Religion is a funny old thing, in which people get pretty upset about if someone comes along and has a pop at it. Mainly because any pop at religion is taken as an insult to their belief system. Though I can't help thinking with so many different forms of religion out there some of them must be unfounded. The Catholic faith has taken quite a hit in the past few years, ever since the Nazi Pope Benedict became it's head. He is the equivalent of a fundamentalist and evidence of this arises every year. It is fundamentalists which give every religion a pretty bad name. Not just Catholicism.
Pope Benedict has just stated the inordation of a female bishop was equivalent to paedophilia in the Catholic Church. This comparison is putrid. However, if we recal it was this very same pope who co authored the secret Latin document called Crimen sollicitationis. The document which set out how to deal with pedophile catholic priests. The one which basically states, nothing. They are protected by a complete vow of silence, where the victim if they come out and make such allegations is ex communicated. The Vatican in it's most wisely fashion then recalls the priest to Rome and hides them aways so they are never seen again, in short it protects them. No earthly punishment is bestowed. The worse thing is, this is a complete collaboration of protecting the Catholic Church. The victim is visited, statements are taken, even other evidence if available and then this is shipped to Rome. The victim is told they are not allowed to talk to anyone for fear of God's punishment.
There can not be any justification in this action. Any priest who has committed such a crime should be judged in a real court not in the closed chambers of some murky Vatican room.
Similarly the French have just bought out a new law which bans the face from being covered in public places. Oddly the rest of the world has taken this to specifically mean the banning of the Bhurka, it is then seen as an affront to Islam. However, the law is for any facial covering, not just Bhurkas. I listened to some radio programs this morning and there were mixed responses. I then cast my mind back two or three months ago when I got off the train and walked through the gates with the rush hour crowd only to witness at the gates a half dozen youths wearing either scarfs or bicycle smog masks across their faces. To me it was intimidating. The face is a focal point of communication and expression, it is particularly important for children to see faces and acknowledgement of their acceptance in society. When I see someone with a face covering whether for religious or other reasons in public, I am suspicious. What is it they are trying to hide you may think? Then wonder why they insult those other people around them who do not have their face covered. I do not think this is an issue of tolerance or of intolerance it is an issue of belief. Yet we are supposed to be living in a secular society. In the Quaran there is no place which states a woman should cover her face. It has come about through interpretation of the Quaran, and of course those scholars who do most of the interpretation are Mullahs and are always men. Hence the argument used against the wearing of a niqab being it is the subjugation of women.
What I am sure about, is there are people we may call goats and people we may call sheep. Those who are sheep need to follow something, and sometimes with an overly fervent passion. It brings stability and focus in their lives. Then there are those who get their kicks out of controlling others, by manipulation, by making social conformity so bounding even independent thinking goats are under so much pressure they bend and abide by the rules. Amongst those included are the fundamentalists, dictators and Fascists. It is secular rules and laws which the Western world follow, they are what make us equal regardless of what faith or non faith we hold, and so it should always be. These are an equaliser for all.
However, I'll not mention royalty for they are in a category of their very own.
