THE outgoing Bishop of Carlisle – the Rt Rev Graham Dow – has used the April edition of his diocesan news to have a pop at atheists, according to this report.
Not only are we going to fall off our perches earlier – “Churchgoers live longer: men seven years on average, women four” – we will go to our graves worried and disappointed over our failure to disprove the existence of God.
Bishop Dow
Writes Dow, who leaves his post of the 66th Bishop of Carlisle at the end of April:
The notion that science has disproved – or will one day disprove – the existence of God is one of the great lies of our generation.
No, No, NO Graham Dow – the notion that RELIGION has proved – or will one day prove – the existence of God is one of the great lies of our generation!
In an article headed Get A Life! – the Atheists’ Way or the Christian Way? – Dow, 67, a close friend of Tony Blair, said:
If anyone could show me conclusively that the body [of Christ] did not leave the tomb, my faith would collapse and I would no longer be a Christian believer. The resurrection is the foundation.
It gives firm grounds in history to support faith. But the proof of the pudding is in the eating. If it didn’t work, I would have given it up long ago. Rather, the opposite is the case: 53 years of the experience of living in touch with Jesus and in prayer to the true Father in heaven has brought me untold joy.
Bishop Dow also takes a swipe at the advert on London buses which, sponsored by, among others, Richard Dawkins, says: “There probably is no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life”.
The advert is, he says, is:
A caricature of Christians… A great many Christians say their faith brings the deepest joy and peace. It brings complete forgiveness for all wrongs we have done. It brings meaning – working with God for a better world.
Dow is one of those evangelical Christian who, at the drop of a snowflake, will find God’s deliberate hand in any serious natural catastrophe. When the UK was hit by serious flooding in 1997, the dotty Dow hooted:
This is a strong and definite judgment because the world has been arrogant in going its own way. We are reaping the consequences of our moral degradation, as well as the environmental damage that we have caused.
And, at last, homosexuality:
We are in serious moral trouble because every type of lifestyle is now regarded as legitimate … The sexual orientation regulations [which give greater rights to gays] are part of a general scene of permissiveness. We are in a situation where we are liable for God’s judgment, which is intended to call us to repentance.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
April 1st, 2009 at 6:36 pm
Why oh why are religious people so evil in their comments. Surely if we were to believe the bible and obviously they do, doesnt it say we are all brothers. I do not wish harm on anyone so why condem Atheists.
Who are they to say what I and others believe is evil. Do not blame others look in to their own hearts and ask themselves how many times does god answer their prayers. Surely if they all prayed for the end of poverty this would have ceased many years ago.
April 1st, 2009 at 7:00 pm
What a total shit. Typical though.
Anecdote: A few years back my wife and I were guests at the finale of the Liverpool comedy festival at the prestigious philharmonic hall. There was a short spot on the bill amongst the established comedy names – for the winner of some sort of open mic comedy night for religous leaders.
Turned out – it was an xtian chaplain. I at first thought fair play – must take some nerve to come out to a hollering comedy crowd – and must have a shitload of ludicrous behind-the-scenes nonsense to regale us with.
And then my jaw dropped as he sneered joke after joke of the same ilk as bernard manning style hate-comedy but about atheists. How many atheists does it take to change a light bulb – what did the atheist say as he burned in hell etc…
ALL the other comedians without exception were either observational, surrealist, or self deprecating characters. Not one of the dozens of acts I’d seen in the entire run of the festival, used this archaic kind of pot-shot at a minority comedy so reviled in civilised society.
No one laughed of course. Polite embarrassed chuckles and very quiet applause at the end. Goes to show how backward these xtian weirdos are.
April 1st, 2009 at 7:13 pm
Well look it at it this way… the Catholics promote hatred and death (see Ratzi’s lovely comments about condoms) and like child molesters…and now this purple shirted pr*ck spouts his crap…. they are the reason that more and more people are leaving churches and “seeing the light ” (tongue in cheek reference !) there and asking questions and seeing that all religion is about is money and control and seriously old-fashioned and boring.
Another 20 years and hopefully they’ll be an endangered species…..
April 1st, 2009 at 7:14 pm
Atheists die younger!
Apparently Jesus was in his early thirties when he popped his clogs (sandals?) yet Prof Dawkins is 68 and Daniel Dennett is well over 1000 years old.
Explain that one Bishop!
I’ve actually met this twat. He was bishop of Willesden about 20 years ago. He was an idiot then, and seems to have ripened with age.
It will be sad to see him go. The atheist cause really needs people like him.
April 1st, 2009 at 7:29 pm
For a senior, and therefore, example setting christian, Graham Dow spouts a lot of spiteful bile.
April 1st, 2009 at 7:40 pm
Atheists die younger!
So fucking what. A tortoise lives longer than a tiger.
I know what I’d rather be.
Grrrrr…
April 1st, 2009 at 8:30 pm
Theists do not live longer than nontheists. Their perpetual masochism in sucking up to a sadist in the sky only makes it seem longer.
April 1st, 2009 at 9:30 pm
Er…Mr Harwood
Did Ryan’s comment strike a cord?
Oh come on. Lighten up you old tart.
April 1st, 2009 at 9:45 pm
Well, if the world I’m living in contains this bullshit merchant, I’m sure I want to hang around too long anyway.
If I stick my thumb out, maybe the TARDIS will pick me up?
April 1st, 2009 at 9:48 pm
Atheists die younger eh? Well maybe we do because of all the religious crap we have to deal with every day.
Bishop Dow Quote: ……. sexual orientation regulations [which give greater rights to gays] Unquote.
Not greater you moron, EQUAL!
April 1st, 2009 at 9:57 pm
I am not familiar with any culture in which a heterosexual male is called a “tart.” (Just stating a fact, not suggesting that I have been insulted.)
Since the trolls appear to have been flushed, I had already decided that I did not need to mention my qualifications any longer. The comment by a fatuous oaf almost changed my mind, but I concluded that allowing my behavior to be influenced by the nitpicking of the unlearned was unwarranted.
April 1st, 2009 at 10:06 pm
Good for you Mr Harwood.
And what an amazing coincidence that you decided to drop the Dr at exactly just after the same time that someone questioned it!
Uncanny eh!
And ‘tart’ was a typo. I meant fart.
April 1st, 2009 at 10:12 pm
Studies do indeed show that people who routinely attend religious services live longer. However it’s not because they believe in sky pixies or follow any particular dogma. It’s the routines and social network they get from church that gives them the boost.
Another interesting factor–religious people are more likely to seek life prolonging measures than others. Life-support, resuscitation, intensive end-of-life care, etc–all were more likely for religious than non-religious people. Apparently they’re rather ambivalent about their professed joy over going to see their god.
April 1st, 2009 at 10:35 pm
I love the way that a bishop can wring his hands about homosexuals being regarded ‘legitimate’ and claim that floods are a smacked bottom from the supernatural, then grizzle about Christians being caricatured. Now how could anybody do that?
By the way Dow, it isn’t up to other people to disprove the things that you want them to believe – it is up to you to prove them.
April 2nd, 2009 at 3:32 am
The sexual orientation regulations [which give greater rights to gays] are part of a general scene of permissiveness.
This evil culture of permissiveness is responsible for giving women the vote and Jews the ability to resurrect themselves. When will people wake up and recognize the untold horrors caused by permissivenessness?
April 2nd, 2009 at 8:13 am
The sexual orientation regulations [which give greater rights to gays] are part of a general scene of permissiveness.
This evil culture of permissiveness is responsible for giving women the vote and Jews the ability to resurrect themselves. When will people wake up and recognize the untold horrors caused by permissivenessness?
OH! You’re my new favorite blogger fyi
April 2nd, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Well personally i expect to die younger, but then again only because i’m doing biomed at university and know how useless the various “treatments” you have towards the end of your life are. Like transplants, they don’t just pop in a new organ and away you go for another decade or two. A transplant is a seriously miserable procedure, i’d rather just “pop off” when one of my organs decides to.
April 2nd, 2009 at 12:26 pm
There was a recent large-scale study into the effect of religion on health and life expectancy. I blogged about it here. Basically, the effect is quite small and linked to attendance, not belief.
April 2nd, 2009 at 12:44 pm
Quote Buffy: “Apparently they’re rather ambivalent about their professed joy over going to see their god.”
Very good point Buffy. If heaven is such a fab and better place than planet earth, then it does beg the question: why don’t the religious nutters indulge in mass suicide to get there asap? Could it be they doubt their religion? It would do the World a power of good to be rid of these idiots!
April 2nd, 2009 at 12:45 pm
I’d say the relevant question is ‘but which die laughing, and which die of ignorance?’
April 2nd, 2009 at 3:09 pm
Angela K wrote:
Unfortunately some of the nutters are prone to doing just that, and others would like to take us with them too!
April 2nd, 2009 at 7:23 pm
“Every type of lifestyle is now considered legitimate” Which is exactly how it should be in a free society, providing that lifestyle doesn’t inconvenience anyone else. Not only that but other people’s lifestyle is non of your effing business Graham, unless of course we go with your laughable assertion that gay sex has a detrimental effect on the weather.
It is also good of the Bish to remind us just how unpleasant life would be if bigotted ignoramuses like him were ever in charge again.
April 2nd, 2009 at 8:55 pm
The odious Dow’s Wikipedia page. I nearly blew my milkshake out my nose when I saw that [citation needed] tag after ‘He is married to a woman’ in light of what he is prone to sermonizing about.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_Dow
April 2nd, 2009 at 10:13 pm
“If anyone could show me conclusively that the body [of Christ] did not leave the tomb, my faith would collapse and I would no longer be a Christian believer.”
Er… shouldn’t that be the other way round? “Until someone proves that it did, I won’t be a believer”? And shouldn’t the idiot have added “and came back to life”? There were tomb raiders long before then!
What an incompetent pillock!
April 2nd, 2009 at 10:24 pm
Angela K said
“Very good point Buffy. If heaven is such a fab and better place than planet earth, then it does beg the question: why don’t the religious nutters indulge in mass suicide to get there asap? Could it be they doubt their religion?”
Because they’re told not to. No easy way the to the virgins/or whatever Christians get/or women get. Oh no, you’ve go to go through the whole gamut, such as dancing on Occsm’s razor, until you’re deemed to have abandoned reason. Then you are allowed to kill yourself, as long as you murder somebody else along the way.
I don’t think they mention what happens if you cock it up – something incendiary no doubt, to teach you how to explode.
April 3rd, 2009 at 5:33 am
“OH! You’re my new favorite blogger fyi”
I’m confused. How did this get on the bottom of my comment?
April 3rd, 2009 at 10:40 am
@Frodosaves
Same thing happened to me a few threads back. My comment was repeated verbatim with a compliment at the end. And clicking on my name took one to a roman coin website. Nothing to do with me.
If you click on your name in the ‘new’ comment you don’t get Frodology!
I did report this to admin. From the IP it’s some twat at a university in Texan havin’ a larf.
April 4th, 2009 at 3:54 am
remigius,
Ahh… yeah I don’t actually need plastic surgery. Thanks for the explanation!
April 5th, 2009 at 12:36 am
I see these comments as a positive thing, as a senior member of the church making an ass out of himself might help others decide that they do not want to be allied with that point of view.