DAMNED IF YOU DO...

29-08-2006

Religious sensibilities can be offended by all manner of silly things decides Ros Dodd, who refuses to turn the other cheek.......

Glasgow Celtic's Roman Catholic goalie, Artur Boruc, has been cautioned by police after he ‘blessed' himself during a match against arch-rivals Rangers. It was decided his behaviour had been provocative and had led to crowd trouble.

Meanwhile, David Jenkins, the controversial former Bishop of Durham, has been banned from preaching in two of his local churches for swearing in the pulpit. The 81-year-old used the words ‘bloody' and ‘damn' in a sermon.

So one God botherer is ticked off for being too pious, while another is carpeted for not being pious enough.

Doesn't this so beautifully illustrate the perverse and hypocritical nature of organised religion and its cohorts? Oooh, we can't upset the Protestant Rangers fans, and Heavens above, we mustn't allow a former Anglican bishoptojolt awake his congregation by using the b-word.

Isn't Christianity supposed to be about tolerance, forgiveness and all things high-and-mighty?

If Rangers fans get upset because someone who practises the same religion, albeit in a slightly varied form, crosses himself on the pitch, how closely can they have read the New Testament lately, which commands: ‘Love thy neighbour as thyself'?

And if a few Anglican worshippers are moved to complain when the pulpit address is enlivened by a few commonly used profanities, then they've obviously not heeded the New Testament either: ‘He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone'.

When you hear about such nonsense, you both despair at human nature and understand more fully how it is that almost every war ever fought was sparked by religion.