Hypocrisy: March 2007 Archives

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 a Berlin Declaration unveiled 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 could not 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 was losing 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 of persecution needed 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!

• Link between belief in God and violence demonstrated. When God Sanctions Killing, The People Listen—Science Daily, 24th February 2007.
• Although abortion is claimed to be the issue, it's obvious that the bigotry of Roman Catholic leaders has attracted the interest of neo-nazis. They have similar views on pooves and women, after all. BNP seeks anti-abortion Catholic votes—The Observer, 4th March 2007.
• Astrologer sued after predicting a long life for a dead man. Prediction lands astrologer in court—Chennai Online, 3rd March 2007.
• Christian students given prayer room, are shocked that others complain when they break the rules by which all school clubs have to abide, and use a common room instead. Fundies blame a lone Satanist. Strange how such organisations always come to the support of a lone Christian who complains, yet get their knickers in a twist when the complainer is differently superstitious. Falwell-linked group pushes prayer controversy—Northwest Progressive Institute, 2nd March 2007.