame that another parent didn't see this yesterday.
Of course, this tragic story wasn't covered in this mendacious manner, and reading the full details, it will become obvious that there is a lot more to it than has been written here. Had Tseng been a goth, or into rap music, the press coverage would have been somewhat different.
Killer daughter case ignites US debate—BBC News, 3rd May 2006.
Egypt: Pagan Prattle Sweep time! How long will it be before Islamist loons start burning Egyptian flags and embassies, and demanding a boycott of Egyptian produce? You see, Egyptian blogger Sandmonkey felt the cartoons of Mohammed looked very familiar, and has found something very, very interesting.
...they were actually printed in the Egyptian Newspaper Al Fagr back in October 2005. I repeat, October 2005, during Ramadan, for all the egyptian muslim population to see, and not a single squeak of outrage was present. Al Fagr isn't a small newspaper either: it has respectable circulation in Egypt, since it's helmed by known Journalist Adel Hamoudah.
And to prove it, he's scanned the relevant pages.
I've already placed my bet on 'never'.
Boycott Egypt—Rantings of a Sandmonkey, 8th February 2006.
![[An Islamic depiction of Mohammed]](http://www.prattle.net/prattlepix/mo.jpg)
The Mohammed Image Archive at Zombietime, is a response to the Islamist loons who have reacted violently to a Danish newspaper publishing cartoons (several of which take the piss out of the paper itself) depicting Mohammed. They claim it's blasphemous, which is why the first block of images are of depictions of Mohammed in the Islamic world. The site also reprints the cartoons, along with other satirical Western cartoons depicting Mohammed which caused absolutely no fuss whatosever.
In addition, Val reminded me of Jesus and Mo, a web comic which should annoy the Christian fundies too.
United States: You know how it is—if the main suspect in a crime has any interest in the occult, then the crime is automatically a ritual. It's definite if the accused has an interest in Satanism, especially if said accused is a teenager. And so it is in the case of the murder of Pamela Vitalae in California. The National Ledger is presumably a publication in the same genre as the National Enquirer and Red Wolf's favourite, the Weekly World News. Their coverage differs only in the lack of any detail about the crime.
Instead, they have chosen the environmentally friendly approach, recycling material from the fundie dossiers
on the occult that were circulated in the late 80s. And they've even disinterred one of the hacks who fanned the flames back then. Maury Terry is best known for his book The Ultimate Evil, which had to be changed as part of an out-of-court settlement after the OTO sued. And what does this fantasist have to say?
The world of the Satanic cultist is filled with ritualistic violence, perverse sexual activity and abuse, Heavy Metal music and the use of illegal drugs such as marijuana, amphetamines (crank, speed, meth, crystal), psylocybin (an hallucinogenic drug similar to LSD), heroin and other others. This is a world which, even in the beginning of the 21st Century, continues to attract a large number of young people who follow the precepts of Anton LaVey's Satanic Bible, a volume that has millions of copies in print today.
That would be the Satanic Bible that has a real downer on 'satanists' who restrict others' freedom to act as they will by, for example, murdering or assaulting them? But we can't expect our 'expert' to have read the book, can we? It might turn him into a murderous thug or something. After much waffling, he calls on loony fundie Pat Pulling (well known to players of RPGs thanks to her campaign against them) to recite the familar cousin to the Blood Libel:
During the course of these so-called religious rituals, drug use is usually rampant and heightens the frenzy and blood-lust of the cultists. According to Pat Pulling, a criminologist Who lectures police departments on the occult and Satanism, rituals may include:
*Victim is placed in a coffin or make-shift coffin.
*Paraphernalia and symbols such are pentagrams, 666 symbols, inverted crosses, etc.
* Heavy feeding of drugs, especially hallucinogens.
*Kidnapping victims.
*Sexual abuse aimed at confusing a recruit and destroying his/her moral foundation.
*Incestuous sex acts (family is involved in the cult).
*Animal or (rarely) human sacrifice.
*Cannibalism.
*Cremation (destruction of victim along with evidence).
There is considerable ritual abuse during Satanic ceremonies. Indoctrination of the young is the purpose of much of this abuse. Ritual abuse is defined as repeated physical, emotional, mental and spiritual assaults combined with a systematic use of symbols, ceremonies and images designed to turn a person against himself and society. Drugs, again, are utilized during this process of systematic degradation.
Lies which were proven to be malicious fantasy around 15 years ago.
Pamela Vitale Murder: Satanic or Ritualistic Crime and Murder?-—National Ledger, 22nd October 2005 (not 1988!).
United States: There might be no fresh water or sewerage in New Orleans, but refugees will have no shortage of bog roll thanks to a generous donation from the Gideons:
The Gideons International are sending 40,000 Personal Witnessing Testaments (New Testament, Psalms, Proverbs) to be distributed at the Astrodome and other relief centers in Houston...
...The scriptures are on a truck due to arrive Sunday by 10 a.m. and we are planning shifts to provide patoral care 24/7.
God is at work, and we are called by Him to Serve His Will. There was a purpose for Katrina, let us not fail to fulfill our duties.
Gideons sending 40,000 New Testaments to Astrodome - Free Republic, 2nd September 2005 (via Grim Meathook Deluge Bible Class, Courtesy Of Some Fucking Scum - Warren Ellis, 2nd September 2005).
If you want to give money to the world's richest country, then it might help to know which charities are genuine, and which are simply excuses to get at vulnerable people and evangelise. With that in mind, Sunfell has produced an edited version of a list originally posted by Dogemperor to the dark_christian LiveJournal community.
It rather sucks in a way this has to be done...
...but anyways, here's some notes on whom to donate to and whom not to donate to in regards to NOLA relief and dominionist groups. (Very sadly, dominionist groups will run charity groups taking advantage of people who may genuinely want to help. Most of the time,helpfrom these groups occurs with substantial strings.)
I am posting this list for folks to not only know of good groups to donate to in regards to NOLA relief, but also so that you can notify workplaces of both thegood guysand groups to avoid (due to dominionist links). (There are far worthier charities than dominionist groups, and I'd MUCH rather my money go to them than to supportstealth evangelismand the like)
Charities to donate to, charities to avoid - Sunfell's Earth Walk, 1st September 2005.
United States: Certain fundies are always harping on about the evils of the ACLU, but tend to be strangely silent when that organisation supports the First Amendment rights of Christians, as well as everyone else. Take the case of Shawn Miller, who spent 109 days in jail for quietly preaching to his family, away from others.
My wife, our two children, and I had been going for three months to this same abandoned gas station without any incident. We were simply having a quiet Bible study on Sunday morning. The bank across the street is closed. There are two churches (Baptist & Methodist) on opposite corners from us. There is a minimal amount of car traffic and no pedestrian traffic. We are NOT there to be heard. We are simply there trying to let our light shine. We are NOT yelling at anyone because there is no one around. Sure, cars pass and see us, but there is no way we are disturbing them since we are 15 feet away from the sidewalk. This police officer decided to pick on us that day for some unknown reason. Officer Smart, Officer Wilson, and an animal control officer were in the parking lot adjacent to us at about 9:45 and they stayed for about 20-30 minutes. Then they all left. A sheriff's deputy watched us for about five minutes a week before that day. Many police cars had driven by throughout the previous months WITHOUT incident. Officer Smart then came back at 11:05. I went over to him and extended my hand and said,What is the problem, officer?He said,You need to tone it down.I said,I am preaching to my family and we are not bothering anyone. This is free speech and you can not stop me.He said,We have been getting phone calls about you pointing and yelling at cars.I said,I was not yelling at cars and was not pointing and I was not bothering anyone. This is free speech and you can not stop me. If you have a problem with me being on this property, I will go to the sidewalk.
He is also accused of resisting arrest, because he surrendered to the police.
I was standing on the sidewalk looking at the officers. Officer Smart said,Come back here.I did not want to get arrested for trespassing, so I stayed where I was. I said,No, I am staying on the sidewalk because it is public property.He then came towards me. I have seen the TV showCOPS. I thought it best to get on my knees and put my hands in the air to show that I was not resisting arrest.
Comment by Shawn Miller to Common Ground with the Religious Right—Dispatches from the Culture Wars, 28th August 2005. See also ACLU Defends Another Street Preacher—Dispatches from the Culture Wars, 28th August 2005.
