THE good folk of Worthing in West Sussex are accustomed to having idiotic religious tracts shoved through their letterboxes – but a recent one that ignited particular anger bore the Mayor’s seal of approval.
Cllr Lt Cdr Noël Atkins saw fit to endorse a vacuous piece of twaddle entitled On Your Marks, “a celebration of the Gospel of Mark”. It was published jointly by the Deo Gloria Trust and the International Bible Society
Cllr Lt Cdr Noël Atkins imagines his duties include bringing the 'Good News of Jesus Christ' to the residents of Worthing
In his foreword, Atkins, a member of Worthing Council’s Conservative group and a theology graduate, wrote:
The Gospel of Mark means a great deal to me because it brings alive in a special way the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.
I hope you will be able to receive as much hope and love as I have done over the years from this Gospel.
He blathered on:
Personally, I try to read a few verses each day and have always found what I read to be a great source of strength and guidance, even now in my role as your Mayor.
This was all too much for Worthing resident Elaine Ausell, who wrote a letter of complaint to the Worthing Herald (we understand it was printed yesterday).
I do not feel the Mayor should be proselytising his faith through my letterbox on behalf of the churches and the Town Hall. This should be his private, personal belief. There are people of other faiths and none, living in Worthing, a fact that does not appear to have been taken into consideration or appreciated by the Worthing churches and the Mayor.
She added:
I do not wish to share the faith of the Mayor and the churches as I am an atheist. I would not dream of going around every household in Worthing and proselytising my atheism by way of a pamphlet through letterboxes … I try to lead an ethical life without superstition; that is what humanism is all about.
If you share Elaine’s indignation over Cllr Atkins’ abuse of his mayoral role, you can email him at noel.atkins@worthing.gov.uk
You might also like to tell him to STAY AWAKE when he next watches kids performing in his honour.
“The Gospel of Mark means a great deal to me because it brings alive in a special way the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.”
If only they could have a clue how ridiculous they sound when they spout this absolute tosh.
Ms Ausell has missed a trick here. Recently a man was prosecuted for leaving anti-religious cartoons in an airport “prayer room” because some religious twat said they upset her. Now could not Ms Ausell complain to the Police that these religious leaflets cause her upset and distress?
It’s not his day today…
Oops! That last comment was supposed to include this link: http://www.metro.co.uk/news/820979-mayor-noel-atkins-falls-asleep-during-a-school-play-leaving-pupils-in-tears
Shoving religion down people’s throats, falling asleep at a kid’s show, crowd-surfing.
What an absolute tosser.
What expenses has he claimed I wonder?
Thank for the link Ian. I have updated the post.
Surely religion is shooting itself in the foot.
I am just waiting for a knock on the door so I can have my say about what religion stands for.
A great youtube on Jesus,what he would not do, in cartoon form, is a must and I would invite them in to watch this and get their reactions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOfjkl-3SNE&feature=player_embedded#
go onto the westminster declaration and sign. i’ve amused myself with a few daft names but you can press and hold any key to have a name ten feet long.
i’m off back now.
the mod missed “hershey highway”
If this was put out by the Town Hall, perhaps Elaine should ask the cost of printing & postage.
Presumably Sleepyhead will be paying that back ,or should townspeople just ‘forget’ to pay that part of their next Council Tax until he does?
By the way, Deo Gloria Trust (charity number 243305), whose reason for existence is apparently ‘SUPPORTING CHRISTIAN OUTREACH PROJECTS AND PROVIDING INFORMATION FOR ENQUIRERS’ is marked as not submitting accounts for 2 years. That’s about as close as the Charity Commissioners can get to saying to the public it’s dodgy.
As for International Bible Society (formerly charity number 285319), that’s defunct, struck off the register on 5/2/08
I got this statement off a blogger on the Cornwalltube website:
Religion. The only tolerated and institutionalised form of mental illness…
It was a comment in response to the birdshit green video but I think the same could be applied to the mayor. Whoever thought that up, thanks.
Regarding expenses. Aren’t some towns starting to view the entire office of mayor as unnecessary and too costly? They’re put up on a pedestal like elected kings while us plebs get shown pics of them stuffing themselves at various functions.
Yeah Broadsword. They also missed “Ben Dover and Phil McCavity”
Conservative, theology gradulate and convinced christian to the extent that he rams this down peoples’ throats. Some hat trick that. The tone of his proselitising is such that he is saying, “I am the Mayor and a very important person and because I find this twaddle helpful so will you.”
What he really demonstrates is smug self satisfaction and ignorance. I heard his Leader Cameron interviewed on Radio 4 this morning in what must be one of the worst and most witless performances of the election campaign so far. I can sum it up by waffle, bullshit and vacuity. Dave has decided that it would be quite nice to be Prime Minister but he wouldn’t recognise a principle if it smacked him in the nose. His ideas on “removing poverty and closing the gap between rich and poor” seemed to be based on getting people married and dealing with family breakdown. Is this guy real? He sounded like character in a comedy sketch by a poor writer.
I can’t say he is quite as hopeless and useless as UKIP and that Nigel Farange dumbfuck but the gap is closing and there isn’t much to choose between them.
Perhaps old Noel would be better off in Trumpton. Or was is Camberwick Green? Can’t remember.
@Broadsword. That bib he is wearing is there for a purpose. These freeloaders are serious trenchermen and as the food is at public expense they like to be ready for the action. They also have drinks cabinets provided at public expense which are essential as they have to offer hospitality on behalf of the council. Naturally. Now guess who gets to sup the booze: not the plebs.
They have no point appart from pandering to already inflated egos and the sooner we get rid of them the better.
Broga
All sounds depressingly familiar.
What’s wrong with tea and biccies? He won’t get much done after a gut full of spitroast boar, venison and several flagons of wine. Lucky for him he gets chauffeur-driven home.
According to Wikipedia, Worthing is “twinned” with all these towns: Elzach (Germany), Gutach im Breisgau (Germany), Les Sables-d’Olonne (France), Simonswald (Germany), Waldkirch (Germany). Seems a bit excessive to me – can’t possibly be with a view to all those extra freebies, surely? It is also, according to its website, a “Fairtrade Town”, but I have no idea what that means. Perhaps if any poor old dear is caught attempting to purchase her favourite brand of chocolate in Worthing, and it’s not “Fairtrade”, she will be sent to the colonies.
Also from Wikipedia:
“Biblica, formerly named International Bible Society and IBS-STL, is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and is a nonprofit Christian organization that translates, publishes, and distributes the Bible and Christian resources through ministry, retail, and distribution channels. Its goal is to “transform lives through God’s Word” so people around the world may become disciples of Jesus Christ. Biblica (formerly IBS) was founded in New York in 1809 as the New York Bible Society and changed its name to the International Bible Society in 1983.”
STL stands for Send The Light, an organization founded in 1957 by George Verwer, who also founded Operation Mobilization! It was a constant source of amazement to me, even as a Christian, that so many different organizations were thought necessary to do just the one thing!!
I suppose that IBS was too readily confused with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (how very appropriate!) when it replaced the term Spastic Colon, so that was why the name was dropped!! The old Inter-Varsity Fellowship of my student days met with a similar problem – you couldn’t very well have Christian students going into bookshops asking where the IVF material was, could you?
@broadsword. Tea and biccies. Dear me, get real. Not for very important people. OK for plebdom but for these guys they want to represent the “Authority” or the “Council” and only the best will do. And twinning other towns – thanks barriejohn – is a great wheeze. This is to spread goodwill across the continent and reciprocal visits are the way – first class, of course. Again, you don’t want to demean the “Authority” or “Council” by sending the “First Citizen” and his “Lady” other than by the very best. Incidentally, they also need other “Members” and a few favoured “Officers” – Chief Executive, maybe, as we are not talking clerical staff, here to supplement the happy band.
MPs are on the same racket. Inspecting this, that and the other all over the world. Same with the Royals. Prince Andrew often, by the most happy of chances, finds himself doing a ten minute piece of official business near a golf tournament. Prince Philip, not too long ago, came on an official visit to Wales, took about half and hour, and – guess what – was actually looking at some cattle he was buying and selling. The costs of these Royal Rackets fall on the Council Tax Payers – and why not. If God hadn’t wanted people to be fleeced he wouldn’t have made them act like sheep.
Such sweet innocence is the characteristic of our “subjects” that it warms the heart to watch them in all their dumbfuck naivety. Honesty, it is just too easy to take them too the cleaners. What is missing is a revolution.
So both Noel and his Missus fell asleep at the same time. I think there is more to be revealed: were they snoring? was only one snoring? why were they not poked with a sharp stick or a bucket of water thrown over them? We show too much respect to these free loaders.
“If God hadn’t wanted people to be fleeced he wouldn’t have made them act like sheep.”
Very good, Broga. Top marks!
(PS On a technical pont: how is it possible for more than two towns to be “twinned”?)
Broga
If you’ve ever been to “functions” you’re always told to tuck in by the seasoned attendees. Hospitality is a big thing. We all pay for it one way or the other beit through higher council tax or increased bank charges. My bank always used to take me to see Glamorgan County cricket matches. They had their own marquee. I never really fitted in. Wrong accent, wrong background. I had this guilt complex about the consumption, could’t laugh at the jokes and I don’t give a shit where you bought your new Pringle jumper.
My previous business went tits-up some years ago and they never invited me again. I didn’t like the sort of people I met anyway.
I wouldn’t go again.
I was on the bandwagon. Sorry…
Broga
“Oh shit!
It’s Mr Creosote!”
Salute to elaine123,
I suspect those who haven’t seen that hilarious and relevent link are here to hear themselves talking.
Very interesting comments; thanks folks!
I do not think that the council paid for the pamphlet but the churches in central Worthing according to the publishers. I await to see if there are any follow up letters in this week’s Worthing Herald.