Is Iris Robinson from planet mars?
antrim |
miscellaneous |
opinion/analysis 
Sunday July 20, 2008 18:41
by Sean Matthews(personal capacity) - Belfast WSM
spot the difference?
Christianity (like religion in general) "contains nothing dangerous to the regime of authority and wealth; it stands for self-denial and self-abnegation, for penance and regret, and is absolutely inert in the face of every [in]dignity, every outrage imposed upon mankind........ religion is the conspiracy of ignorance against reason, of darkness against light, of submission and slavery against independence and freedom; of the denial of strength and beauty, against the affirmation of the joy and glory of life." "(Emma Goldman)
It seems that DUP MLA Irish Robinson and sections of our local ruling class particular the Democratic Unionist Party have more in common with the Afghan Taliban or mad mullahs in Iran or Saudi Arabia than the British Army these days.....
In her latest outburst during a heated debate on the rights to abortion with journalist Eamonn McCann on the popular Nolan Show Iris claimed,
“Government has a responsibility to uphold God’s law morally...”
Apart from the fact that the bible and other religious texts such as the Koran is a half-cooked gibberish of fairy tales and riddled with inconsistencies where you can find a justification for everything from the stoning to death of women to slavery: such is God’s law.. Tell me Iris, where were you during the last 30 years and what God is she referring to as there are several from the God of Allah, to Judaism, Buddha and Christainity even Satan the free-thinker...?
We often hear from our political class and the media about the ‘decline of morality’ and thus the need for the church to impose manners and their moral code. I don’t think I need to remind readers of phase in which Government upheld God’s law and we don’t need to go far from the Madeline laundries or concentration camps in the south in which thousands of women were forced into harsh labour camps, sexual abuse and, when women had no access to contraception or when our parks where closed on a Sunday and the list goes on. The multi-national company called the Church (particular Catholicism) has served to justify and excuse repression, rape and plunder to every tyrant from the absolute divine right to rule by kings and Queens to the reign of Franco and Mussolini. I’m sure you get the picture.......
The truth is Iris and the religious zealots who harass pedestrians every day are clinging to a dying breed and the sooner we kick the priest and nuns out of our schools, hospitals etc the better. Recent trends suggest that society in the north is becoming increasingly more secular according to the recent Young Life and Times Survey in 2007 in which twice as many young people compared to 5 years ago claimed they did not belong to either of the main religious blocks in the North. Another survey, conducted for the Evangelical Alliance and Iona Institute in October 2007 based on 10 questions about the bible and church asking 1,018 people also supports this trend and even the perception that the North is more religious than the south! According to Stephen Cave of the Evangelical Alliance N.Ireland a group which Iris has much in common with, said, “The results threw serious doubt on the claim that we are a Christian country.”(Irish News, 10/12/2007, p3) If the religious zealots are saying this surely there must be some truth in the matter!
Whilst a firm believer in the freedom to religion and worship as a private matter as long as it does not infringe on the liberty of others. However, we must not be naive in thinking that our Churches and religious shrines will be turned over tomorrow and its riches and wealth being used for something constructive and useful such as social centres and to ease the burden on homelessness and access to affordable social housing or ignore the fact that apart from anything people still tend to cling onto religion as a ‘badge of identity’. Such a revolutionary transformation of society will first require building on common class interests, free, equal access to abortion on demand and full reproductive rights, complete separation of church and state and then we can move onto the issue of sending Iris Robinson and the Government to the claws of the Taliban where they can fight it out amongst themselves. Surely that would be a lasting testament to the bible.......
Written by someone who lost his faith along time ago......For this I sincerely apologise and for all those religious zealots out there I will not be asking for the priest on my death bed....
"No theory, no ready-made system, no book that has ever been written will save the world. I cleave to no system. I am a true seeker” Michael Bakunin
Comments (11 of 11)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11Sean, we are evolving from all that stuff. Until recently we white trash needed to be told what to think, that's all. And was that the same Eamon McCann who, on George Best's death, obsessed about what sub-branch of religion the Bests "belonged" to? As if George cared about it....
This is anti catholic ranting though in fact Iris Robinson is not a catholic. It is itself a fascistic piece in its intolerance and whipping up of hatred against an identifiable grouping. Note the idea of homosexuality being a normal lifestyle is a very recent one though you might take it for granted so much that you regard someone who holds Iris’s views as being from Mars. It is also a very widespread idea as can be seen in the resistance of African churches to the pro gay trends in the west. Opposition to these trends is also not just a Christian idea – it is common to Islam, Judaism and the oriental faiths also. By all means lets have a debate on gay issues but not just to traduce faith and keep in mind that the idea of gay liberation is a relative and radical novelty even though it might have been a mainstream view for all of you life. It’s unlikely to have been the case in your parents time. One does not have to be a biblical literalist to have doubts about gay liberation though if one is same there is little choice as it is roundly condemned in the scriptures.
You're right, Sceptic, some of us have decided to do without other peoples' scriptures. Strange to say I put Iris and the church in much the same camp, but I can also see why a lot of Ulster people would find that hard to believe.
Until the second half of the twentieth century homosexuality was considered 'deviant' and sociology textbooks conventionally included it in chapters on deviancy. Why did "the conventional wisdom" of the ages do a U-turn from the 1970s onwards, beginning in North America?
"Whilst a firm believer in the freedom to religion and worship as a private matter as long as it does not infringe on the liberty of others"
What is hard to understand?
It was actually written in a personal capacity. There is no love lost with the church and religion and so?
A lot of religious rules have their origin in practical matters of hygiene & resources - until very recently, we were all told to breed as much as possible to keep 'our' numbers up, less affluent people had difficulty accessing family planning, & non-breeders were seen as deviant, unless they were in the cloth of the Church. Now population is outstripping the earth's ability to supply us, is it just a coincidence that homosexual men & women are less persecuted?
The likes of I Robinson are more bigots than disciples of Christ: 'Let him without sin cast the 1st stone!'
a certain amount of homophobia is natural to make hetrosexuals shag each other and propogate the species, it'll probably always be around
People like Iris Robinson have their uses.
They remind us of the past we are trying to leave behind.
They remind us that we have some way to go before achieving acceptance and tollerance for alternative lifestyles.
They remind us that there are people still in this country who have a severe lack of IQ as they vote people like her into power.
They keep us active, challenging our beliefs, our ideals and give us a reason we take to the streets, write to the papers and post on the websites to protest against the injustices in this world.
They help the activists stay active and remind us of who we really are.
Thanks Iris!
What has Mars done that deserves connection with Iris Robinson???
click on the link-
http://www.nobeliefs.com/nazis.htm
You say the Bible is "riddled with inconsistencies."
Name one.
Psalm 12:6-8:
6. The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.
8 The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.
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