Undergroundnetwork

Every week I like to post quotes I have come across that I find thought provoking or sum up my opinion on something succinctly, and with wit. Instead, for a change, I’m going to occasionally select half a dozen songs that reflect my views on some particular issue. I’m going to start with my favourite band, on a topic of interest to me.

Here is Bad Religion on faith, God and atheism.

Bad Religion, as the name might suggest, are fairly critical of religion in their songs. That is perhaps an understatement! But instead of the mindless anti-religious abuse some bands have popularised, Bad Religion’s objections are considered and reasoned. This may have something to do with the bands front man Greg Graffin having a doctorate in evolutionary biology, but even before he obtained his degree the band has made intelligent philosophical statements in their music. Song writing duties are split between vocalist Graffin and guitarist Brett Gurewitz, and both musicians are equally capable of writing thought provoking intelligent lyrics.

So perhaps in the way the religious people reaffirm their beliefs through song, Bad Religion has written the perfect hymns for non-believers. However, Greg says in the song “No direction”, “no Bad Religion song can make your life complete”. They can make you stop and think though.

I’ve decided to be quite selective and only choose half a dozen Bad Religion songs, although there are of course many more to choose from. I’ve chosen no more than one from any one album, and added my interpretation of what I feel the song conveys. Enjoy. (more…)

Having had many respectful discussions with all sorts of people about religion and politics, I feel as though George Orwell was right when he said:

“As with the Christian religion, the worst advertisement for Socialism is its adherents”.

The same of course could be said for any other political opinion or religious faith.

And in order to be balanced:

“He was an embittered atheist, the sort of atheist who does not so much disbelieve in God as personally dislike Him”.

I must admit though, I have not ever met one of the atheists Orwell describes, as this person would not even be an atheist! I would have expected someone with the interest in language that Orwell had to have understood the definition of atheism. Perhaps he would appreciate even a fan such as myself challenging him on an error such as that!

How important is a good headline?

The most read BBC News story yesterday and today was titled “Great tits cope well with warming“.

Okay, I admit it, I read it! Needless to say, the article was not what I expected. I assume many others felt the same. Perhaps this shows how dirty minded BBC News readers are.

As it turned out, it was a fascinating read!

The recent devastation caused by Cyclone Nargis has displaced perhaps over a million and killed tens of thousands. The initial storm flattened villages and sent a tsunami wave crashing over low-lying coastal areas. Waterborne diseases now pose a further threat to those affected. The military dictatorship has hindered relief efforts from across the world, as agencies struggle to get the aid in to the country that is desperately needed.

When will the people of Burma get the assistance they so badly need? Or will the government of Myanmar continue to hinder relief efforts? (more…)

To complement my Monopoly of morality post, this post looks at where atheists get their morals. That post argued that atheists are as ethical as theists and therefore Christianity’s claim to all things moral is unsubstantiated. That argument was brief, and could certainly be added to. This post will look at how evolution is said to have provided us with the morals that we value.

For atheists to justify themselves, it almost takes more than a “but it says so in the bible” style argument. Hence in blog debates, atheist comments tend to be longer and cite more sources, than their Christian counterparts. That is why I’m taking this rant to my blog, instead of posting it as a comment to a debate I’m currently engaged in. (more…)

Sami al-Hajj’s release from Guantanamo Bay throws the controversial detention centre back into the spotlight. Sami’s plight was common, but also exceptional. Here we have an al Jazeera cameraman in Afghanistan, working with a legitimate visa. Captured by Pakistani intelligence officers in December 2001, he has handed over to the US military in January 2002, and ship off to the notorious detention centre in southeast Cuba, where has remained until last Thursday. He went on hunger strike in January of last year in protest of his detention, and his health has suffered as a result. He is the only reporter to have been detained at Guantanamo. And now, he is free. (more…)

The Dom post reported in its weekend edition that an officer had been reprimanded for forwarding an offensive email. The email was a mock 1970’s children’s book that illustrated policemen as brutal, homophobic, sexist, racist and corrupt. The officer involved was stood down for two days and questioned about the email.

The mock book was hilarious, but was it offensive? The Dom post reported that Police Association spokesman Luke Shadbolt said the book was a spoof and he did not know what was objectionable about it. “Most policemen found it funny.” National MP Chester Borrows said it was ridiculous to stand the officer down when his services were needed. The stories angle appeared to show that the Post agreed that it was harmless fun.

But when considering the recent Louise Nicholas case, and various other examples of corruption and sickening behaviour in our nation’s Police force, should this type of material be considered offensive? If this email was to be condoned, does that not tell police officers that these attitudes are acceptable? (more…)

With the news that Al Jazeera cameraman, Sami Al-Hajj has finally been released without charge or trial from Guantanamo Bay, I think perhaps it is important to reflect on what freedom really means. The current political climate has led to curtailing of civil rights and liberties in many countries, at a time when politicians are claiming to be fighting for those same freedoms. Perhaps what has angered people most in the last few years, is the blatant lying and hypocrisy from many world leaders. I think some intelligent thinkers have posed on this same idea throughout history.

Abraham Lincoln:

“Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves” (more…)

Barack Obama has had to distance himself from his former pastor in light of the the Reverend’s controversial opinions being made public recently. Presidential hopefuls Democrat Hilary Clinton and Republican John McCain have sought to extract as much mileage from the controversy as possible. The media has leapt onto the story, questioning whether the (media-induced) uproar could derail Obama’s presidential bid.

But are Reverend Jeremiah Wrights comments fair? (more…)

A plane crashes at Whenuapai Airbase, two die. Stuff.co.nz run a brief story. Is it just me or is the advert below the story a little insenstive to the victims. Perhaps not as insensitive as the web media’s requests for “bad weather” footage after the Elim school tragedy, but it is another example of poor taste in internet reporting. This time the fault appears to be google’s fault, who I assume provide adverts considered relevant to the story. (more…)