Things are in the news. But now it’s time to enjoy ourselves and think about Jesus.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p08h0blc
Things are in the news. But now it’s time to enjoy ourselves and think about Jesus.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p08h0blc
Platitude of the Day 
“Leisure is a good thing; not just in and of itself but mostly because by doing leisure things it pleases the IMF, so that’s why I do it, and why you should too”
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Wilko would like to have fun. Good for him.
It’s good that his IMF agrees that fun is good for us but Wilko may face opposition from other religionists and Christians who reckon their IMF requires seriousness and rejects frivolity. Still, that’s an argument for them to sort out & there’s only one way to do that – get their different versions of an IMF in the ring and… FIGHT!
I’ve lined up a film for watching – The Life of Brian (must be nearly 10 years since I last saw it – now that’s a real sin) – presumably Wilko’s IMF will approve my enjoyment – or maybe even join me – I’ll leave a ‘comfy chair’ for it/them.
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“get their different versions of an IMF in the ring and… FIGHT!”
Why am I thinking of Harry Hill?
Peter. Do you know the audio of TftD doesn’t appear to be working in Chrome? I went to install another browser, but then thought,” You’re only doing this so you can (re)listen TftD.” Seemed a bit excessive!
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Thanks AndyM. Not sure what the problem is. I just tried it on Chrome on my tablet and it seemed ok. Likewise on Chromium on Linux. Do you get an error message?
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No. Nothing happens. It’s the same on whatever device I use, including a brand new one.
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OK, it’s completely greyed out on my phone’s version of chrome, but not on my tablet. Weird. I’ll see if I can track down the problem.
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Same problem for me.
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I think this is happening with newer versions of Chrome. Older version seem to be OK. It seems Google have improved Chrome so that it no longer shows links to TFTD audio!
I think what’s happening is that newer versions of Chrome refuse to allow mixed content pages, where the page is accessed via a secure link (https) but some of the content, in this case the audio link, is accessed via a normal link (http). There doesn’t appear to be any option to override this.
This has happened because I’m using the free version of WordPress. The free version doesn’t allow me to upload audio, so I upload the audio to my old blog. The trouble is, WordPress only allows access via https, whereas my old blog only allows access via http.
So until I can think of a way round this, sorry, the links won’t work in newer version of chrome.
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Good to know that there are other ‘heretical’ computer users who use Linux.
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Same here, on Chrome on my PC. The timeline and arrow button are grey, not black, and nothing happens when one tries to click on the latter. Works OK on my tablet, though.
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FWIW, I’m on a linux system and my browser is Firefox. I’m having no trrouble at all.
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People will have been enjoying themselves without the need of an IMF to convince them to do so and
I predict, because lockdown has kept most people confined to their homes and bored stiff, there is going to be a significant uplift in the birthrate from December 2020. And I guess the good Rev Dr Dr Prof and all his buddies are looking forward to bulging coffers from all the christenings coming their way. That is if folks still think it necessary to have some dog collared freeloader splash water on their screaming childs head whilst mumbling a sinister incantation.
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There is no human activity so trivial and innocent that one cannot find a theologian somewhere to try to take it over and sanctify it. I enjoy my leisure time with a book, or in the garden, or on a long walk with my wife because it’s interesting and rewarding! Don’t tell me I’m engaging in an important communal ritual! And don’t try to make out that Jesus was just a regular guy who liked a drink and a bit of banter with his mates. The character that was invented by the Gospel authors is, much of the time, enigmatic, creepy and very dislikeable.
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That’s the view I get. ” Jesus” was very probably an amalgam of various ranting, occasionally charismatic, preachers of the time , with a bit of OT prophecy mixed in. They appear now to be possibly schizophrenic, but epilepsy might be more likely for the majority. They had to survive in the world they lived in, and did it the best they could. If you could time-travel and treat them, I think they’d be surprised aspects of their rantings were being taken seriously by some 2000 years later
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You may well be right. I strongly suspect that Paul was epileptic, for one. The more one tries to nail the ‘historical’ Jesus down, however, the more he recedes into the mist. I don’t think there is very much evidence that any such character really existed at all.
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This is what christainity does to people. It reduces them to wretched guilt ridden sinners unable to have fun without feeling a degree of shame. In fact it is the first essential step of being a christian.
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Off topic, but this is a very big and very welcome story.
There are two huge aspects of this. The first is that gay men and women in the US now have significantly greater protection and security. The second is that a majority conservative supreme court, recently loaded with more conservatives, remains capable of making decisions based on the law and the constitution, not on their personal political stance. Decisions like this one are hugely more secure as a result. It seems impossible now that the rights confirmed in this case will continue to apply to gay people for a very long time.
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As a consequence, the tub-thumping rabble that is seeking to overturn other supreme court decisions will most likely stop trying (abortion, creationism in schools). What this proves is that they cannot rely on a conservative court to make purely conservative decisions. If the constitution is liberal in scope, if it extends personal rights to everyone (which it manifestly does), the supreme court will not go against it. This had been hoped, now it is proven true.
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I have a strange feeling a certain resident of Washington DC will be fuming about this. Appoints his approved judges, and still they obey the constitution rather than him. Good news.
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This is indeed great news; thanks for the heads-up. It is interesting to note that, however much Republican Presidents try to stack the SC, it almost always ends up supporting the Constitution.
I was worrying what might happen if Ruth Bader Ginsburg felt she had to retire, or even worse, became incapacitated. I’m a bit less worried now.
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I think this will be another significant nail in Trump’s coffin. It was one of the main reasons the Evangelicals voted en masse for him. To stack the supreme court to carry on their work long after he’d gone as President. If he can’t even guarantee that, it’s another reason for them to stop turning a blind eye to his clear flaws. You can’t keep excusing him because he’s carrying out your God’s work, when he clearly can’t do even that.
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