Houllebecq,

I always thought you were one of the more saner people on OLO. I
enjoy your humor and attitude, it seems very similar to mine. I'm no Pollyanna, unlike guess which female that you have collided with on quite a few posts? Your namesake seems to be a very interesting guy – have read a bit about him, only. A voice in the wilderness.

Although, I have to disagree with your negativity on private school education. That's taking away the choices. I didn’t go to any posh school, rather your generic Catholic school, which I appreciated and the nuns were fabulous.

I thought you might appreciate this article by Richard Thompson.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/my-party-was-trashed-by-the-middle-class/story-fn59niix-1225910722814


I'll respond to the others with time permitting.

Houllebecq,

Correction: article is by Michael Thompson (I must of been thinking of the musician).

Briar Rose,

I’m not proselytizing nor talking to people like you, just here to defend the crux of Paul Collin’s article. You seem to have missed the point I was trying to make. I’m saying to look at history and try to understand how Western Civilization has evolved. You cannot deny it. Are you trying to say that religious institutions have been irrelevant? Like we have never needed any religious collective as a community? Art, music, et al without the Catholic Church’s influence. Tell me what then. I don’t understand what you’re trying to say. I’m trying to talk to the one-eyed secularists (whatever) and extreme atheists who don’t want the Catholic Church to have a voice in contemporary society. Which is wrong. Therefore, I have used Jürgen Habermas, as a significant intellectual who has something to say, and he is unbiased. Although I am raised Catholic, I hardly go to church at all, like many others, but have only in recent times, been doing some internal travelling in this increasingly (what appears to me) soul-less, Me Me and fake gestured world. I have appreciated my Catholic (which means liberal by the way) upbringing more than ever while contemplating our contemporary world. I have a curious and nervous mind and pysche. I just get rather tired of all the Catholic bam bams. That’s it pure and simple.

That’s fine and well if you can privately talk to your own God without any outside support. That’s lovely. But I’m not talking to these people.

This isn't so easy to explain but is the best I can do right now.

Pelican and mac,

I am broadly speaking, wanting people to understand the big picture per se. I’m no authority on anything so I just wish to use examples of stuff I’ve read, a la Jürgen Habermas. We never hear this stuff here because we’re not German, hey, and I have personal experience with parochialism, you know living on a little ol large isle. Why aren’t we listening to the philosophers? Philosophy is intrinsic to religion.

Pope Benedict's encyclical on Eros. He is always talking about peace and love. I don't suppose you have heard it because you are not Catholic, therefore not interested. You only read about the Catholic paedophiles in the media. By the way, there is stuff happening within our own public school system that never gets air play. Is that because the Priests are a much easier target? A lot of people who are so anti Catholic just get into hysterics therefore only wanting to dig up the dirt. And now you get all touchy about the Pope targeting the extreme atheists, and why shouldn’t he? As I said before, it’s a two-way street, buddy.

The Inquisition, you mean the Spanish one, I am not aware of the others. The anti-Catholics will always bring this up. And the Crusades of course, who were defending their already invaded lands. But you did not mention this time. In my understanding, I’m no expert here – but it happened only in Spain, didn’t it? And without the endorsement of the Vatican, in fact the pope at the time was criticizing the horrible tortures, but did not have the power over a nation. But, as I see it, it was a national thing with Ferdinand and Isabella, having problems with the faux Catholic Conversos and Islam. So defending. Have you ever heard of Bella Dodd, by the way? A Catholic convert after having worked as the Legal Counsel for the American Communist Party. Point is, the infiltration of the Church. Who knows?

Cont....

"The anti-Catholics will always bring this up."

That is the problem with this debate. As soon as one raises an issue that does not paint the Catholic Church in a positive light they are anti-Catholics. It is the same with criticism of Israel and people who are trying to see the bigger picture are painted as anti-Jew.

How does one define a radical atheist?

I can see that an atheist who calls for the eradication of religion (which is not possible) could be classed as a radical, but that zealotry is equally oppressive as a theist calling for 'death to infidels' or pushing a no-contracption line even if it means a woman's death or exhaustion through raising a large number of children (my great grandmother for example).

What we should be all fighting is the failure of responsiblity and those who break the law (failing to report and deal with child abuse is only one) by organisations and individuals.

Do we pussyfoot around these issues always for fear of offending or do we go for the jugular and say enough is enough.

Constance,

I have no problem with private schools, I just don't think they should get any funding. In my world, the state has provided schools. If one is to reject these schools, they should be happy to go it alone.

I realise those who send their kids to private schools in effect subsidise the public system, but I don't believe that is their aim in sending their kids to private schools. If all these private schools people, out of spite, decided to go back to public schools if the governmnet stopped funding them( Which I don't believe they would anyway) well, then the government would just have to pay more for schools, and I am happy for my taxes to go towards that purpose.

I'm happy for private schools to do whatever it is they wish, just not be funded by the governmnet. Public schools need to be better, and an equitable society needs a great public education system, and can still have unfunded private schools for the snobs;-)

Hey get this pelican, constance is selling me an article about the "chattering class". Preaching to the converted!