good without god

 

 

 

Of course, evangelicals defending him might claim that he would’ve tithed to his local church – but that does not constitute charitable giving.

 

(source)

 

 

bravo, human dignity trust!

 

There is a new group in town.

 

And its mission? To wage war on the inhumane and savage criminalisation of homosexuality in the world.

 

Welcome to the Human Dignity Trust, which recently launched its global campaign in London last Thursday. It will attempt to overturn the more than 80 nations in the world that criminalise homosexuality, in other words, that claim that to have consensual LGBT sex is a crime.

 

Global Campaign to Decriminalise Homosexuality to kick off in Berlise Court

 

It is revealing that more than half of the 80-odd nations are former colonies of the British Empire, from which those archaic laws derive in the first place.

 

The guilty 40-odd INCLUDE our tiny nation of Singapore.

 

Will the time be near when article 377A be extirpated at the gallows of international law? Will the time be soon when homosexual men and women be proud of who they are, hand in hand, on the streets of Singapore; without fear and intimidation? Will the time come when organised religion stop their evil ways of discrimination and intimidation, fueled by a bloodthirsty history that shed a negative light on its claim to compassion and love?

 

It will be a difficult task for Singapore, with the majority of its citizens children of a premodern worldview.

 

May God (definitely not the homophobic and genocidal god of the Old Testament) help us.

 

*******

 

self-righteous parents should look at themselves first

 

It is business as usual with the US media, soaked with emotionalism and sentimental melodrama and the usual outpouring of religiously inspired self-righteousness.

 

It is a good thing that people make the effort to volunteer their time to promote the habit of reading to young children, and if those people happen to be celebrities, all the better, as the religion of the young these days seems to be popular culture.

 

But why the sudden self-righteous rage among parents of one Californian elementary school (primary school) when a particular celebrity read to first and third grades students?

 

This young woman features regularly in the popular telly series, Entourage, as well as the 2009 film, The Girlfriend Experience. But that was not the reason of the outrage.

 

She also happened to be a former pornographic actress. Her name is Sasha Grey.

 

Ex-porn Actress upsets US parents

 

So what? People in the commercial sex industry – strippers, call girls (and boys) and sex workers – are ordinary folks like you and me trying to earn a living. Some have children. Some might have been coerced by circumstances. Others might even be duped and forced into the trade (and that is a moral evil). But there are many who simply love the sex and the “fast cash”.

 

Besides, Grey has retired from the industry for more than two years already.

 

If the parents are worried that their children might find out about her “background”, shouldn’t they be concerned as to how the kids manage to “know” that Grey was a porn actress in the first place? Or perhaps the fathers themselves have enjoyed the occasional peek and wank?

 

Human life is fraught with ups and downs, happiness and sadness, good times and bad times, struggles and triumphs. No one is exempted from making mistakes, moral or otherwise. In fact, there is much evidence that evangelical christians watch the same amount of pornography as the rest of normal blokedom. Only that in the case of the evangelicals, they are hypocritical about it. There is socially and empirically no difference at all between the lives of so-called “born again” christians and the rest of us, contrary to their empty talk about changed lives. Many value the same things as many ordinary people, like money, success, fame, popularity, career competence, family, etc.

 

It is a good thing that Grey has decided to help out in the Read Across America programme. Shouldn’t she be encouraged to keep up the good work? Shouldn’t she be encouraged to continue doing the good thing she is doing?

 

For goodness’ sake – let those who are sinless cast the first stone.

 

*******

 

some grammar “rules” to avoid

 

1. Never split an infinitive.

This is one of those rules which have been relegated to the rubbish dump of the grammatical dead.

 

2. Never use a big word when a diminutive one would suffice.

It is usually better to use a simpler word than a longer one if the meaning is conveyed adequately. But not always.

 

3. Exaggeration is more sinful than understatement.

The british penchant for simple words and understated sarcasm will not do in international prose. There are times when exaggeration and hyperbole matter.

 

4. Avoid cliches at all costs.

This is one of those rules that have been hammered to me in poetry classes. But outside verse, cliches do have their use.

 

5. Never start a sentence with “and” or “but”.

Why? There is no reason why anyone cannot start a sentence with and or but. For centuries English writers have been doing that. This is one of those rules that are never “rules” in the first place.

 

*******

 

higher calling

 

Black bloodied petals

kiss in the

                   wind

 

pursed lips of gray

 

the butterfly bush

 

crushed,

 

like that man

in the black overcoat

 

kneeling

                in the pew

 

alone with the hangman

grotesque

 

bidding him, come

                          follow me.

 

*******