Wednesday, March 26, 2008
“an unforgettable insight..”
Having spent most of last year filming, I think it would be fair to say that Will Crawley is eagerly anticipating the launch of BBC NI’s natural history series “Blueprint”. - there’s a trailer here.
This major, multi-faceted season across television, radio and online features a series of exciting output which will give the people of Northern Ireland an unforgettable insight into where we live and who we are and change the way they see Northern Ireland forever. Blueprint series editor Paul McGuigan says: “We’re rolling 600 million years of Northern Ireland’s unique past into an exciting series across television, radio and online.”
Now, if someone could remind Northern Ireland’s Culture Minister..
Pete Baker @ 04:01 PM
‘After all, they helped elect a president.’
In Northern Ireland they elected the First Minister - Ian Paisley who is an honorary ‘graduate’ of the infamous Bob Jones ‘University’ of South Carolina. The institution which even George Bush apologised for visiting and which John McCain refused to visit.
The difference between Northern Ireland and the USA in respect of their ‘creationist’ fundamentalists is that in the former they are poorly educated and barking mad, whereas in the latter they are barking mad and poorly educated . They are basically good people who are adrift in a world where there the simple certainty of belief is no longer appreciated as it was say in Victorian England or Medieval Rome . These are people who believe that if we all just believed in God (their God mind you not the God of the Jews or Muslims etc ) then the world would return to the way it was when everything was better and average life expectancy was 19 , people did’nt have the vote, and the Pope was either Christ’s vicar on Earth or the Whore of Babylon :(
Posted by on Mar 27, 2008 @ 02:46 PMAll we need is in the Holy Book.
http://www.godhatesireland.com/
Ireland’s enablers will face the Reckoning beofre we have the Rapture.Posted by on Mar 27, 2008 @ 02:57 PMI am a Christian and I happen to work in biological sciences. Evolution is the basis for much of my research. I see no conflict whatsoever between my faith and my work as an evolutionary biologist. It frustrates me greatly that Creationists are often portrayed as the majority position within Christianity. In fact, Creationists account for a tiny fringe within global Christianity. They are an a vocal minority.
Posted by on Mar 27, 2008 @ 03:47 PM“I would ask, for the sake of balance, that BBC NI expend a similar amount of finance and give a platform to Scientists, who are Christians and ‘Biblical Creationists’ to explain the visible scientific evidence that concurs with their beliefs on the origins of the island of Ireland.”
Visible scientific evidence? you surely mean “Goddidit”
Posted by on Mar 27, 2008 @ 04:21 PMthose creationist guys are nuts. why are they being taken seriously anyway?
Posted by on Mar 27, 2008 @ 08:45 PMI can just feel the tension rising. I may have to fight my way through a picket rather than organize one.
What is the Creationist website?
Not this one obviously…
http://www.causewaycreation.com/eventsfinal.html#book
Posted by on Mar 28, 2008 @ 12:43 AMIf the Beeb had half a clue, they’d get a production company to offer up a quid pro quo: a history of the Bible.
That’s the sprat.
Catching the mackerel then involves having Karen Armstrong to do a Scharma. I’m still working through her superb book, now recently into paperback (and on special 3-for-2 offer, when I bought it). If you can’t get it on discount, the hardback is going cheaper than the retail paperback on Amazon (that’s information, not a plug).
Armstrong has impeccable NI roots a generation or so back, so there you are.
As one who is agnostic even about my own agnosticism, I find her socio-theology very palatable. She seems sound (to me, anyway) on the causes of the rise of fundamentalism. She sees it as a product of the modern, scientific zeitgeist.
We are so into explaining and rationalising ["logos"], we have lost “meaning” ["mythos"]. Scientific explanation cannot give an explanation of the “meaning” and “purpose” of life: myth could and did. Until the modern era, though, folk did not confuse the one with the other, though “myth” frequently worked as an explanation of observable phenomena. So I learned many examples of “mythos” as a child:
Four peas in a hole:
One for the rook, one for the crow;
One to rot, and one to grow.Myth has been replaced by absolutist ideologies (and organic pesticides): as an intelligent, imaginative species, we are diminished; and resort to monstrosities like fundamentalism. [My gloss.]
Posted by on Mar 28, 2008 @ 11:08 AMmalcolm redfellow,
‘and resort to monstrosities like fundamentalism.
Imagine coming face to face with a medieval Christian serf from the 13th century . It’s only 40 generaations ago and yet if you were in the England of 1250 there would be some things you would recognise -students were graduating from Cambridge -a form of Middle English was spoken as well as Norman French among the upper classes .
.
Even if you broke the language barrier you and yon serf would have very little to say to each other after the usual weather chat . You would probably be interested in finding out what his goals in life were , what contribution did he hope to make to the world , what did he expect to leave to his children -what were his ideas about happiness and the good life ?. You might even want to probe a little deeper into his psyche (a la sluggerotoole :) ) and ask him about his national /religious /identity problems ?
You should not expect much of a response . If all you get is a blank stare its not because you’re talking over his head , or his mind isn’t developed enough for the exchange of ideas . It’s just that his ideas about life , history and reality are so utterly different from your 21st century views.
The Christian view of history perceived/perceives life in this world as a mere stopover in preparation for the next . To the medieval mind the world was an ordered structure. God controlled every single event . The Christian God was a personal God who ‘intervened’ in every aspect of life . If things happened or did’nt happen it was because God willed it . God made history , not people . Allah akbar in modern parlance if you will .
Modern fundamentalists although they would object to the comparison are in essence no different than the Allah Akbar mobs or the peasants or landlords in 18th and 19th century Ireland or their equivalents in Russia, France , Germany , England etc . The myth of religion is very important to them . It is their ‘explanation’ for the world around them .Without it they are adrift on a sea without apparent purpose .
Myth plays a role not just in religion but also in historical interpretation , political ideologies and nowadays on the screen in Hollywood.
Our science based world /material civilisation has been built up over the past 400 years and there are still pockets of ‘outdated’ thinking in the backwaters of even the so called developed world . But just as the medieval and later Popes had to accept that the Earth was not the centre of the universe so too will the fundamentalists and allah akbar crowd sooner or later have to face the reality that in a world of rapidly diminishing energy resources Allah /God /Jehovah will not help them .
Karen Armstrong btw is a good read for those who are trying to make ‘sense’ of the fundy mindset .
Posted by on Mar 28, 2008 @ 12:50 PMGreenflag @ 11:50 AM:
We’re in agreement, mostly, I see.
Even so, and off-topic, I question your:
England of 1250 ... students were graduating from Cambridge - a form of Middle English was spoken as well as Norman French among the upper classes.
As soon as I start on the following, I predict instant correction from the great Nevin.
I think there’s some argy-bargy about the term “Norman-French”: I seem to recall the eggspurts (phoenetic, but appropriate) prefer “Anglo-Norman”. Any way, the French didn’t adopt their own language officially until 1539, so it’s difficult to speak of a “French”.
Then thanks to King John (who deserves a better press than he gets) being systematically done over by the French, after about 1200 the Anglo-Normans had to decide which side they were on. Those who wanted to keep their English fiefs adopted English. Parliament began using English as its medium during the 13th-century, as I remember. The Provisions of Oxford, from 1258, were the first official document in English since 1066. That suggests that Anglo-Norman was well out of favour (except for the royal court, perhaps) by your time-scale. The Anglo-Normans in Ireland, of course, went Irish-speaking from the start (otherwise they’d have been short of pillow talk).
However, my main complaint is that you give the junior University such undeserved antiquity. The first College in Cambridge is quite recent: Peterhouse in 1284, so there were precious few graduates around. If the pseudo-intellectuals couldn’t cope with the academic intensity of Oxenford, they should have settled on Stamford, the main stop-over on the decampment, which is a far nicer place, and away from the worst of the Siberian blast I got there last week.
Posted by on Mar 28, 2008 @ 02:55 PMJust catching up with today’s Economist.
It leads its domestic section with an essential article on “Anglo-Saxon attitudes”, comparing British and US views of society, politics and economics. Inevitably, a poll is involved. Yes, the gist, but seemingly not the whole thing, is on line.
I recommend especially the attitudes on religion:
Do you believe there is a God?
Do you believe there is a hell?
If the prime minister/president were an atheist, would you feel delighted/indifferent/sorry/angry? and
Which explains the origin of the earth?The last is right on topic here:
The theory of evolution: Britain 60%+; US 30%.
The Bible: Britain 10%; US 40%.
“Intelligent design”: Britain 15%; US 20%.The printed copy before me (which may then not be on-line) comments:
The gap between Britain and America is widest on religion: no surprise there, as Britain is famously a post-Christian society and Americans are, if anything, re-discovering the faith of their fathers. But the difference in views is so wide that even British Conservatives are a great deal more secular than American Democrats are.
I do wish that Economist house-style didn’t conflate the USA with “America”, though.
Posted by on Mar 28, 2008 @ 04:08 PM‘my main complaint is that you give the junior University such undeserved antiquity.’
Mea culpa and that’s neither Norman or Anglo French or Irish :)
‘Honi Soit qui mal y pense’ coined circa 1350 sounds Norman French to me rather than Anglo Norman . IIRC it was only after the bubonic plague that Middle English began to make serious inroads into the language of the nobility and high clergy . KIng Edward 1 (longshanks) still spoke Norman French as his first language though he did address his troops in middle english before the Battle for Wales.
‘As soon as I start on the following, I predict instant correction from the great Nevin. ‘
Indeed that lad knows the language spoken and geneaology of the earliest forms of microbial life :) a veritable terror to us all :)
‘I do wish that Economist house-style didn’t conflate the USA with “America”, though.’
A bugbear of mine too . Canada, Brazil , Argentina and Mexico not to mention Cuba would have given different numbers .
‘The theory of evolution: Britain 60%+; US 30%.
The Bible: Britain 10%; US 40%.
“Intelligent design”: Britain 15%; US 20%.I did a quick survey with Dublin friends and relatives and here are the preliminary results of the jury.
Evolution : 90% +
The Bible : Oh yeh in parts it’s good .
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