JOSEPH Alois Ratzinger recalled with “fondness” his recent visit to the UK when he became the first Pope ever to get a slot on BBC’s Radio 4′s Thought for the Day this morning.
Part of the warm welcome the Pope received during his visit to the UK
The programme, which is often in the firing line for excluding sensible, secular thoughts, allowed Ratzinger to deliver a Christmas Eve message in which he said:
God is always faithful to his promises, but he often surprises us in the way he fulfils them.
The rest of the imbecile’s drivel can be read (and heard) here.
“God is always faithful to his promises, but he often surprises us in the way he fulfils them.”
This is a catch-all get out of jail free card. Whatever happens can be justified as god’s will. An unfalsifiable hypothesis, if ever there was one.
Well, that’s two minutes and forty-two seconds I’ll never get back! Actually, I listened whilst making a cup of coffee, so it wasn’t totally wasted.
He’s asking Christ to dispel religion? I applaud the sentiment, but there seems to be a flaw in the logic…
Isn’t asking your Overlord to do something, called doing magic? Especially when nothing results from the incantation.
Herr ratzinger did make me think this morning about the time of jesusus birth. If the cathlic church had been around then, Herod would just be the sort of leader the church would make a concordat with.
The comments at the BBC are interesting, I think – the majority seem to be anti religion.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/haveyoursay/2010/12/the_popes_message_your_reactio.html
My comment 129 at the BBC Have Your Say on this.
‘I must say that I find it very encouraging that so many people are prepared to take the trouble to write to stand up against the superstition that is religion.
As for the Pope – what respect should I have for someone who infamously tried to associate atheism with Nazism, conveniently forgetting that Hitler was a Catholic, was never excommunicated, and whose birthday was celebrated by the German Catholic Church?
None that I can see!’
I posted my comments earlier this morning on this thread:
http://freethinker.co.uk/2010/12/22/the-pope-paedophilia-and-condoms-more-outrage-more-confusion/
I didn’t think Ratzi, with what I assume is plenty of back-up, could be worse than most of the contributors to TFTD. This was banal and crass at the far margins of banalty and crassness. I heard the whimpering build up from the arse licking BBC and this was, if anything, worse than Ratzi. And he set the bar so low that you would need that damned snake in the garden of Eden to get under it.
We had adulation, undiluted, before this shameful performance and reverential comments on the news. This to be followed by comments which I didn’t hear, from some RC Archbishop. We heard a mealy mouthed BBC apparatchik tell us that Mark Thompson, the devout Roman Catholic Director General of the BBC, had been working on this coup. No doubt claiming expenses on his trips to see Ratzi. Since when did the BBC become the private religious fiefdom, funded by our licence fee, of Thompson.
There was one particularly odious episode which came unstuck. Freedom of air had been given to Ratzi and his coterie, priests and laity, with no opposing voice. On this very few minutes John Humphreys, usually quite the bully boy, was interviewing Keith Porteous Wood and an RC woman. Humphreys was not long in lining up with the RC. When Keith complained about the amount of coverage given to the Pope to the exclusion of atheists. Humphreys said, “Well, you are here now aren’t you.” I assume he thought Keith was lucky to be there at all.
When a representative of the NSS appeared there had to be an RC. Keith got some definite hits under the most difficlt circumstances. The woman, given the usual biase of the BBC and Humphreys on this occasion, was shaken. This interview was a disgrace; a sham, a sop. Congratulations Keith, thanks to you, under the most trying of circumstances they didn’t have it all there own way. If they ever open up TFTD ………………..
As for Humphreys? If this is supposed to be balanced interviewing and fair journalism he can stuff it.
I’m just glad it wasn’t Anne Atkins. Listening to that self-righteous bigot first thing in the morning can ruin my whole day.
Anyway ’tis the season of goodwill to all, normal service will be resumed in the New Year.
Off topic, I see that Jesus and Mo are asking for nominations for top comic award.
I’ve sent mine, and so has Daz (I presume the same one as here).
I’ve also passed this request on at Secular Cafe – maybe others would think of doing the same via their own blogs, favourite discussion boards, FB pages or whatever.
Terry Sanderson – someone else who ought to be on TFTD:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VKtL_pYKBw
Got halfway through reading his message before getting bored/angry.
My Christmas message to the pope is: No words you can say can change the fact that – finally – the world is waking up to what your organisation is all about. There’s no going back now, the genie is out of the bottle. It’s all downhill from here. So, in the season of goodwill to all men, I say to you, Mr Ratzinger – fuck off and die you evil old cunt, and take your evil, despicable, hateful cult with you.
Apologies for the profanity, but that was from the gut.
On the other hand, my Christmas message to the contributors to this forum is a little nicer.
Reading the blog – and even more so the comments from you all – has been a joy this past year. It has become an essential part of my day, and it’s great to be a part of such a community.
Merry Christmas and a very happy new year to each and every one of you, and to your loved ones. Have a good one!
Have I posted this here before? Apologies if I have!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxIC9Drl_vw
“God is always faithful to his promises, but he often surprises us in the way he fulfils them.”
I particularly enjoyed this little gem. Those of us who are aware of some of the promises made by this god know that he renages on just about all of them. Presumably he is faithful to his promises and surprises us by not keeping them at all.
I followed the link provided by David B and read some of the comments. The thing that struck me was that the religious people on the thread seem to have no idea why the non-religious have such contempt for the Pope. They seem to remain unaware of, or in denial about, the crimes that this evil man has been responsible for, even as they are being spelled out to them. We also had posts from Christians who think that they own Christmas and that no one else has any business celebrating it.
Dawkins’ take on the pope’s message:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2010/dec/24/pope-benedict-thought-for-the-day
@Pete H.
Thanks Pete. I’m on my way to read Dawkins. There is no one does the business quite like him.
All the best to you.
Just read Dawkins on the Pope’s message on the Guardian site and chucked in my tuppence worth. Dawkins really does get the religious bigots going. “Why can’t you leave us alone on this special day?” And plenty about Dawkins and how he upsets them. However, also lots from atheists. The more we pitch in the better. The days when these bigots had the field to themsleves have gone and they need to know it.
Like Stonyground I was amused at the phrase “God is always faithful to his promises, but he often surprises us in the way he fulfils them.†Yes he does, words like ‘smite’ and ‘massacre’ spring to mind.
Did anyone else notice when, towards the end of his ramble, he thanked all the countries of the British Isles except Ireland? Quite telling I thought.
Well, I’m off to see if I can do all the 7 deadly sins in one night.
Hope you all have a great time tomorrow, despite crap presents and the in-laws.
Dissecting the verbal diarrhea of the pope is like farting in a jar and saving it to be enjoyed later. No thanks.
The only thing relevent about this thread is that the pope is still a viable guest on entertainment media, which sickens me.
NeoWolfe
Broadsword,
All the best for xmas.
We know you are still watching
the site.
T
As if all this isn’t enough for any self-respecting rational thinker, I read now that Dumbledore is going to eulogize over the “royal wedding” today, and is once again claiming that “Christian marriage is a sign of hope, since it is a sign and sacrament of God’s own committed love”. No sign of the usual sanctimonious, self-congratulatory religious arrogance there then!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12078056
Hapy Christmas everybody – Bah! Humbug!!
Dancing naked around a blazing Yule log in this weather doesn’t do my “image” any good, so I’m going to skip it this year and watch Doctor Who instead. Happy Pagan festival, whichever one you MOST approve of.
@barriejohn
Hapy Christmas everybody – Bah! Humbug!!
Freudian typo?
Very apposite.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hapi
Cool Yule dude!
It just comes with the end of the year: pompous bigots like kings, queens, politicans and religious leaders willing to spend some time to share their thoughts with the rabble.
And I like the ‘surprise’ in Ratzinger’s chat: a deity, older than creation, shoud be beyond childish pranks, like earth-quakes, tsunamis, disease. Why not make homo sapiens smart enough to stop killing each other? Or might that mean the end of organised religion?
Remigius: I was frantically trying to edit, but the text kept jumping upwards again every time I attempted a correction, like some demented computer game!
Har Davids: And what a nice “surprise” for that West Country couple this morning when the police informed them that they thought that they had found the body of their missing daughter. Praise the Lord!
@Har Davids: My thoughts exactly. Who are these people who take it upon themselves to lecture the rest of us on how we should live. The Queen: a seriously emotionally uptight woman with a messed up family: Ratzi: A man emotionally arrested with deeply buried homosexual drives expressed with a viciousness that beggars belief: Rowan Williams: running round like a headless chicken trying to compromise to with the bigotry based on superstition around him. I could go on but you are spot on.
For what its worth, which may not be much, I am having a great time with my long time wife, grown up children and partners, and loads of contacts from people I know and like.
Happy Christmas.
Here’s a bit of good news to cheer up anyone still visiting this thread, though the comments on the site will have you spitting nails!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1341590/Popes-Thought-Day-Scores-listeners-complain-BBC.html
(Example: The National Secular Society are just rabid with anger at the BBC for showing such improved (and thankful) recognition this year, towards Christian beliefs, customs and ethics.
Well done the BBC.)
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1341590/Popes-Thought-Day-Scores-listeners-complain-BBC.html#ixzz19FwZS24L
Here’s a bit of good news to cheer up anyone still visiting this thread, though the comments on the site will have you spitting nails!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new…..n-BBC.html
(Example: The National Secular Society are just rabid with anger at the BBC for showing such improved (and thankful) recognition this year, towards Christian beliefs, customs and ethics. Well done the BBC.)
Here’s the correct link. I don’t know what happened there.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1341590/Popes-Thought-Day-Scores-listeners-complain-BBC.html