More of the comedy of “politically correct persecution of Christians” from the UK:
Militant atheists should “get over it” and accept that Britain is a Christian country, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has said.
That’s what a “Communities Secretary” is for is it? I wouldn’t know, because we don’t have one in the US, not at the federal level at least. We don’t have one for sport, either, or one for faith. How impoverished we are. Anyway so the job of the Communities Secretary is to piss on people who are part of the wrong kind of “communities”?
“I’ve stopped an attempt by militant atheists to ban councils having prayers at the start of meetings if they wish,” said Mr Pickles.
“Heaven forbid. We’re a Christian nation. We have an Established Church.
“Get over it. And don’t impose your politically correct intolerance on others.”
Get over what? Wanting to keep politics out of religion and religion out of politics?
Funny that he’s accusing other people of intolerance.
We don’t need official ones. Just walk into any bar and you’re bound to find several, of both flavors.
They’ve even got one of these!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV2ViNJFZC8
And according to the wealthiest woman there, there’s a Ministry of Magic, too!
Wow! What a hero! Mr. Pickles stands up to all the dangerous MILTINANT ATHIESTS to stands up for the right to impose prayer on everyone whether they can “get over it” or not.
I think you should be issued a Superhero for Jesus ™ cape cuz you are so brave defying the politically intolerant corrects.
Instead Pickles wants to impose his own intolerance on others.
Translation, Pickles is the local government minister, you know, councils and stuff.
“Militant atheists should “get over it” and accept that Britain is a Christian country, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has said.”
One delusion that infects the minds of religious people is that followers of other faiths are allies in the fight against militant atheists, in fact, the secular state is the best guarantee of religious freedom.
Why not invite a Muslim to give the opening prayer?
1) If there’s an Atheiststan I’d really like to go to it.
2) Mr. Pickles sounds like the name of a cartoon character.
Lord hear my prayer
May Eric Pickles get booted out of office at the next election
May Scotland vote for freedom in this
May the United Kingdom become the United Republic
Oh and by the way may you not exist
For ever and ever
Amen
Technically, he’s right, we are a Christian nation. We have an established church, 26 bishops sit by right in our upper house, our head of state is also the head of our church, all public schools have to have a daily period of ‘collective worship “wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character”’ etc etc.
…so with all that, why the hell does Pickles think Christians need any more bloody privilege?
Because the monotheists have to have it all, everything. “Live and let live” is not what they’re about.
As RJW mentions the Communities Secretary deals with local government mostly. It’s still a stupid department doing stuff that made more sense in Environment (planning rules and stuff) and the Home Office (race relations and whatever). And it has a very stupid name. And a very, very stupid minister.
Pickles trots out the special pleading card.
Eric Pickles is a buffoon, let loose to gambol and strut as a distraction. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out, what with Maria Miller also monopolising the headlines due to almost comically bad behaviour, that Britain has done something really, really bad.
@voidhawk:
I think it might be more accurate to say that technically we’re a Christian state. The nation evidently isn’t Christian because there are an awful lot of non-Christians around (more than 50%) and because in practice it’s a fairly secular place (although not as much as I’d like). Pickles is using a technicality to allow a minority to impose a practice that the majority very likely doesn’t want. After all, that’s how the fuss started: council members didn’t want prayer forced on them. Pickles told them to get over it.
Not that it’s about minorities and majorities. I’ve never really understood why people even want prayers at council meetings. What’s the point? The only one I can see is to intimidate people who aren’t members of whichever religious club.
I wonder how much time councils waste on prayer, especially since they are already struggling.
I think we tend to forget that the bishops in the House of Lords represent not the largely secular state giving in to the onslaught of religiosity but, on the contrary, where we have got to in the process of rolling back clerical power.
After centuries in which the power of the church and the state were often combined in one person – Thomas More, Wolsey, Thomas Becket – and inseparable, the bishops were offered a deal. In its present form it is – you get to wear Tudor-style robes for Parliamentary purposes, you’re allowed to speak and you get subsidised lunches. In other words, thus far and no further. Also, it’s not all of them – some by right of which bishopric they hold and a few others on seniority. By convention they don’t vote.
It is hard to believe that the next bout of reform of the House of Lords will leave them in any stronger position. Under some proposals they would disappear entirely.