Was the "Big Bang" God's Work?

I have always wondered why the Catholic Church felt threatened by science supposedly undermining religion. After all, how much simpler could it be than to say that science exists because God wants it to and then place God one step in front of anything that should be 'discovered'. So, in that sense I am wondering why the recent declaration by Pope Benedict XVI that God was responsible for the "Big Bang" is even news at all?

Yep, the "big bang" happened. But, nothing in the universe that God has created happens by chance. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that God is responsible for the big bang. Simply, what might look like chaos for most of us is in fact a well-thought out and planned act of God.

I will definitely sleep better tonight knowing this, particularly after I watch "The Big Bang Theory" on television. Will you?

The Pope Sees the Light...

Pope Benedict XVI has seen the light at the end of the tunnel, and it is not Jesus. The Pope, God bless his soul, has finally worked out that abstinence, although the best solution, is not a reality that the Catholic Church can make happen. Well, not unless they start forcibly restraining unmarried or un-partnered couples.

Condoms, particularly the use of them, are not a 100% effective way of preventing the spread of STD or STI. However, they do significantly better than the option of taking a shower without a raincoat. In any event, the Pope's support is not blanket support for the idea that the Catholic Church facilitate a program of condom distribution through its parishes.

The Pope's support suggests that prostitutes, and in particular male prostitutes,would be beginning to act responsibly if they were to start using condoms. I might have to go out and get the book from which the Pope's comments are sourced: Light of the World: The Pope, the Church and the Signs of the Times. And, the news story that I pilfered for this piece was quoting from excerpts that were published in The Vatican rag, L’Osservatore Romano.

The Catholic Church has adopted a position that is anti-condom use. It has maintained this position in the face of some intense and harsh criticism. So, is this statement by the Pope indicative of a softening in the position of the Catholic Church? No, it is not. The Pope was very explicit in restricting his comments to a very narrow range of condom use. His choice of male prostitutes was undoubtedly a conscious one that was sort to deflect any concerns about condoms being used as a contraceptive device. The position of the Catholic Church with respect to the use of condoms as a form of contraception remains unchanged.

Yet, when it is all said and done, there is an argument to be made that this may in fact be a first step in recognising that the issue of HIV / AIDS and other sexually transmitted disease and infection is an issue that transcends simple arguments of morality. It is an issue that has and will continue to be a measure of the times in which we live, particularly if you live in Africa or Asia.

Progress is progress even if it is in small and scripted steps.

Did You Know...Revisited

And, now for something a little lighter than the fare of the past...

Did you know that

1. the poisonous copperhead snake smells like fresh cut cucumbers;

2. the poison-arrow frog has enough poison to kill about 2,200 people;

3. more than 50% of the people in the world have never made or received a phone call;

4. an iguana can stay under water for 28 minutes;

5. Some lions mate over 50 times a day; and

6. the youngest pope was eleven years old.

Have a nice day!

Trivial Stuff -- More Factoids

Here are a few more factoids for the "did you know" file.

1. In the course of an average lifetime you will, while sleeping, eat 70 assorted insects and 10 spiders;

2. From the age of thirty, humans gradually begin to shrink (I am already nine years into my shrink -- and I am not sure that I can afford to shrink);

3. The juice inside a young coconut can be used as a substitute for blood plasma;

4. The youngest pope was eleven years old; and,

5. The largest cell in the human body is the female reproductive cell, the ovum. The smallest is the male sperm (this is why women will ultimately dominate the world :D).

God is Love -- Jesus Supports the Use of Condoms

I fully expect to offend people with the picture that leads off this post. I do not apologize for the message of this piece. Thanks to the Freethinker for illuminating this controversy for me here and here.

Sexually transmitted diseases of all types are slowly but surely decimating our collective future. The idea that abstinence is the answer has proven to be clearly not the case. The need here is to ensure that people are fully educated and therefore able to make informed decisions on their own. If abstinence happens to be that choice, then all well and good. However, if the choice is a different one, then at least those individuals will have at their disposal the knowledge that may just save their lives.

The art work is by Ben Heine, a Belgian, and was in direct response to the statements of the Pope and his fellow clergy members who seem to believe that it says somewhere in the Bible that condom use is strictly prohibited and that the use of condoms actually makes the HIV / AIDS tragedy in places like Africa even worse. The art work was posted on a site called DeviantArt. Unfortunately, DeviantArt in their infinite wisdom deemed the work too offensive or controversial or something because they removed it, and then ultimately banned Heine from the site.

I fully support the right of websites to determine their own content. However, a quick look around the DeviantArt site turns up quite a lot of art that would best be described as pornographic and perhaps even offensive to some, not to me though. So, why single out this piece of art for censorship? Come to think of it, I am not offended by Jesus wearing a condom or the idea that the Christian God is a God of Love and would be cool with a pro-condom message. This is not because it encourages promiscuity but to the contrary because it saves souls from agonizing and pointless deaths.

The right to freely express one's ideas is a core tenet of my philosophy on life. I have not and do not advocate that there are no limits to free speech, in fact quite to the contrary. However, sometimes free speech sometimes offends, and causing offense does not necessarily mean that it has crossed that uncrossable line in the sand where it is no longer protected. My personal opinion is that I can accept some people will be offended by the image, but I do not believe the image crosses the line.

Is it in bad taste? To each their own.

Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church -- An Apology

I have been contemplating writing something on this for some time and have hesitated because the issue deserves more than just passing comment. I have not done the research on the statistics of the prevalence of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, although I am sure others may have numbers, names, locations, and the like. Yet, perhaps if there was more open and frank discussion on issues such as these then progress towards a workable resolution might be quicker in coming.

The Pope, Benedict XVI, was alleged to have said on his way to Australia for the World Youth Day festivities that he was going to apologize to all those who have suffered sexual abuse at the hands of clergymen over the years. This blanket apology might not mean much but it would have meant that the Church acknowledges and has remorse for what has happened but is genuinely sorry for the tragedy that it has allowed to occur. This profound sorrow might not pay the bills of the victims or bring back loved ones who have committed suicide as a result of not being able to cope any longer with the pain, but it would say that even though we can never fully make amends for what has happened "we" accept responsibility.

Unfortunately, the Pope's point man on media communications has spent much of the day backtracking on whether an apology will be forthcoming and has even indicated that this might be one of those lost in translation moments, where what the Pope is alleged to have said might not actually be what he said.

Father Federico Lombardi, Director of the Vatican Press Office, has been saying that there is no papal commitment to making an apology and perhaps what Australian victims should be expecting is the Pope making brief mention of the "issue" in a statement. Stupid! This would seem to be the perfect moment to capitalize on the good will of Australians during WYD to make the apology.

It would seem that the Pope has not been pontificating on the issue and is on the record as saying that the Church needs to examine how it is going to, "prevent, heal and reconcile" the past crimes of the clergy. The Pope then went further in terms of putting this into context with, "this is the essential content of what we will say as we apologise."

Father Lombardi seems to think that any apology would be limited to a meeting with church officials and novices. This is the same means that was adopted by the Pope when apologizing during his visit to the US. This is a cop out! He does not need to apologize to the members of the clergy and the novices of the Church. He needs to apologize to the victims of the crimes perpetrated by the clergy on children for decades past.

Why is an apology necessary? The answer to this question is simple and is best done through an Australian example of the tragedy the sexual abuse of children has wreaked on one particular family. Their story is a sad and tragic one that has been played out in many thousands of families across the globe.

The Foster family was by all accounts a happy one. However, this changed tragically for the worst when Emma and Katherine Foster were raped by Father Kevin O'Donnell when they were in primary school. The Catholic Church does not seem to have a very good record in weeding out those applicants that have a penchant for young children.

Emma committed suicide at the age of 26. Katherine developed an alcohol abuse problem and this led to her being struck by a car driven by a drunk driver. Katherine now requires 24-hour care as a result of the physical and brain injuries that she sustained.

In reference to this sad tale the Bishop Anthony Fisher in his infinite wisdom expressed the following sentiment, "Happily, I think most of Australia was enjoying delighting in the beauty and goodness of these young people and the hope - the hope for us doing these sorts of things better in the future - as we saw last night, rather than, than dwelling crankily, as a few people are doing, on old wounds."

Bishop Fisher, you are a fool! These are not old wounds to those directly affected by them! These wounds are open and festering sores that are slowly but surely eating away at the very life essence of the victims of these abhorrent crimes. It is time the Catholic Church ante-ed up and faced the fact that it is responsible as the employer of predators like Father O'Donnell.

Priests like father O'Donnell when they are found guilty of the crimes they have committed they should be sent to prison. They should not be put into the protective wing of the prison. These brave souls that pray on children must be put into the general prison population where it should be known that they like to have their way with children. You should not be surprised that prisoners have families and they have children and that the mere thought of someone sexually violating their children is enough to ensure that the Father O'Donnells of this world get a firsthand understanding of what it is like to be violated. This would give a new meaning to "get what's coming to you"!

The Catholic Church has to start making amends in Australia. This can start with a full, open, and frank apology to victims. Then, I personally do not care if this means the Catholic Church has to sell off all its assets or mortgage its properties to the hilt, but it must pay compensation to victims for the harm these victims have suffered at the hands of the employees of the Church.

Thus endeth my rant (or is it a sermon?) on this subject.

World Youth Day -- Annoying T-Shirts

The annoying t-shirts that are likely to get their next airing once WYD gets underway were part of a fashion demonstration in front of the NSW Parliament building earlier today. Some of the slogans that front the t-shirts include "Pope Go Homo" and "The Pope Is Wrong - Put a Condom On".

There are certain to be protests in spite of the new powers that police have been given. Every single WYD has been subject to protest and the slogans above highlight who is likely to be coming out to protest.

Let the fun and games begin!

World Youth Day -- Transport Strike Update

The government is taking the threat of strike action seriously. So it should considering the traffic problems that it would create. However, the government's plan is to go to the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) with a view to resolving the stagnant negotiations or getting an order that would prohibit any strike action during the Pope's visit.

I have a sneaky feeling that resolve in the government's mind is getting the AIRC to sign off on the 2.5% cap on wages. If that fails then an order that simply says any strike action on certain dates would be illegal.

The NSW Minister of Transportation, John Watkins (pictured), says that the "industrial action ... is irresponsible, and in particular next week." I wonder irresponsible for who? The members of the RTBU whose families are going to be negatively impacted by a wage rise that is below the rate of inflation? Or irresponsible to those who are going to be making some big cash out of the Pope's whirlwind tour of Sydney?

The irresponsible party here is the NSW Labor Government who have failed to put into place any contingency plans in the event their negotiations with the RTBU went belly up. Another fine example of the NSW Government taking their eye off the ball and then looking to blame someone else for their complete ineffectiveness. Then again, maybe we should have seen this coming.

My hope is that the government does take this to the AIRC and they slap the 5% increase that the RTBU is demanding on the government. This would avert any industrial action and ensure that nothing irresponsible happens.

I wonder who is looking after the little people while the NSW Government is looking after the interests of the Catholic Church?

Postscript:

It seems that the government might not be all bad. Latest reports are saying that the government has a 4% wage offer on the table that would require some productivity improvements and some head office changes.

The drama continues.

World Youth Day -- A Transportation Nightmare

The World Youth Day was always going to be a challenge in terms of transportation as it was going to require the closure of roads and the implementing of special declared areas (look at the legislation which is posted elsewhere on this blog). However, with the Rail, Tram, and Bus Union's decision to hold strike action on 17 July 2008, this challenge has just gone from perhaps being manageable to being a nightmare.

Traffic congestion was expected to be heavy, but not outrageous as many people were expected to fore go the car and take public transport, either train or bus. A strike on this day would make it impossible to leave the car at home. The alternative would be for employers to just write the day off and make it a holiday.

One of the feature events of the WYD is the Pope taking a dinghy ride from Rose Bay across the harbour to the Opera House foreshore and then legging it up George Street in the Pope Mobile (I have always preferred the Bat Mobile myself) with the trusty faithful literally legging it up George Street in hot pursuit. The idea would have been for the pilgrims and other interested onlookers to train and bus it down to the Circular Quay. A strike makes this impossible. I guess people will be doing a lot of walking on 17 July.

The RTBU is striking because they feel that after 11 months of haggling with the government and RailCorp that the 2.5% cap on wage rises is an insult. There is no doubt that the enterprise bargaining agreement that employees are on now needs updating. The question that remains is whether 2.5% is an adequate response to the demands of employees.

I would figure that after 11 months morale is low, staff are probably looking for alternative employment where their efforts are more adequately rewarded, or they just really cannot be bothered working in any meaningful way than just going through the motions which would see a significant drop in service standards (some might already argue that rail and bus service was already poor).

The intention to strike on 17 July really does up the ante as the pending transportation nightmare is sure to get a lot of airplay not only locally but internationally. This sort of image is hardly one NSW wants to be putting out to the world.

Some might consider this to be blackmail, others might consider it to be a good negotiating strategy, I think it shows that the union is in desperation mode and that this is the only conceivable way that they see in ending this negotiation. I have a sneaky suspicion that the NSW government will ride out the strike no matter what.

The pressures on the Premier are already immense and if he lets this slide then this is certain to cement the image of a "do nothing bloke" not worthy of the State's top job.

The fun continues!

"Causing Annoyance" -- World Youth Day

It seems that New South Wales is bending over backwards to accommodate those running the World Youth Day festivities later this month. Although considering some parts of the history of the Catholic Church it might feel to some as they are bending over forwards and getting the right religious shafting. This is one of those things you read or hear and then find yourself asking yourself is this for real.

The NSW police have been given additional powers during the World Youth Day festivities to arrest and fine people for "causing annoyance" to participants or as they are more frequently called pilgrims! These powers include a power to search and the power is based on the mere belief that someone is causing annoyance.

As Anna Katzmann SC, President of the NSW Bar Association, points out, there are already laws on the NSW Statute Books which regulate behaviour and police powers at large events like New Year's Eve on Sydney Harbour which attracts up to a million visitors or more. These regulations seem to work well enough at other events so what is different this time around?

Under the new powers if I was to hold up a sign that read "the Pope allows pedophilia" then I have committed an offence and can be arrested and fined. Where is my right to freedom of speech and freedom of expression. Simply, if I wanted to hold up a poster that said "Kevin Rudd is a wanker" then I am entitled to do so and I would not be arrested. So, why does the Pope get special treatment? Is it because he is Catholic? or the Special Emissary of God?

The special powers granted to police also allow them to conduct searches in designated areas that may require people to remove jackets, gloves, shoes, and head wear, as well as offer up any bags for a police search.

It is not surprising that the NSW Police Commissioner, Andrew Scipione, is in favour of the new powers. He even goes so far as to say that they are not really new powers but the extension of already existing powers. So, really they are new powers after all. This seems to me like the NSW Police have thought all their Christmases have come at once as this is the perfect ruse to clamp down on protests and protesters.

The powers are draconian and seem only to have been put into place so that visiting Catholics and the Pope think that all Sydney-siders are for this little love fest. I wonder if NSW would be going to the same lengths to appease organizers if this event were some kind of Jewish, Protestant, or Muslim love fest?