Sunday 6 February 2011

God’s place in a humanist society (14) [Locul lui Dumnezeu într-o societate umanistă]

The less aware of Who really keeps the world alive people are, the easier it is to scare them into believing that there are ‘threats’ everywhere around them.

So it happens in today’s Britain, where people are advised by the Nanny State to keep an watchful eye on everything around them, including on… suspicious bags.

In the case of pieces of luggage, the supreme humanist value of “innocent until proven guilty” is reversed, becoming “guilty until proven innocent.

It’s so much safer to be cautious, isn’t it? Be it peaceful UK or crazy Iraq or Afghanistan (turned into unsafe places thanks to British contribution), I don’t find this attitude exaggerate.

What I wonder is when (not if – it’s just a question of time) this presumption of innocence gets scrapped for human beings as well. Christians are already prime targets.

They are more likely to be suspected and accused of being politically incorrect and prejudicing others than Muslims and secular Britons.

Terrorism is a pretty serious thing, and maybe no precautions are ever too many, yet I can’t help noticing that IRA’s bombing campaign (1969-1997) had a higher death toll compared to that of rather scarce al-Qaeda attacks in the past decade.

Anti-terrorism specialists could claim that such a lack of lethality of al-Qaeda, compared to that of the IRA, could be the result of Britons being more ‘alert’.

I seriously doubt that. Not that I would immediately embrace so-called conspiracy theories – claiming that the ‘terrorist threat of al-Qaeda is invented’ (examples here, here or here) – but it’s surely worth reflecting on their claims.

Unaware of what the name of the ‘disease’ should be, I noticed that the farther away from God one society is, the more it needs ‘enemies’ to redefine itself.

In societies with no fear of God fear of everything and everyone else reigns. So happened to Revolutionary France, to Nazi Germany, to Soviet Russia…

Is this about to happen to Britain? Is this country, supposedly one of longest-continuing-democracies in the world, on the path to becoming George Orwell’s Oceania?

[For all the episodes of this series, and all the posts on this blog go to/Pentru toate episoadele din această serie şi toate postările de pe acest blog mergi la: Contents/Cuprins]

6 comments:

Gregor said...

'Unaware of what the name of the ‘disease’ should be, I noticed that the farther away from God one society is, the more it needs ‘enemies’ to redefine itself.'

A good point. Perhaps it is ironic that multiculturalism goes hand in hand with our 'anti-terrorism' legislation.

MunteanUK said...

Maybe I would barely find anything suspicious about multiculturalism:

a) if it weren't simulaneous with the increase of so many 'threats' for the well-being of a certain multicultural society

b) if (in the case of Britain but not exclusively) multiculturalism weren't sidelining - often aggressively! - Christianity


***

I think that Great Britain was multicultural enough with all the English, Scottish, Welsh, Irish influences making up what was seen (at least from the outside world) as 'Britishness'.

Moreover - as I said it many times on my blog - Brits are inherently tolerant and open to the world.

Trying to 'embetter' the genuine British trait (their tolerance) will eventually lead to disastrous results.

Anonymous said...

Iata ce mail am primit (iertare ca scriu in romaneste, dar ma gandesc daca traduc poate nu o fac corect. oricum e si ceva in engleza). Daca e adevarat...asta atitudine de aparare a...tot!
Din pacate nu am primit si un link de unde provine articolul, dar poate nu e off topic.

"Prime Minister Kevin Rudd - Australia : Indraznet si corect!

Musulmanilor care doresc sa traiasca dupa legile islamice li s-a pus in vedere sa paraseasca Australia , in contextul in care guvernul a tintit radicalismul intr-o incercare de a decapita potentiale tentative de atac terorist.
Citat:
"IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT. Take It Or Leave It. I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali , we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Australians.
"IMIGRANTII SI NU AUSTRALIENII TREBUIE SA SE ADAPTEZE. Asta e, va convine sau nu. Sunt satul de ingrijorarea acestei natiuni in privinta ofensarii unor indivizi sau a culturii acestora. De la atacul terorist din Bali incoace suntem martorii unui val de patriotism venit din partea majoritatii australienilor.

Aceasta cultura s-a creat in peste doua secole de zbateri, incercari si victorii a milioane de barbati si femei in cautarea libertatii.

Vorbim mai cu seama ENGLEZA, nu spaniola, libaneza, araba, chineza, japoneza, rusa sau orice alta limba. In consecinta, daca doriti sa fiti parte a acestei societati, invatati limba!

Majoritatea australienilor cred in Dumnezeu. Asta nu e vreo aripa crestina de dreapta sau o presiune politica, ci un fapt, intrucat barbati si femei de credinta crestina, pe principii crestine, au fondat aceasta natiune, ceea ce este clar documentat. E cu siguranta adecvat a se afisa asta pe peretii scolilor noastre. Daca Dumnezeu este o ofensa pentru voi, va sugerez sa considerati o alta parte a lumii ca fiind casa voastra, intrucat Dumnezeu este parte a culturii noastre.

Vom accepta credintele voastre fara a va intreba de ce. Tot ce va cerem este sa o acceptati pe a noastra si sa traiti cu noi in armonie si bucurie pasnica.

Aceasta este PATRIA NOASTRA, PAMANTUL NOSTRU si STILUL NOSTRU DE VIATA si va vom permite orice oportunitate pentru a va bucura de toate acestea. Dar imediat ce incetati a va mai plange, vaita si ingrozi de Steagul nostru, de Onoarea noastra, de crezul nostru Crestin, de Stilul nostru de Viata, va recomand cu caldura sa profitati de o alta mare liberatate australiana, LIBERATATEA DE A PLECA.

Daca nu sunteti fericiti aici, atunci PLECATI. Nu v-am obligat noi sa veniti aici. Voi ati solicitat sa fiti aici. Asadar, acceptati tara pe care VOI ati dorit-o."

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd - Australia"

C.L.

MunteanUK said...

@ C.L. [1]

[EN] I was tempted to delete your comment for 'transgressing' the so-called 'language rule' on this blog: English for English series, Romanian for Romanian series or any of these for bilingual series :-)

[RO] Am fost tentat sa iti sterg comentariul pentru 'incalcarea' asa-zisei 'reguli a limbii' de pe acest blog: engleza pentru engleza, romana pentru romana sau oricare dintre ele pentru seriale bilingve :-)

[EN] However, I will leave it because you are at least the 4th person deceived (writing to me) by Kevin Rudd's (who is no longer Australia's Prime minister) apparently courageous stance.

[RO] Totusi, il voi lasa, pentru ca esti cel putin a 4-a persoana (care îmi scrie) pacalita de pozitia aparent curajoasa a lui Kevin Rudd (care nu mai este premier al Australiei).

[EN] THE WHOLE STORY IS A HOAX!!! ...Rudd has never said those words, nor could I imagine him ever saying them!

[RO] ÎNTREAGA POVESTE ESTE O PĂCĂLEALĂ!!! ...Rudd nu a spus niciodata acele cuvinte, nici nu mi-l imaginez ca le-ar spune vreodata!

[EN] The presumed message was too politically incorrect, therefore too good to be true :-(

[RO] Presupusul mesaj era prea politic incorect, asadar prea bun pentru a fi adevarat :-(

MunteanUK said...

@ C.L. [2]

[EN] I am adding below an answer (only in Romanian) that I've already given by e-mail to three persons who drew my attention to this amazing but completely untrue story.

[RO] Adaug mai jos un raspuns (numai in romana) pe care l-am oferit deja prin e-mail la trei persoane care mi-au atras atentia asupra acestei uimitoare, dar complet neadevarate povesti.

***

ma tem ca 'lectia de demnitate' oferita de Kevin Rudd sa nu fie decat o mare pacaleala :-(

n-am gasit nicaieri presupusa stire, ci doar dezmintiri:
http://forums.sulekha.com/forums/coffeehouse/Muslims-who-want-to-live-under-Islamic-Sharia-law-were-told-on-Wednesday-to-get-out-of-Australia-sound-like-Varun-933622.htm

si mai detaliat, de pe un site care demasca 'pacalelile' care circula online, uite aici exact acelasi text precum cel postat pe blog este pus in gura fostului premier John Howard... si nici macar in cazul aceluia (considerat conservator, mai dur, mai anti-imigratie etc, stii tu etichetele astea puse de mainstream media) nu era adevarat:

http://www.hoax-slayer.com/84-6.shtml

dintr-o iesire ceva mai dura a lui Rudd se vede ca inca pastreaza 'decenta' politic corecta:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24950526-5006785,00.html

la fel, si Howard, mereu a pastrat aparenta decentei - de-abia daca-i 'urecheaza' putin pe islamisti - "the reaction of some in the Islamic community … is quite unreasonable":
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/live-here-be-australian/2006/02/24/1140670269194.html

din umila mea experienta de jurnalist de Externe, consider ca o simpla cautare pe Google ar fi dus a textul inflamant la care faci referire postat de vreun site al principalelor mass media australiene [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_of_Australia]. apoi, iarta-mi infumurarea, dar mi se pare putin probabil ca, dat fiind faptul ca Rudd este premier din 3 dec 2007 (din iunie 2010 nu mai e), sa nu-mi fi sarit niciodata in atentie o astfel de big story...

problema e reala: desi sunt numai 1,71% musulmanii din Australia, au cam inceput sa-si ia nasul la purtare, sa vrea Sharia, sa vrea segregare, sa critice moravurile desfranate ale statului Australia... evident, si autoritatile/politicienii au avut mici riposte [caci australienii sunt mai din topor, they don't take so much shit as the Brits! :-)], insa niciodata nu am intalnit msg atat de ferme precum cel postat de tine, despre care s-ar fi scris in mass media oficiale. nu de alta, dar imediat ar fi sarit politic-corectii cu gura pe intolerantii australieni...

asadar, in mom de fata mie imi par a fi cel putin 99,99% sanse sa fie o mare pacaleala, desi din calea-afara m-as fi bucurat sa fie pe bune, caci initial chiar am vrut sa fac eu un articol pe tema asta, gandindu-ma "uite ce subiect beton, cum de am fost asa fraier sa nu-l fi observat si eu?!".

Anonymous said...

ai vazut ca am si scris : "daca e adevarat...", intentionat.