Friday 2 December 2011

Abuse in Bideford

Poor old Councillor Bone. His colleagues on Bideford Town Council have been forcing him to his knees, holding his hands together, and threatening to beat him up if he didn't say the Lord's Prayer. Today he goes to the High Court to seek an end to this practice.

Oh, hang on a second, I've just re-read that. In fact, the Councillors have been saying a prayer at the start of the Council meeting, in accordance with a time-honoured tradition (also observed in our own Parliament). There is no requirement for Councillor Bone (or anyone else) to be there, let alone participate; the register of those present at the meeting is taken after the prayer. However, this is so offensive to his sensibilities that he has made a bit of a fuss. The Council has considered his point of view and voted, twice, to maintain the practice. One might call that a democratic process.

BUT (ta-daa!) enter the National Secular Society, and Councillor Bone's terrible predicament is now to be resolved by the High Court.

I listened to Keith Porteous Wood, the Executive Director (now there's posh!) of the NSS on the radio, and there was something about the quality of his indignation and detestation of all things Christian that made me wonder... and sure enough 'Wood is in a civil partnership with Terry Sanderson, the president of the National Secular Society,' according to Wikipedia. (Well, that's cosy isn't it: they can discuss their vicitimisation over the morning latte.)

Somehow, militant secularism and the militant gay agenda often go hand in hand - and I know which I believe to be in the driving seat.

13 comments:

Left-footer said...

Poor old England! Have linked from my blog.

Richard Collins said...

And, if I remember correctly, in the 16th century it was the peasantry of Devon who revolted against the imposition of Henry's Common Prayer Book (!) and forced their priest to retract and say the Latin Mass. They then died in their thousands for their belief.
What a distance the Devonians have travelled.

Ben Trovato said...

LF: thanks for the link. Let's wait for the High Court's verdict before finalising the shroud for England (though I suspect it will be needed before too long.)

RC: yes, in 1549, joined by many from Cornwall too, of course, and suppressed by foreign mercenaries (who were probably Catholic, too, and probably did not know the nature of the action in which they were deployed...)

Stuart James said...

Poor ol' Councillor Bone; he is a poppet isn't he.

Have linked to this one also.

Ben Trovato said...

Thanks Stuart: links always welcome...

And yours is always an interesting blog to read, too.

Patricius said...

Funny how these people are so bothered by the allegedly non-existent Deity!

Left-footer said...

Patricius - perhaps they are motivated by spite and the desire to shock, more than pure atheism.

Ben Trovato said...

LF: I certainly question the purity of their atheism...

Stuart James said...

By the way Ben, that Twitter link still doesn't work.

I'm only moaning because I keep trying to use it to find you on Twitter to bother you.

Perhaps it's best if you don't fix the link :)

Ben Trovato said...

Thanks Stuart, kept forgetting; should work now, I think (now I've actually told it my Twitter username - a minor detail!)

Flossie said...

Er - actually it is ex-Councillor Bone. The trauma of prayers was obviously too much for him.

Ben Trovato said...

Poor old Bone! I hope he gets his therapy subsidised by NSS.

A Reluctant Sinner said...

"Somehow, militant secularism and the militant gay agenda often go hand in hand - and I know which I believe to be in the driving seat."

Exactly... St Paul was spot on when he wrote the passage contained in Romans 1:18-32. It would seem that those who glory in unnatural lusts have always been prone to hatred of God and truth.

Excellent post, by the way!