Žižek on charity

If you have 10 minutes to spare and are looking for something to think about, have a look at this graphical representation of some words from Slavoj Žižek. h/t Maggi Dawn for this one.

I have to admit that I hadn't heard of Slavoj Žižek until now, but I have a feeling I may have to read some more. I'm not sure I agree with him, but he does make a compelling argument that there is a hypocrisy at the centre of charitable giving. Hmmm.

Gareth Malone, and my telly face

I really enjoyed the final episode of 'The Choir' on BBC2 last night. It was one of those occasions where MrsLanky and I break out what we call our 'telly faces'. This is where there's something on TV which is really captivating and inspiring, and it causes an inane open-mouthed smile to appear on each of our faces. We know we're doing it, but we just can't help ourselves.

Last effect night this was exaggerated further by the compelling nature of the programme. MrsLanky and I both sing, and we both believe in the value of singing in churches and communities. So you might say this was a match made in heaven even before the opening titles finished.

On last night's show, Gareth Malone showed again how a little bit of vision, and a huge amount of energy and enthusiasm, can bring together even the most hopeless (and I don't mean that in a pejorative sense) groups of people. He also showed the value of caring and compassionate leadership, and I think that's what the people of South Oxhey were really craving; the music was an excellent vehicle which was, in a sense, incidental.

In an age where the church has faded into the background for many people, it's not surprising that there are places and people in need of this type of leadership. We just need to clone Gareth Malone, or maybe get him to lead a module at theological colleges, on the subject of leadership in communities.

UPDATE - It looks like someone else agrees with me

Own goal for the BNP

I posted the other day about the BNP's annoying leaflet with photos of fine, upstanding, British professionals. Well thanks to Mrs Lanky's unfortunate addiction to the Daily Mail's website, I have become aware of this hilarious story about the fact that many of the models they used for the photos are of non-British origin! Maybe some prospective BNP voters might stumble across the story when they read their daily paper - not that I'm suggesting a link between the Daily Mail readership and BNP voters.

Angry atheists

Thanks to Phil Cooke for leading me to this article from the LA Times by Charlotte Allen. I like this bit:

I can't stand atheists -- but it's not because they don't believe in God. It's because they're crashing bores.

Other people, most recently the British cultural critic Terry Eagleton in his new book, "Faith, Reason, and Revolution," take to task such superstar nonbelievers as Oxford biologist Richard Dawkins ("The God Delusion") and political journalist Christopher Hitchens ("God Is Not Great") for indulging in a philosophically primitive opposition of faith and reason that assumes that if science can't prove something, it doesn't exist.

And this bit:

Maybe atheists wouldn't be so unpopular if they stopped beating the drum until the hide splits on their second-favorite topic: How stupid people are who believe in God. This is a favorite Dawkins theme. In a recent interview with Trina Hoaks, the atheist blogger for the Examiner.com website, Dawkins described religious believers as follows: "They feel uneducated, which they are; often rather stupid, which they are; inferior, which they are; and paranoid about pointy-headed intellectuals from the East Coast looking down on them, which, with some justification, they do." Thanks, Richard!

I think she summarises some good points, and I actually like her combative style; it somehow seems fitting in the face of the vitriol of the atheist 'lobby'. I think she's right about the anger. People like Dawkins seem to be incredibly angry at a God in whom they don't believe. The other good point she makes is that the philosophical arguments often deployed by angry atheists are simplistic and naive. I'll have to see if I can find her book.

Why do people vote for the BNP?

Today we had the 'pleasure' of receiving some delightful correspondence from the BNP. As you'll have guessed from my previous post, I don't have much time for the party and their ideas, and today's little present hasn't changed my mind. Lots of photographs of white people staring from the page; some of them well qualified professionals. Much mention of 'immigrants', and several references to armed conflicts in which the UK military has been successful.

Does this actually convince anyone? I suppose it must! The tabloid press does such a thorough job of whipping up fear out of nowhere that I suspect there are many people out there who have been conditioned by this kind of propaganda. Hopefully they haven't been brainwashed enough to actually vote for the BNP! 

Back in the loop

Following my previous post (but without any suggestion of a causal link) it looks like Zeffirelli's at Ambleside have come to our rescue (though that's still not on our doorstep). They're showing 'In the loop' from this Friday. The bonus is that they have a very good restaurant in the same building. Sounds like a plan!!!

Wise words of caution for web users

Phil Cooke has an interesting post on extracting urine from swimming pools! He reckons that taking something off the internet is like taking pee out of a pool; referring particularly to people having trouble getting jobs because of the dodgy stuff they've put on Facebook. Once its posted, you can't really unpost it!

Sometimes the National Secular Society just makes me mad!

Nowhere in the NSS's claims about the costs of hospital chaplaincy to the NHS do they point out the cost of NHS chaplaincy to the church! They seem to think that it's just NHS chaplains who visit sick people with spiritual needs. In my experience, the humble parish priest (along with ministers and leaders from other faith groups and countless lay people) do a massive amount of visiting without sending a bill to the UK taxpayer.

Also, the NSS seem to assume that Christians circle like vultures above the hospital wards, waiting to pick of the weak ones! Again, in my experience, the majority of contact concerning religious and spiritual matters is requested by the patient.

The NSS seems to believe biological health is the only thing that should be addressed in hospital but I am delighted that the NHS recognises the importance of spiritual health alongside biological health.

Bus spotting

I saw my first atheist bus today - I didn't think we'd get them in lowly Lancaster. I also saw this on the Church Times blog.

Booths supermarkets

We do the vast majority of our shopping in Booths - click here for a BBC story about the northern chain of supermarkets.
We don't shop there for the price - it is more expensive than the others - we shop there because of the emphasis on quality local produce and small scale customer service.
When we were in there the other week, we saw a young sales assistant walking round the store with an elderly lady and her shopping list, helping her to find all the products she needed. I can't imagine any of the 'big 4' routinely offering a service like this.