Archive for May, 2006

Geordie fundies break record

The hateful homophobes of the Christian Institute are bragging that “some 900” anti Jerry Springer: The Opera protestors turned up at the opening night at Newcastle’s Theatre Royal – the highest turnout of the tour so far.

Colin Hart of the CI:

A show like this may be popular in London’s West End, but the people of Tyneside have more respect for common decency.

Give over.




Ofcom exonerates Liddle

Rod Liddle’s The New Fundamentalists, a Channel 4 documentary about the rising influence of evangelical Christianity in the UK, provoked 123 complaints to Ofcom. Complainers alleged that the programme was not “duly impartial”, and was “offensive” to Christians and their beliefs.

Ofcom acknowledged that Liddle “did undoubtedly make his case robustly”, but judged that no rules of the Code were broken.

You might remember that the UK Life League were so outraged by Liddle’s “grotesque attack on Christian morality” that they sent his personal contact details to supporters via an email circular. It is likely that they are disappointed with Ofcom’s decision.




Principled blasphemy

The Rev David Holloway of the rabidly-homophobic Christian Institute leads the anti-Jerry Springer: The Opera protests in Newcastle. He is quoted by the BBC as giving the usual “free speech but” arguments against the show:

… public wilful and relentless abuse of Jesus Christ, as in this production, has no place in a civilized society – hence our moderate blasphemy laws.

So it is refreshing to see Peter Fosl give a compelling argument in The Philosopher’s Magazine in favour of the principle of blasphemy.

What’s been missing has been an acknowledgment that blasphemy isn’t just something that must be tolerated. It’s something that possesses a special political value of its own. Blasphemy, in short, is a good thing. It’s something admirable, noble, and, yes, even respectable. Why have we forgotten this?

He goes on to demonstrate that there is nothing special about religious opinion:

Like other ideologies, religion instructs and even commands people about what they should value and how they should conduct themselves. And it does so in a powerful and effective way. Ongoing controversies concerning gay marriage, abortion, war, hijab , pornography, and social services offer clear examples of this. Many clerics actually tell their congregations how to vote.

Blasphemy is an important tool in democratic discourse:

What better than transgressive cartoons, ridicule, humour, and even swearing to inhibit theocracy and its enthusiasms? Blasphemy deflates some of the sanctimonious, holier-than-thou, I’m-absolutely-right attitudes of the religious. It makes religion safer.

It does so by knocking religious authorities off their pedestals, by reminding us that their views (protestations to the contrary) are just those of silly humans, that they’re just like the rest of us—that they and their views are equals with us and ours, that they are not our superiors.

It is therefore the moral duty of secularists everywhere to blaspheme vigorously, creatively, and amusingly until at last the religiously censorious – from the hateful homophobes of Christian Voice to the bearded pubescents of the Muslim Action Committee – realise that the world is not obliged to take them as seriously as they take themselves.

(Hat tip: Butterflies and Wheels)

UPDATE: Speaking of noble blasphemers, Steve Bell’s latest editorial cartoon in The Guardian (online by tomorrow) fights the good fight, with an interesting variation on Michaelangelo’s “Creation of Adam” fresco

UPDATE: Steve Bell’s The George Bush impersonator at the White House correspondents’ dinner cartoon is now online.