Recently in Church and State Category

Scotland: Dozens of people have complained after their names falsely appeared on a petition to the Scottish Government opposing same-sex marriage. MSPs and the Information Commissioner have heard from people whose names appeared on the petition without their consent.

Labour MSP Kezia Dugdale said a number of furious constituents had contacted her to say their names had been placed on the anti-gay marriage petition, which has been signed by former SNP leader Gordon Wilson, as well as senior figures from Scotland’s Episcopalians, the United Free Church of Scotland and the Evangelical Alliance.

Scotland for Marriage, an alliance of mostly religious organisations and opposed to marriage, was quick to blame the victims.

A spokesman for Scotland for Marriage suggested that supporters of gay marriage had placed their own names on the site in an underhand tactic to make it appear that Scotland for Marriage had dishonestly added names to the petition.

He said: This appears to be a malicious attempt to undermine the campaign. A police investigation would be welcome.

Those who found their names falsely added to the petition say that they were unaware they has "signed" the petition until it was published, suggesting that Scotland for Marriage had neglected to send out confirmation e-mail to signatories - a standard practice for online petitions. The bogus signatory who spoke to the Scotsman also did not think Scotland for Marriage deliberately added him to boost their numbers, but that someone else did so maliciously. In not applying even the simplest automated check, Scotland for Marriage have thoroughly undermined their own petition. No shenanigans required.

Bogus names discovered on petition that attacked gay marriage—The Scotsman, 16th December 2011.

Somalia & Kenya:

Al-Shabaab has only survived because it has run (these) extortion schemes, often under the guise of collecting Muslim "zakat" payments intended under Islam to be used to help society's destitute. Instead, the group has bankrupted and now forced into famine the majority of people living in the areas it controls.


To the 18,000 people who have fled here from deep in rural Somalia, plagued by a spreading famine and the rapacious extortions of murderous fundamentalist fighters, this truly is a sanctuary. Here, there is water. There are increasing food deliveries from aid workers cautiously crossing the border from Kenya for the first time. There is a hospital, over the border, to treat children who would otherwise starve to death.

"God" is guiding these bandits to steal, and rape and pillage, and the peole in their "care" can starve.
What's more most foreign aid is rejected, and aid-workers have been murdered ....

Somali Islamists thrive as children die in the dust—Daily Telegraph, 14th August 2011.

Ireland & the USA:

The Superioress and Sisters of The Magdalen Asylum ... very earnestly beg the support of the liberal and kind-hearted to help them with the upkeep of the Institution for 130 Poor Penitents, who receive a home within its walls.

This scandal has been running for many years now, and still nothing has been done. However, it now seems to have finally attracted international attention.

The brutal treatment of girls over many years is enough to make almost anyone weep. And brought to you as a public service(!), by your present author.

Much work has been done in this field by a survivor Mary Therese O'Loughlin who went through the Goldenbridge Bead-Factory - a similar slave-labour camp. Also a hat-tip to the magnificent work done over, and over the years, at the Butterflies and Wheels web-site.

Read more: Will Ireland Apologize to the Women of the Magdalene Laundries?—TIME World, 4th July 2011.

Russia:

Vladimir Putin has become the object of veneration for a bizarre Russian all-female sect

AND

"According to the Bible, Paul the Apostle was a military commander at first and an evil persecutor of Christians before he started spreading the Christian gospel," the sect's founder, who styles herself Mother Fotina, said.

"In his days in the KGB, Putin also did some rather unrighteous things. But once he became president, he was imbued with the Holy Spirit, and just like the apostle, he started wisely leading his flock. It is hard for him now but he is fulfilling his heroic deed as an apostle."

My brain hurts - does yours?

All-female sect worships Vladimir Putin as Paul the Apostle
—Daily Telegraph, 19th May 2011.

England: This is the first paragraph.

It is curious that atheists have proved to be so intolerant of those who have a faith, He said.

As opposed to those having faith persecuting, lets see:
Women, jews, other ("the wrong" sort of christian/muslim) believers, "witches", scientists, or anyone who asks awkward questions, presumably.

Your author would love to accuse the smug and ignorant Patten of lying, but he cannot.
That is because Patten has been so obviously completely brainwashed by the all-encompassing propaganda of the RC church that it is plain that he is simply deluded.

Unfortunately this delusional has-been has just been appointed chairman of the BBC trust!

Lord Patten attacks 'intolerant' secularists
—Daily Telegraph 24th April 2011.

Iran

“There is no difference between a real and fake hymen,”

and

Last year, the Saudi scholar Anwar bin-Majid argued that God “knows that human minds cannot grasp the nature of the pleasures of Paradise, so He made it closer to their understanding by mentioning dark-eyed beauties, wine, milk, and fruit.” In fact, he went on, “in Paradise there are no sexual impulses. Therefore, people’s sexual organs will disappear in the afterlife.”

Well, thanks, but no thanks!

It would seem, see article, that the young people of Persia are using, not just the internet, but all the communications that implies. And that plenty of sexual practising is being perpetrated - shock, horror.
Looks like it might just be the mullahs turn to imitate the Irish RC church, if we are lucky.

In Iran, modernity takes on the cult of the virgin—Daily Telegraph, 14th February 2011.

• Italy: Catholic church gives blessing to iPhone app—BBC News, 7th February 2011.
• Uganda: Woman stripped in market for witchcraft—Uganda People News, 8th February 2011.
• Swaziland: Drama as prophet probes resident for witchcraft—Times of Swaziland, 8th February 2011.
• India: Sorcerers target Soudha again—Times of India, 8th February 2011.
• Romania: Fortune tellers whose predictions do not come true could face prison like all other fraudsters. Hard-hit by recession, Romania considering getting even tougher on witches—The Canadian Press, 8th February 2011.
• India: Rationalists strike back, all set to nail the facade of ‘religious magic’—Daily News and Analysis, 8th February 2011.
• Indonesia: Muslim mob burns, ransacks churches in Indonesia—AFP, 8th February 2011.
• Wales: North Wales UFO ‘crash’ is back in the spotlight—The Leader, 8th February 2011.
• United States: 'UFO Phil' Wants to Put a Pyramid on Pikes Peak—AOL News, 8th February 2011.

• England: Ghostly surge sees park ride moved—Press Association, 7th February 2011
• South Africa: Zuma defiant in ‘heaven vote’ row—IOL News, 7th February 2011

• Malawi: Students leave school, suspecting Satanism—Nation on Sunday, 6th February 2011
• Indonesia: Six people killed in religious clash in Indonesia—Wire Update, 6th February 2011
• Israel: Women keen to show off just how modest they are. Jewish Mothers in Meah Shearim Dressing Like the Taliban Condemned by Rabbinate—Jewish News, 6th February 2011

Poland: Poland wants Auschwitz website to drop .pl suffix

Right-Wing Catholic Vileness

Bogdan Zdrojewski, the Polish culture minister, said he had asked the authorities at the Auschwitz-Birkenau museum, along with their counterparts at the Majdanek and Stutthof concentration camps, to change their domain names to either .com or .eu.

I’ve asked them to be consistent in using the appropriate German names of the camps and this applies also to the internet, the minister said. At the moment the .pl is misleading and might make people associate the camps with Poland.

Not only is this right-wing nationalism trying to re-write history, it is an obvious attempt to whitewash the Catholic church, see HERE (go to “Nazi Photos” if pictures don’t appear immediately) and it’s enough to turn your stomach.

One wonders if the so-called “culture” minster has heard of MAUS and whether he’d like to deny and erase that record, as well?

Poland-wants-Auschwitz-website-to-drop-.pl-suffix —Daily Telegraph, 2nd February 2011.

United Kingdom:

MPs have asked ministers to explain why £1.85m ($3m) from the international development budget was spent on the Pope's UK visit in September....

Committee chairman Malcolm Bruce said ministers should explain what the money was spent on and how it tallies with our commitments on overseas aid.

So, a demented old man, in charge of the biggest, and richest group of followers of Bronze-Age goatherders' myths gets British Government aid.

Apparently at the expense of the poor in the third world.

How like the dearly beloved [not ] "Mother" Theresa!

MPs query £1.85m overseas aid spent on Pope visit — BBC News, 3rd February 2011.

England: The Church of England has come clean and admitted that Easter is nothing but an appropriated pagan festival. The admission isn't intentional, though. The Church is producing a product to remind people of the real meaning of Easter. Their choice of symbol? An egg, starring their highly original zombie deity. Perhaps they'd like to further remind us by crucifying a few rabbits?

Church of England egg hopes to unveil the true meaning of Easter-The Guardian, 30th September 2010.

Northern Ireland: A government minister is calling for a Belfast museum to treat fairy stories as science, and claims their failure to do so is a human rights issue. Culture minister Nelson McCausland, wrote to the trustees of the Ulster Museum demanding their exhibitions reflect his belief that his imaginary friend made the universe in less than a week. And he claimed a substantial proportion of the Northern Irish population shared his insanity.

McCausland defended a letter he wrote to the trustees calling for anti-evolution exhibitions at the museum. He claimed that around one third of Northern Ireland's population believed either in intelligent design or the creationist view that the universe was created about 6,000 years ago.

I have had more letters from the public on this issue than any other issue, he said.

So clearly, the museum, as an educational establishment, needs to correct their misconceptions, not encourage them. McCausland has some other insane ideas: he believes that Ulster Protestants are one of the Lost Tribes of Israel! One suspects that deporting them there would only cause more trouble.

The Guardian does not indicate whether he was writing in his official capacity, but indicates there is an orchestrated campaign against Northern Irish museums who wish their exhibitions to reflect reality. He's also not the only lunatic in the Northern Irish Assembly. Fellow party- and Assembly- member Mervyn Storey insists that publicity for one of Northern Ireland's few tourist attractions, the Giant's Causeway, reflect his belief that it is only 6000 years old, rather than the millions indicated by the evidence. He did not indicate whether equal space should be given to the just as convincing belief that the Causeway was created by legendary warrior Fionn mac Cumhaill so he could get to Scotland for a fight.

Northern Ireland minister calls on Ulster Museum to promote creationism—The Guardian, 26th May 2010.