Comments on: Thought for the Day to keep atheists at bay

By: John C

John C — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 22:13:16 +0000

I think we need a Jedi voice on TFTD,and a Pastafarian , and a follower of Set, and a few other choice fringe religions, maybe if the bible bashing corporation was inundated with complaints and lawsuits for discrimination,they would think again.After all, if atheism isnt a religion, there are plenty of other ways to skin a cat(nasty figure of speech i know).

By: Derek Waite

Derek Waite — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 17:53:20 +0000

All the schools I attended had morning assembly, BORING BORING and unbelievable.
When I was first at Sandhurst I was asked what religion I was and I replied Presbyterian and was promptly excused church parade. That allowed me to dash up to London for the
day. I later realized that atheism was a more honest answer and I am now a devout
non-believer!

I also have to admit to my grave doubts about Father Xmas and the Tooth Fairy and politicians and………..

Derek Waite
National Secular Society

By: PaulJ

PaulJ — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:55:36 +0000

I’m not surprised at the BBC Trust’s decision. I don’t agree with it, but it’s the result I expected. The idea of TftD including non-faith viewpoints comes up every six months or so, and is always rejected. (It’s almost as if the BBC charter itself somehow casts the content of TftD in stone.)

At least, though, they should change its name, to reflect the content more accurately. Religious Thought for the Day? Today’s Faith Perspective?

By: jeff

jeff — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:22:00 +0000

I don’t know how it works in England but in the U.S., you go after the advertisers and that changes programming. Get enough people to threaten not to buy and you’ll be amazed at how quickly they’ll figure out that they want to serve the public better.

By: Adam Tjaavk

Adam Tjaavk — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:18:33 +0000

Yes, Rozi, there are others available -
this one from the Humanist Society of Scotland:

Thought for the World
http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/

_____

By: Broga

Broga — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:14:21 +0000

Angela K. I think we should keep our cool and use whatever is available. This is censorship, enforced on us, and we are threatened into paying a license fee on pain – ultimately – of prison. We have one great weapon although that has a downside. The advantage is that atheists or secularists are almost always literate, intelligent and often hold degrees. The fundamentalists and christian loonies tend to be – particularly in the USA and if you have met them you know what I mean – of low educational attainment, thick as planks and twice as nasty, and very easily manipulted. However we all have one vote unless, like Dubya in the USA and various places in the UK when the “community leaders” (Muslim usually) decide who should vote which way.

I have to say, and I regret this, that in my “edge of the known world”, you have as much chance of finding someone who listens to Radio 4, reads a magazine like the New Statesman or Spectator, or gives a toss of any of this. They are too busy surviving on the mimimum wage, if they are able to get it. In effect, the literate argue with the literate, and the rest don’t give a toss. But they still have a vote if they can be bothered.

By: Stuart H.

Stuart H. — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:01:07 +0000

If you’re lucky enough to live in a place where local radio takes non-religious speakers for their TFTD equivalent, you can have a lot of fun with the format, and spookchasing primitive folk.
Round here there’s a local superstition about not saying the word ‘rat’ in case you attract them. One of my mates managed a ‘TFTD’ where he explained he was going to repeat the word non-stop for 2 minutes to prove it was only a superstition, then did.
‘Anal Annie’ Atkins will never match that one!

By: Angela_K

Angela_K — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:18:16 +0000

NuLabour and their BBC lackeys observe the politics of Animal Farm where some are more equal than others, but could not a case be made using the Equal Opportunities act? Just a thought – for today.

By: Rozi

Rozi — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:09:14 +0000

Has anyone in either the BHA or the NSS thought of doing a counter-Thought for the day podcast? Or has the dude behind Platitude of the Day thought about doing a podcast?

By: Broga

Broga — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:38:14 +0000

Harry.

I have been playing around with similar ideas. When I wrote about what they accepted, a few years ago, the answer was “It must be from people of faith”. OK, shouldn’t be too difficult to produce a few “faiths” and ensure the are plausible. If the Ann Atkins types, with their bigotry are acceptible, why should not decent people put their “faiths” forward.

I would also like to discover, via Freedom of Information, how much that few minutes costs – I know they send taxis and are prepared to put contributors up in convenient hotels.

I think we could be courteous, insistent and very bloody awkward. There are more ways of skinning a cat – sorry Blondie (our cat) – than one.