Hidden Agendas ...

I have been watching, with some interest, the stream of anti-Christian innuendo and briefing in the media for some time. One of the more irritating is the description of the Oslo murderer as a "Christian Extremist" merely on the grounds that he apparently visited some 'extreme' Christian websites. The fact that he was never a member of any church or congregation, held views that were extremely critical of Christian precepts and then went on to carry out a mass murder attack in complete contravention of everything the Gospels teach, is apparently irrelevant to a good anti-Christian headline.

Recent conversations with my children and comments I have seen posted to blogs that are Christian in character, made me do a bit more digging. What emerges is that many of the Atheist and Humanist 'information' leaflets and 'teaching information packs' actually contain material which ignorant teachers are taking as fact, when it is not.

The object of the exercise is to undermine the single book which underpins our faith. The Bible is described in many of the tracts I have seen as "composed by different authors and much amended by the church, to reflect a questionable 'history' for which there is little archeological evidence." The early books, namely the Pentateuch, the "Five Books" of Moses, are dismissed as "fantasy," a collection of fairy-tales and fantasies. The material I have seen cites Egyptologists as saying "there is no reference to Moses or the Israelites on any Ancient Egyptian monument. Given that the Egyptians had a habit of defacing any monument to any ruler who fell out of favour, or was overthrown, and you have to question that. They also had a good 'spin' going on other things.

Ramses II is generally depicted as always 'triumphant' yet other records from other kingdoms of the time show that he and his armies regularly got beaten and chased out of territories they invaded. The fact is that there may even be a mismatch between the currently accepted "dating" used by Egyptologists where they have the dates of the Pharaohs arranged consecutively, when in fact quite a number of them may have reigned simultaneously. Then there is the city excavated in the delta which actually fits a number of the Biblical description, and contains a deliberately destroyed important tomb and many defaced monuments. The official line is that it is the "wrong period" to be the city mentioned in the Bible, but you also have to recognise that the Muslim World does not want anything which would 'prove' any aspect of the Bible as it would legitimise the Jewish claims to Israel.

Turning to the next set of 'books' in the Bible we have Judges, Samuel, Kings and Chronicles. These are fragments of the originals, probably the work of many scholars piecing together remembered fragments of destroyed earlier 'Court' records. The current form of these books dates from the return from exile of the leading families after the nation was overrun and suppressed by the Babylonian invasions. How accurate are they? Probably pretty close to the original, though very incomplete. Ironically records from the southern Arabian peninsula, Oman and even Babylon (Modern Iraq) suggest that there is far more truth in these books than any archeologist is prepared to admit for fear, possibly, of upsetting their Muslim friends who control access to the sites they want to examine. Politics there fore dictate that anything which supports anything in the Old Testament must be suppressed. That, of course, plays directly into the hands of the Atheist and Humanist Secularisers who wish to destroy Christianity.

Destroy the Book which provides the foundations of Faith - and you destroy faith.

The remaining books of the Old Testament fall into a category which may be more readily labelled as "philosophy." The Prophets of old certainly wrote with passion and fire in their hearts and pens and one of the things any open minded reader soon spots is that many of the things they raged against in their society are observable in our own. Human nature certainly doesn't change a great deal and hasn't in the 3,000 odd years since those ancient writers began compiling these books. The books contain poetry, allegorical stories and political commentary, some of that last, again, is very close to the bone for some of our present political ideas.

Does their being "philosophical" make them any less valid than, say, the writings of Bertrand Russell? I would say no, but I can hear the screams of rage from the Atheist community even as I write. Certainly much of the historical reference they make is slowly being verified, though not without huge amounts of opposition, obfuscation and resistance from those for whom the Bible is an "enemy" artifact to be destroyed at all costs.

Our children are also painstakingly taught that the entire Gospel story is a fantasy, invented by the Roman Catholic Church in some of the more pointed papers, to "enslave" the hearts and minds of the gullible. According to what at least two of my children were taught, the crucifixion and the resurrection are pure fantasy, the invention of people trying to overthrow the religious leaders of the time. They draw heavily for this on later Gnostic Heresy documents and, when these are exposed as false, fall back on the arguments that "there is no mention of Jesus in any historical record of the period." This is not, in fact, true, but it depends on what you refer to as a "record" and how you read it. There is a brief reference in the "Histories" of Josephus, but more tellingly, there is a record of the fact that Pontius Pilate seriously botched something which led to his being replaced and sent to a lesser post as far as possible from Rome. That, plus the fact that he eventually committed suicide.

It is also not surprising that no records survive of these events in Jerusalem, the Romans made sure of that when they raised the Temple and Jerusalem in 70AD. The Sanhedrin records and all the Temple records were thoroughly and systematically destroyed. All the noble Jewish families were imprisoned, sold off as slaves and sent into exile all over the Roman Empire. Where the Babylonians probably left at least some in situ, the Romans made very sure that only peasants and workers remained. And they then went on the rampage against the Christians as well.

For me, perhaps the most conclusive proof that Christianity is founded on truth, is the fact that there was such a determined effort to erase all evidence of the events described in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The story, the evidence and the faith survived that and I'm pretty sure it will survive this latest assault. It was said by a far greater author than I, that the absence of faith does not mean an absence of belief. Now those who are faithless will believe in everything ...

As a Christian I am tired of being told by the terminally ignorant, that "there is no historical proof of anything in the Bible" or that "The Church" teaches that the earth is flat, that we are the centre of the universe or any of the other zany "evidence" they can and do dredge up from the extremities of faith. It is time for those of mainstream belief to stand up and refuse to accept these canards any longer. Does this make me an "extreme" Christian?

No it does not, but it does mean that, from now on, I intend to demand the same respect for my beliefs from public organisations and commentators that they show for atheists, humanists, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Gays, Lesbians and everyone else that my Faith apparently offends. The laws that 'protect' the rights of all these others also 'protect' me and those who share my beliefs - it's time to start demanding their even handed application. It is time to expose the "hidden" agenda behind these assaults.

Redecoration ...

The Monk and Mausi live in a lovely part of the State of Hessen in Germany. We are surrounded by forest and perched atop a mountain. All that is missing are some of Pratchett's "silicone based lifeforms," a few vampires and the odd werewolf to make it the perfect reflection of Überwald. Not quite the Ramtops, but Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magrat optional ...

I jest of course, it is a beautiful little corner, one I am glad to inhabit away from the youff and freeloaders causing the riots in Britain.

We currently have the decorators repairing and redecorating the exterior of our house. That means scaffolding, plastic sheets over windows, and strange noises emanating from the jet washing of tiles, walls and other surfaces as they prepare them for a new coating of paint, treat the timbers in our soffits and generally get it all looking nice. They're a cheery bunch, drawn from several countries including Kosovo, Poland and, of course, Hessen.

My German is improving - but Hessiche still defeats me!

Making a stand ...

A recent article in the Guardian got my back up, not difficult given the bias that rag displays against the culture, heritage and nature of the English and western society. So I have registered my complaint with the Press Complaints Commission.

I cannot reveal what or the detail, suffice it to say I have no great expectation of it being upheld, given the nature of the beast. Now back to explaining for the third time, in detail, what I object to, and how it breaches their Code of Practice...

I'm angry enough to write a Blog Post

I have scolded the BBC via Twitter for giving Red Ken airtime - they won't listen, but it made me feel better. He and his cronies have taught a generation that they are entitled to everything without any effort, hamstrung the police to the point that they are powerless and all he cares about is trying to be elected as mayor again. He also has the "entitlement" disease.

In fairness to Red Ken (but very begrudgingly), all politicians of all parties are to blame - between them they have:

- removed vocational training
- devalued degrees and tried to shoehorn non-academic children into an overloaded higher education system
- introduced mountains of debt for graduates, making it seem impossible to earn enough to pay it off
- kept wages low to please big industry (who political parties rely on for funds)
- restricted housing to keep house prices beyond the reach of the average young worker - another blow to anyone paying off student loans
- removed the tools that enable the police to control rioters and put them in fear of being sued or suspended for doing their jobs
- reduced police numbers to levels that make it impossible for the police to deal with normal levels of crime, let alone riots
- adopted a soft touch approach to punishing crime, so no one's scared of being caught

The rioters are not poor misunderstood little children - they are cynical exploiters of a society where it is easier to make money by stealing, either from the government (benefits) or by looting. They have been brought up to worship celebrities and covet expensive flashy items. No teenager is prepared to postpone their dreams for 10, 15 or 20 years, so when they look at their options, they choose benefits and/or crime, because that looks like the best way to get what they want out of life. Benefits aren't generous at all, but if you have a choice between hard work for minumum wage vs sitting at home on benefits, if you have been trained to expect good things for no effort, which seems better? Those who choose to work have as many obstacles put in their way as possible, so the lazy ones think they're mugs for trying.

...and since the politicians all took part in protests in their youth and they wear rose-tinted specs when they look back at those days, they had no idea about what they could unleash. Politicians think that protest is a middle class hobby and all terribly well-behaved. They should have taken note of how the make up of the mob has changed in the 90's, when the poll tax and Reclaim the Streets riots started.

I can't find a link to the story, but I heard on the radio this morning that an immigrant community in West London banded together to defend their local businesses, so there is some hope. There are also clean up crews being organised all across London in defiance of the rioters - Londoners are angry and are determined to show that these people are not the majority and are not going to be tolerated. I just hope it doesn't turn into vigilanteism.

And then all the BBC can say is this ...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14459127

…while the media wring their hands over how mean it would be for the police to use crowd control methods that actually work, blame the Tories (rather than all politicians, which I think is more accurate) and blame social deprivation, my friend in Bromley tells me that police are gathering in preparation for more unrest – in the middle of the day in Bromley, of all places!

The Postulant

UK Riots ...

A disaffected populace, out of control youths, kids with not enough to do, benefit cuts, a Tory government, ... all the usual excuses and arguments offered by a biased media for the rioting occurring in the UKs major centres at present. I would certainly suspect that at least some of it is down to the disconnect between the reasonable aspirations of people and what the last government and this one are creating. But that doesn't excuse the rioting, the looting, the destruction of the livelihoods and businesses of those they are attacking.

The Postulant is keeping me up to date on events and has sent me some interesting links. I read with tremendous sympathy a blog post from a policeman at the heart of all this. His sensitive observations of the victims - small businessmen wiped out by these criminal and mindless gangs - is at odds with the usual media presentation of the police as brutish thugs just spoiling for the chance to beat up some "innocent" gansta. I have to say that Insp Winter epitomizes the policemen and women I have had the privilege of working with through my career.

Here is an excerpt from his account of Saturday Night ...

I have never experienced looting of this scale, the wholesale sacking of shops is taking place, we know it is taking place and there is nothing we can do about it, a couple of the more hardcore members of my team want to “blat round and stop it”, we’re outnumbered, we’re encumbered by protective equipment and we’re drained. If we go blundering into this kind of situation we’ll do more harm than good. And that’s when it happens, my moment of terror “MAN DOWN”, two words I never want to hear, we run to form a cordon round the fallen officer, shields up in all directions, everyone alert and scanning for a threat. I can’t see anything but I can feel the impact of stones against my helmet, I can see some glass breaking around us, thankfully the downed officer isn’t baldy hurt and is able to regain his footing, we’re up and we’re mobile, one of my worst fears averted.

But the bit that really got to me was this -

There are so many things I would like to say, so many experiences that have happened over the last 48 hours, experiences of terror, experiences of massive humour and sadness.
Trying to restrain a shop owner who is attempting to run into a burning building to attempt to salvage his stock, and indeed his livelihood. Taking off my helmet so I can hear him better, he sobs as he explains to me about his life, and how he has built up his trade and now does not know what to do. I simply do not know what to say to him, when I survey the streets around us it reminds me of the looting that took place in Iraq in 2003, it’s genuinely heartbreaking. I do something I find myself doing alot over the next few hours, telling him I’m sorry and then giving him a manly hug with a pat on the back. Helmet back on and we’re off somewhere else.

These guys are heroes, right up there with our Armed Forces fighting wars our politicians should never have engaged in and do not even begin to understand. I have, in my own career, had my fair share of being attacked with stones, petrol bombs and even shot at - and I was in the Fire and Emergency Services. Every MP whose "electorate" is currently out destroying the livings, homes and economies of their communities should be out there in Riot Gear learning what it is like to be on the receiving end of this sort of abuse instead of mouthing off about the police from the comfort of the BBC Studios. They, and they alone, have created the situation we are now in. The only problem with my desire to see these worthless parasites in the front line is that the Policemen and women would feel obliged to protect them - and place themselves in even more danger.

The police must now be empowered to put an end to this with whatever means are necessary and the courts must be told in no uncertain terms that the rioters, looters and thieves must be given punitive sentences - not the usual "community service" or "limp wrist" smack for being naughty. It is time to get tough and if the judiciary aren't up to it - sack them and let's have some who are.

Every now and then one stumbles across a statement so profound it is almost impossible not to see how obvious it is, and yet, how often it is ignored.

I recently came across an article on the Physicist Richard Feynman. It prompted me to take a slightly longer look at his life and work, interesting because, even as a physicist, he maintained a strong adherence to his Christian Faith. Born 1918 he died in 1988 and is still quoted on a wide range of science matters. One of his greatest assets though was his ability to summarise difficult issues and put them into plain words. Another was his ability to nail down "home truths" that seem to have got lost somewhere in recent years as secularists, atheists and general "religion is the root of all evil" pundits comment and sometimes rant about a faith they know little or nothing about.

One of my favourite quotes from Dr Feynman is simple -

"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool."

but it has a close second in

"Science is the belief in the ignorance of experts."

However, the profound statement which drew my interest was this -

In this age of specialization men who thoroughly know one field are often incompetent to discuss another. The great problems of the relations between one and another aspect of human activity have for this reason been discussed less and less in public. When we look at the past great debates on these subjects we feel jealous of those times, for we should have liked the excitement of such argument. The old problems, such as the relation of science and religion, are still with us, and I believe present as difficult dilemmas as ever, but they are not often publicly discussed because of the limitations of specialization.

Now it seems to me that he has struck a blow right to the very heart of the current attacks on faith by certain members of the "scientific community" and others in politics and even literature. They may well be "experts" vin their own narrow fields, but many of them patently do not have sufficient knowledge or understanding of the religious beliefs they so freely attack - and it shows every time they open their mouths before those who do. I may not be a physicist, biologist or great "best selling" author but I do know a little about my faith, enough in fact to know that those who attack it know less than nothing at all about it. And that is very sad indeed.

Patently, Dr Feynman did know his faith and had no difficulty reconciling either his science or his faith. Reading some of the papers he delivered I am left with the conclusion that the world needs a lot more scientists like him ...

You really do have to love his simple statement - Science is the belief in the ignorance of experts ...


You can find more of his quotes at WikiQuotes.

Real Science

Browsing some articles on climate and sea ice I stumbled across a blog called Real Science and added it to my blogroll. One item in particular caught my attention and tickled my funny bone - entitled Its Real, its dangerous all scientists agree its your fault - . Having perused other information on the site I have to say I found it very interesting and informative.