The poison of unthinking religious fanaticism

[fpb]

Atheism is one of the most brainless religions I know of. And it is particularly sad when it has a hold of an otherwise courageous and principled person, such as, in this case, one of Britain's few admirable journalists, Nick Cohen. I have a lot of time for this man, but unfortunately, having inherited atheism from two generations of revolutionary forebears, he is completely incapable of being rational whenever he sees a member of any opposing religion. And so, to my complete disbelief, he has just published an article basically treating Climategate as a right-wing ramp. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/dec/06/nick-cohen-global-warming-conservative-backlash What is terrible about this is that Cohen is an honourable man who has time and again gone against his own party for the sake of his principles. But in this case principles curdle into blinding obsessions and simply prevent him from even taking a look at the evidence. It has been tainted by the unholy hands of Sarah Palin and Tony Abbott, and so, by definition, it is beyond the pale and no decent man can read it without being corrupted! Heart-breaking.

Comments

[affablestranger.livejournal.com]

I'll have to try again later to see if I can access the Guardian site. The link stalls as soon as it says "waiting for guardian.co.uk". I reckon lots of people are linking to it and/or reading it.

[shezan.livejournal.com]

This is amazingly well-written tripe - a strange phenomenon. He's right about the Green movement being led by the arch-entitled and their children, although that's truer in Britain and the US than on the Continent, I'd expect; and if you YouTube those University of East Anglia academics getting trounced on US talk shows, they are your textbook lower-middle-class types with stringy hair and boulder-sized chips on their shoulders. (One day we may meet and I'll tell you my Jimmy Goldsmith anecdotes, such as they are. Impressive brain, raving - but charming - lunatic, and of course no-one dared contradict him.)

[fpb.livejournal.com]

That is because most of his stuff is amazingly well-written non-tripe. He is an unrepentant leftist who took swipes at the influence of the City in and out of season, an articulate and courageous enemy of Islamism and of its Politically Correct enablers, and last but not least an excellent TV, cinema and book critic. That is why his anti-religious complex is so infuriating - kind of like GK Chesterton's stupid spot about the Jews. I call atheism his religion not only because I actually think so, but also in the hope that it might sting him into some thinking; so far, alas, no luck.

[elegant-bonfire.livejournal.com]

the influence of the City in and out of season
What do you mean by this expression? I've never heard it before and I imagine it's significant to understanding the abovementioned author's writing.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

The City is the financial sector based in the City of London, that is the banks, funds, etc. It is much too large for a medium-sized country such as Britain, and, in Cohen's and my view, profoundly corrupt. "In and out of season" is a quotation from St.Paul - preaching Christ in and out of season. I meant: who criticized the British banking business before it was fashionable to do so, and went on criticizing it when it was.

[elegant-bonfire.livejournal.com]

Ah, thank you! I did not know about the City=finances thing as regards to London, so that makes a lot more sense now.