BBC 2 showed Louis Theroux's 2015 documentary My Scientology Movie last night. It demonstrates yet another example of the cynical manipulation of mankind's religious conscience. It is but one of many examples. Theroux could not understand how intelligent, apparently normal, kind, well-meaning people, and Tom Cruise is one of the most high-profile scientologists, could be …
Category: Theology
Christian scribes
The scribes and Pharisees were opposed to Jesus and His teaching. Jesus accused them of hypocrisy: 'Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you close the kingdom of heaven against mankind: for you neither go in yourselves, neither do you allow those entering to have entered’ Mat 23:13. He also exposed the inadequacy of …
Which media can we trust?
Fake news raises the question, which media can we trust? The UK diplomatic response to Russian denials of involvement in the poisoning of the Skripals in Salisbury includes the claim that Russia is spreading a smoke screen of fake news. Yet repeated claims over the years that the BBC is itself biassed, not least from …
Taking complaints seriously
Too late, Jeremy Corbyn is discovering the effects of not taking seriously the complaints about antisemitism in the Labour Party. He is now on the back foot and trying to salvage the situation with as much damage limitation as he can muster. Russia and Vladimir Putin are discovering the same. After thinking they could ignore …
How far does shame go?
Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, said that he has "learned to be ashamed again of the Church (of England)" after three weeks of studying the accounts of sexual abuse by Church of England clerics. How does this compare with Roman Catholic cardinal Joseph Ratzinger who regularly studied the accounts of abuse by Roman Catholic priests …
Fake news is more popular than the truth
People spread lies more than the truth. An analysis of more than ten year's worth of tweets shows that fake news spreads faster and further on twitter than true stories. The research also suggests that people play a greater role in sharing lies than computer-generated bots. People are gossips and love to pass on stories …
Secular puritanism
Secular puritanism is on the rise and it is more aggressive than Christian puritanism. In the wake of recent sex scandals, secular commentators are expressing their concern at the suspension of due process in the law. ‘The new puritanism’ was discussed in the 15th-anniversary edition of the BBC’s This Week programme. The new puritanism is …
President Trump’s poor theology and use of language
President Donald Trump believes in hell and he thinks it can be found in mentally-ill gunmen who shoot school children. He wants to arm trained school teachers to shoot "the hell out of" gunmen running amock. The world's media has drawn attention to his colourful language, but the media is unlikely to address his wrong …
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Should a public service accommodate belief?
Current UK law forces Christians to promote unchristian material contrary to their beliefs, but Virgin Trains has decided to stop selling the Daily Mail newspaper because it is not compatible with the Virgin Trains brand and its beliefs. However, BBC Newsnight described it as 'a culture war'. What about Christian beliefs and the Christian brand? …
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Selective moral outrage
Secular morality has always been selective. It knocks out the first four commandments and modifies the other six. It adds a few more of its own, and keeps some up its sleeve to use when the going is good and the time and price is right. Political correctness is shifting sand ready to catch people …
