• It isn’t just Scotland, you know

    It isn’t just Scotland where there are people getting excited about the possibility of marriage law being changed to be more equitable you know.

    Here’s a video of the Dean of St Alban’s speaking out for the cause down in Englandshire.

    Rather well, he does it too, I think.

    Now, when did you last hear anyone else be as articulate, sensible and godly in less than three minutes?

8 responses to “Bin Ladin”

  1. Hermano David | Brother Dah•veed Avatar
    Hermano David | Brother Dah•veed

    I agree with him entirely.

    Then I think my friend that you join him in a conclusion that at this moment cannot be substantiated by fact. There is no evidence that bin Laden was executed. He died in a fire fight when the team tasked with his capture tried to do so. To claim more than the facts currently state is to jump to a conclusion based in personal prejudice.

    Aside from that one discrepancy, I also agree with much of what he said.

  2. Agatha Avatar
    Agatha

    It did occur to me that the UK does public rejoicing (see Friday) better than the US (see this morning).

  3. Rosemary Hannah Avatar
    Rosemary Hannah

    We have no room for complacency – remember ‘Gotcha’ in the Falklands war???

    1. kelvin Avatar

      Yes, that was vulgar too.

  4. David Avatar
    David

    Irrespective of the terrible atrocities masterminded by individuals such as Osama Bin-Laden…and…regardless of the improbable scenario of his being captured alive and put on trial, the rejoicing that followed his death was both tacky and tactless. Comments (albeit by family members of 9/11 victims) alluding to …”God placing him in Hell to rot for eternity…” similarly did nobody any favours. If anything, the backlash from extremists eager to avenge his death (martyrdom?) will now cost further innocent lives. The phrase that jumps to mind is: ‘least said soonest mended…’

  5. ryan Avatar
    ryan

    I’m not sure that pacifist prooftexting is any lbetter than the other kinds. It’s surely morally permissable to celebrate the death of a legitimate, significant military target. And much of the “fanning the flames” rhetoric is inane – people can argue over whether nominally Islamic terrorism can be appeased , but the idea of Al-Queda dialing back their actions or reforming their ethos because (say) the world didn’t overly celebrate killing Bin Laden is ridiculous. Wouldn’t capturing him alive and forcing him to endure infidel courts be even more provocative than a martyr’s bullet and burial at sea?

    1. kelvin Avatar

      I don’t think I like the idea of celebrating the death of anyone, Ryan.

      That’s the kind of thing we find too often in the Bible, isn’t it? And it is vulgar there too.

      I don’t like lynch mob mentality no matter who is on the receiving end.

  6. ryan Avatar
    ryan

    Indeed – I agree that the “get it up ye!” response very much does not represent humankind at its best. But not celebrating *anyone’s* death is quite different, to me, to the most popular current arguments that largely emphasise that Bin Ladin personally is an inappropriate figure for Sic Semper Tyrannis triumphalism.

    I found the Vatican’s reaction interesting:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactions_to_the_death_of_Osama_bin_Laden#Europe

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Previous Posts

  • Haggis

    Someone left behind a vegetarian haggis in the rectory the other day.I managed to rescue it before the cat got hold of it. I plan o­n eating it. I do have to get over my squeamishness about eating the entrails of carrots and potatoes first though. I never liked the idea of it all being wrapped up…

  • Music

    Members of the choir from St Saviour's have been invited to sing, along with others, at an induction service in Stirling at the start of November.  I received the music yesterday afternoon. It was unknown to me. It is also unplayable by me. I find it curiously reassuring that someone locally aspires to music that…

  • Sunday Sermon 12/10/03 The Rich Young Man

    Let us tell the story here. Imagine the scene. There is a rich young man. He has made his fortune. Footballer. Every time he gets his hair cut, it makes the front page of the tabloids. You know his face. You know his wife?s face. She is a pop-star. They have a couple of beautiful…

  • Bishop Michael

    I heard this morning that Bishop Michael Henley has announced his retirement date. [Well actually I heard it from a member of Glasgow diocese yesterday afternoon – I am pretending to myself that I heard the news today]. He will retire in July next year. Bishop Michael will have completed more than 10 years as…