I get told off for criticising fundies, people I think of as friends tell me I am an arrogant bigot, I am intolerant and if I would be more open minded I would see the "truth."
As they think it is just me perhaps they could also tell me why a mainstream T.V. channel in the UK has devoted 2 - I hour prime time slots to exposing the extreme nature of Evangelical churches in the U.S.A. and why a leading British churchman said "this is not Christianity as any civilised nation knows it."

Having been given a lot of earache for my article "My Problem With God," I want to say I am totally unrepentant. One of the most revealing comments suggested that if I would stop being so arrogant and bigoted and approach things with an open mind I might see the truth of the Judeo - Christian tradition. Well, the "truth" or otherwise of the Judeo - Christian tradition" (I use inverted commas because the marriage of these two faiths exists only in the minds of a certain type of Christian) is something I planned to move onto.

Here is a little lesson for those who think I should be open minded and accepting of any suggestion that is liberally sprinkled with words like Jesus or God. It is a statement made by a British politician a while ago.

"Many voices are being raised against Jimbo, it is said that Jimbo is an oppressor and a tyrant, that he will persecute the Wonkys, destroy their communities and drive them out of their homes. I say we have seen no evidence to suggest there is any truth in this and until we do see proof we must trust Jimbo, accept his assurances that the Wonkys will be secure under him, and we should give him our support in the task he and his supporters are attempting, so long as it is not to our disadvantage to do so.

An innocuous statement, probably meaningless in its present form, but just read it again this time replacing Jimbo with Hitler and Wonkys with Jews. Now it is not quite so unremarkable. Of course this tolerant attitude towards the Nazis in the early days proved greatly to our cost later.

Fascists are always very plausible, their arguments always seem reasoned and inoffensive, until somebody challenges something. Then the truth is revealed. Fascism is a destructive disease in any society and religious fascism is the most pernicious cancer that can infect any society. Supporters of Fascist ideas can always be spotted easily because somewhere in their dogma will be the belief that they are above being questioned. Time and again among fundamentalist preachers of all religions I encounter this attitude "we are right so you must believe and not question us."

A very dear (but misguided) friend keeps sending me links to a website called Bible Questions Answered. I have looked at some of these "scientific" answers, they are risible. So in the near future I will be bringing you a series of articles with the general title "Bible Answers Questioned."

It will be fun.

But for a laugh now follow the link and read about the cup bearer to the celebs