Religion – Page 7 – Boadicea's Chariot

Down in the forest……

Flintinge Byskov

Something stirred. So faint that I scarcely heard,
But the forest leapt at the sound,
Like a good ship homeward bound.
Down in the forest something stirred,
It was only the song of a bird.

But it was quiet inside the 5,200-year-old burial chamber, just a stone’s throw from our front door. It’s what’s known as a ‘passage grave’ – referring to its construction, not its purpose! Excavated 140 years ago by the then-landowner, about the same time as our house was built for his gamekeeper-cum-forest bailiff.

15 minutes with Backside, 1

I see that schools are now prohibiting girls from wearing skirts, insisting on trousers just like the boys wear. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-23522499

Well, it was never an issue when I were a lad because schools were segregated, so the lasses were never inspired to reveal too much leg or wha’ever. In fact the trouble always starts when boys and girls are thrown together, innit?

The solution is to dress all girls in floor-length gowns, with bags on their heads. No show, no see, no problem. Sound familiar?

Legendary lunches

The DT today has an article about sandwiches – http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/recipes/10101267/Sandwiches-Leave-mine-open.html – which of course pressed my Viking button.

Continue reading “Legendary lunches”

By any other name

Seein’ as ‘ow my youngest is due to add Number Nine to the Janus clan in the Autumn, I feel qualified to comment on the theme of naming children, further aroused by the Beeb: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21229475.

Auntie (possibly wishing to avoid some nasty social aspersions being cast) seems to have missed out a very widespread reason for countries restricting the choice of names – RELIGION. Some countries allocate days to ‘holy’ names – so if you are born on 25th December you automatically become Christos/Christina (!); and although I confess to knowing almost nothing about Islam law, I have the impression that babies are only given ‘approved’ names.

What surprises me is that Denmark – otherwise notoriously free of constraint in almost every imaginable respect – has its own list, outside which a child may not be named. The religion or what’s left of it, is Lutheran but its tentacles still reach into daily life by awarding Spring days off work for General Prayer, Ascension and Whitsun respectively, promoting the Confirmation industry among greedy teens and, yes, forbidding one to ‘christen’ a baby with the Liverpool cup-winning team. So there’s the rub – what a pity their holiness doesn’t extend beyond their sanctified monikers!

In Britain of course the rich and famous persist in giving their offspring silly names, often of dubious gender and provenance, like themselves in many cases. But relax, friends, it’s all cyclical and soon the Johns and Joans will be rife amongst us again.

Idolatrine

Evangelical Protestantism is on the rise in South and Central American countries.
This part of the globe has historically been a catholic stronghold in matters of faith but the flock are turning. Brazil and Mexico, the two largest catholic nations in the world have had many converts to the Evangelical side and other Protestant church communities: Pentecostals, Baptists and Methodists. A personal relationship with Jesus is most important to evangelicals, whereas in Catholicism, priests and the church hierarchy are tasked with interpreting the Bible and being “God’s representatives”. Has the continent of Pele et al seen the light shining?

With chapel attendance dwindling in these areas it begs the further question, was Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the Jesuit cardinal from Buenos Aires the newly appointed successor to Saint Peter, chosen purely to revitalise the ailing roman church in Latin America? In modern times we don’t expect political intrigue straight out of the Borgias yet the appointment smacks of a desperate attempt to woo back floating voters by installing one of their own. And was the retired/deposed Benedict part of the scheme? We’ll need to wait until the papal archives are released. Continue reading “Idolatrine”

Boycott Halal

Burger King Arrives in South Africa

The above article made me spit. Increasingly halal foods are being forced upon us without our knowledge and certainly without our having requested them. By us, I mean non Muslims. I can understand that it makes sense economically for halal options to be offered to Muslim diners, but there should be a choice. Certainly many supermarkets in South Africa have kosher sections. But to ban pork products entirely from restaurants, supermarkets and even airlines, is taking things too far. Leaving aside the methods used to slaughter animals to satisfy halal standards, foisting the regime on the rest of society sends the wrong message to Muslims who will believe that they only have to complain loudly and aggressively enough and they will have their way in all things. Soon it will be Sharia Law. It really has to stop now. Continue reading “Boycott Halal”

Cry ‘God for Harry, England and St George’!

And raise a glass for William Shakespeare too, despite the misery he has inflicted on school-children for centuries. For today is our National Day. The Harry I refer to is of course Mr Rednapp, the architect of Spurs’ excellent season and now the undertaker for QPR. Because that’s what being English is all about. Highs and lows. Effortless superiority, born of experience unequalled among other tribes of man. They come and go, but like old Father Thames, the English go on for ever. Cheers!

NIMBY politics

It’s rather a facile option for small countries to declare themselves ‘nuclear free’. Denmark has done it and the SNP will do it on behalf of a ‘free’ Scotland. But such posturing ignores the realities of life in the 21st C. (Every day for example Denmark may choose to buy electricity from neighbouring countries which run nuclear power stations – only confirming the hypocrisy of its policies.) Militarily, the western alliance (or NATO) ‘protects’ both territories by dint of their membership (unless the Scots go 100% neutral) and uses nuclear weapons to secure such protection. So when Iran and North Korea threaten Europe, as well they might, will the Lilliputians expect special dispensation from nuclear attack or eventual occupation? Maybe, but only total political neutrality will guarantee that. That’s the dilemma. They surely wish to be seen as supporters of European values and defenders of their own – but not, it seems, at any price or ‘in my back yard’. And would any rogue state misguided enough to launch a nuclear attack respect the nuclear neutrality of such defenceless people? I doubt it.

Easter poetry winner

Well, our cherished poets certainly dreamed this time, just as they were invited to. So my eggy-toast repast served by a disorientated Backside (unable to deal with the summertime change) has been full of unlikely images. It must be the effects of the subarctic conditions, all recorded here: https://charioteers.org/2013/03/14/easter-poetry-competition/

FEEG’s ode from a bunny was short and sweet, as was Papag’s scientific Christianity; joined later by two ‘blank verses’, LW harking back to a dysfunctional family life and Soutie giving us a new slant on ‘be prepared’.

Then the two heavyweight entries from Araminta and LW. Could I hear our Cilla’s rendering of ‘What’s it all about?’ in Arrers’ poem? Or was it ‘Just imagine’ – life without the DT? And then LW’s tribute to old Eostre herself, whose very own eggs have a lot to answer for (allegedly).

Continue reading “Easter poetry winner”