The Archbishop Vs Dawkins

Why on earth did Cardinal George Pell's minders-the coterie of priests known as Pell's Angels allow the man to go head to head in debate with the boorish Richard Dawkins, let alone the ABC devote one hour of prime time television on the hugely popular Q&A program for the professional atheist to promote his non-religious religion.

Pell, a fierce right winger who was pipped at the post by his pal Joseph Ratzinger to become Pope, is certainly knowledgeable on Catholic dogma and theology and can explain himself when necessary, even if he has some wacky views on women and gays.

But Dawkins has honed debating to a fine point and pulls every trick in the book. Pell just wasn't up to speed and Dawkins cleverly sweeps aside questions he cannot or will not answer, a tactic he uses often and which becomes apparent on repeated views of his act.

One way is to dismissively say "that's just a silly question" when thrown a curly one as he did on Monday night when asked  "what is the point of civilisation ?".
Dawkins brushed off the question with no answer and ignored the fact that man has been asking himself just that since time immemorial.
Pell was just still confused from the hash he had just made of his remarks on Jewish civilisation.

Now the Daily Mail in the UK has completely mis-quoted Pell in this article.

Pell was clearly talking about the past when comparing the sophistication of Jewish life of 2000 years ago with their neighbours, the Egyptians and Persians.
The Mail's headline screams :  

"Australia's most senior Catholic Archbishop sparks outrage after saying Jews are 'intellectually and morally inferior'".

Pell said no such thing. He was plainly talking, in a muddled sense about the past and not today. The tabloid changed one word "were" to "are" giving his sentence a completely different meaning.
And when host Tony Jones asked Pell if he included Jesus in the claim, the Mail says Pell did. He did not. As one person in the comments section says: the article is total bunk. As was Monday's Q&;A.

God Save Us From Pompous Gits : Dawkins, Hitchens, Fry

A regular reader has forwarded a YouTube piece (below) in which the increasingly tiresome Stephen Fry interviews nutter Richard Dawkins who (the reader) believes decimates the concept of 'respect' and believes we should publish it. We have. It's real thigh slapping stuff.

There is a madness that encapsulates the navel gazing stuff being churned out by the disciples of New Atheism who are threatening to descend upon Melbourne in 2012 en masse to flog more books encourage enlightened discussion in their crusade against organised religion.

Recently Dawkins, author of one of the dreariest tomes in recent years The God Delusion refused to debate Christian theologian William Lane Craig (probably a pointless task) and explained his reasons in this nonsensical spirited piece in The Guardian.

One of Dawkins oddest reasons was that Craig apparently supported God's (whoever that is) decision to slaughter the Canaanites, a tale from the Bible, that may or may not be true, (or a fable as Dawkins would call it) but which Dawkins quotes from ad infinitum. Dawkins declares Craig an "apologist for genocide".

Oddly, Dawkins is more than happy to share a stage with bore writer Christopher Hitchens who openly supported via numerous editorials, the invasion of Iraq- an atrocity he called "a war to be proud of" in which at least 113000 have died with official figures (according to Wikileaks) of civilian deaths at 1300 but possibly far more and with over one million Iraqis displaced. That was a war that George Bush Jr claimed : "God Told me to end tyranny in Iraq". Maybe some genocides are more equal than others.

Confused ?. So am I.

'A Celebration Of Reason' will take place in Melbourne on 13th to 15th April 2012. You can book tickets here but hurry, the ranks of Atheists are already splitting into different religious factions.

Update From The Other Side with Victor Zammit

Victor Zammit

From the man who recently brought us a message from England's Stately Homo Quentin Crisp- Australian lawyer Victor Zammit who spends his time debunking the debunkers like weirdo magician James Randi and God denier Richard Dawkins, comes some new messages from the ether. (you can hear Quentin here)

This time it's the osteopath Stephen Ward who topped himself in the middle of the infamous Profumo scandal in 1963.

Stephen Ward

 Ward introduced a British cabinet minister John Profumo MP from the ruling Conservative Party to a couple of good time gels Christine Keller and Mandy Rice Davies at a house party at Lord Astor's country estate Cliveden. When the scandal broke in the media it was discovered Keller was also knocking off a Russian Naval Attache. Resignations were demanded and Ward was charged with living of immoral earnings but committed suicide during his trial.

These days of course they would all be signed up for a reality programme on BBC Two.

Mandy & Christine

Zammit has uncovered a series of recorded seances where Stephen Ward describes his life on the other side, most recorded four months after his death. Apparently he was having trouble adjusting and wasn't yet hanging out with the "bigwigs'-whoever they are-but does get to wear comfy jumpers and loafers, ride horses, swim and well basically it's life as usual, hunting, fishing and shooting.

Sadly it's all rather disappointing. Ward says he could "tell you things about some people (still on earth) that would make your hair stand on end" but then doesn't. However he does reveal there's no coffee up there and Tutankhamen's discoverer Howard Carter is going to introduce him to the Egyptian Pharoah Akhenaton which is rather nice of him. 

Stephen has also met Oscar Wilde who he says he could never have met if he hadn't, well kicked the bucket like Oscar!. Helpfully, he tells us Oscar has a marvelous wit ( apparently Oscar has also hit it off with George Bernard Shaw).
And the man who brought us the message from Quentin Crisp, medium David Thompson has come in for a bit of flack from a 'Sceptical Believer' Roy Stemmen on his Paranormal Review who sounds a bit peeved Crisp didn't sound much like his stage show. It's all turned into right barney which you can plow through on Stemmen's website..

If that doesn't whet your appetite we have uncovered a series of pod casts with Princess Diana recorded by Andrew Russell-Davis.
 Unfortunately the Shuttle only made it through 2 messages as Diana really does witter on endlessly not saying much apart form how nice Wills and Harry are. Nothing about Dodi and not a word about Charles and Camilla.