News and Opinion

This companion and contrast to my last piece has been prompted by the decision of the editor (or it maybe the deputy editor playing the fool while the chief is away since this is the silly season) of Leicester Mercury to offer a weekly column to the local Bishop to regale us with his views on anything he chooses. Is this what passes for professional journalism these days? In days past journalists were capable of providing us with plenty of views of their own devising based on their observations of society and their interviews with its denizens. Now whenever there is any emotive or moraly challenging event they turn first to the local vicar for his judgment. Why should "faith" in the existence of mysterious beings behind the workings of the universe gives them greater insight than people who have studied the problems in a rational manner? At least the editor has published three letters (one from myself) condemning his decision, and hoping that it is not too late to rescind it...

Is it paranoid of me to think that this is the greatest threat to the world and to continuation of the scientific enlightenment into the next millennium? Last Sunday there was a massive demonstration/rally in Indonesia calling for a Grand Caliphate of all Muslim countries based on Islamic law. This project is openly proclaimed by Hizb-ut-Tahrir in Britain. Equally on the American side there are the Dominionists who claim that America is or should be a Christian country, for instance: Christianity is Americas True Faith by Al Bedrosian . This is despite the fact that the founding fathers were definitely not Christians. This thesis is expounded in a new book, American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America by Chris Hedges who is himself a Christian writer. For an account of his views see here also . Some of the links here came from an alarming discussion on the BCSE forum. The British Centre for Science Education is concerned principally to campaign against the teach...