And in the Big News today from a Faith Perspective, I want to talk to you about having fun. And death and funerals. Christian funerals are such fun.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xusz_piaoN9DhuzhbQ6EaYfBFsOvePJx/view?usp=sharing
And in the Big News today from a Faith Perspective, I want to talk to you about having fun. And death and funerals. Christian funerals are such fun.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xusz_piaoN9DhuzhbQ6EaYfBFsOvePJx/view?usp=sharing
Platitude of the Day 
Only a Christian commentator could turn the simple process of having fun into such a serious, portentous, doom-laden exercise. It’s as if actually enjoying anything in this life might turn one’s attention away from the deadly serious business of qualifying for the next one.
The AB of Cant was in the guest spot on the ‘Today’ programme at 08.10, talking about the forthcoming climate change summit. He produced a fine display of ecclesiastical flannel in trying to defend the CofE’s continued investment in fossil fuel companies. He also told us about the message he has signed with Papa Frankie and the bloke from the Eastern Orthodox Church that tells the world to ‘Choose Life’, a fortune-cookie motto cherry-picked from Deuteronomy.
Out of curiosity, I looked up the context. The full passage goes:
‘I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;
I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it. I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live’.
In other words, it’s the old story: love and obey Me or else. I can think of many good reasons for supporting climate change policies, but that isn’t one of them.
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Absolutely spot on, StephenJP.
Rhid’s solemn tone is a standard TFTD default substitute for actual astute, insightful, enlightening and meaningful comment.
And, yes, how ironic that he discusses the concept of ‘fun’ while sounding utterly miserable, like a pious Marvin the Paranoid Android.
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Perhaps the ABoC has been reading a bit too much Jesus & Mo and it’s got under his skin?
https://www.jesusandmo.net/comic/live/
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Ha, yes, good one! Somehow I feel that the AB would disapprove of J&M, if he’d ever heard of it. Not very ecumenical, you see.
Apparently he’s been spending his sabbatical writing a new book. Or possibly updating an old one. Try to contain your excitement.
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Well I’m going to have fun today. I’m going to go to a funeral. Christian funerals are renowned for fun. We know our loved one is going to some, admittedly ill-defined, “better place”, so typically Christian funerals are chock-full of fun and jollity. You must attend one some day and experience it for yourself. Then you’ll really know what fun is.
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I note from an article about Santos and her new fun book that one of her biggest realisations is that adults are often prevented from having fun by judgment. Rhid thinks we should all be more childlike and relearn having fun but his judgemental bible says “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” In other words, grow up, follow god and stop having fun.
There are no mentions of fun in the bible. There might be quotes about finding joy, but they all relate to “whatever you do, do all to the glory of God”. Unless someone can point them out to me I will continue thinking that, although individual religious people might have fun, Rhid’s religion doesn’t tell you to have fun, it tells you to do as you are told, or else.
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Yes, indeed @StephenJP, context is everything; thanks for providing that (revealing) context. I listened to the AB of C too, but what struck me was the ease and confidence with which he adopted his Important Public Person Mantle with regard to the climate change conference, and proudly announced how he was so in step with his RCC and Orthodox counterparts in agreeing to work together. A pity then that Welby hasn’t been so publicly prominent over child sex abuse in his church, and definitely has NOT formed any sort of accord with Pope or Patriarch to do something about it. Funny, that.
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