Tuesday, July 18, 2006

 
Bob from The Brights wondered if I might be able to link through to the letter I had published on Saturday in the Daily Telegraph. The Telegraph website doesn't seem to want to let me get at the letter again, however — though I notice on today's letters page some more nasty, mean-spirited comments along with a letter supportive of the anti-discrimination legislation from a Reverend who seems a bit more au fait with what I thought christianity was supposed to be about.

Anyway, I kept a copy of my letter, which was short and sweet.

Sir - I wonder if the pastors writing on behalf of tens of thousands of black British christians are aware that the thousands of homosexuals in London have come here to experience the freedom of living according to their sexual orientation in the capital of a secular democracy?

I was tempted to rant on a bit, naturally, about what a bloody cheek anyone has coming to this country and then complaining that our values aren't up to scratch, and about the nonsensical notion that just because legislation is anti-homophobia it is also anti-christian, but I restrained myself.

Comments:
Ma hah! I found it:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2006/07/15/nosplit/dt1501.xml#head4
Nice, short, to the point. ;-) Not so sure the additional jab about "coming to this country and then complaining that our values aren't up to scratch" is so in sync with my own views, though. Many of the pastors and those they represent won't themselves have come to "this country"; they might be second gen or much older. Besides, hypocrisy is hypocrisy whether someone's complaining about such a law in their indigenous country or in their adopted country! Their attitude -- "We demand the right to be prejudiced, or you're prejudiced against us!" -- is definitely hypocritical, wherever they're from!
 
Oh, I hope I didn't come across as anti-immigration or anything. I'm really not, and I do resent having being provoked into saying something that can be construed as such. My comment wasn't directed so much at the pastors, who I agree are probably second generation or older. It was in direct response to what the pastors said in their original letter about tens of thousands of people coming here to experience the freedom to practice their religion — and by extension, I suppose, spread their hate.
 
Heard about this school banning Lennon's song "Imagine" because the Head says it's "anti-religious".

Does that mean atheism can't be mentioned (let alone taught) in schools? What happens if you study philosophy or Communism, do they go through the books and tipex out any reference to atheism?
 
I know! It's outrageous. I suppose it was a faith school, but even so. It's all just such a mess - they should ban all of them.
 
Just because it's a faith school doesn't mean children shouldn't sing "Imagine no religion..."

All he's saying is - if we all just think outside our little box for a moment, we might not feel so inclined to shoot each other.

Is that such a terrible message for Christians to hear?
 
Don't get me wrong, I'm with you. I just think that the reason faith schools exist at all is so that the religious can strictly control what messages their children get and don't get. When you have nutcases out there saying that they should be left alone to teach children that homosexuals are sent from the devil, it's hardly surprising that some of them object to John Lennon lyrics.
 
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