Homeopathic vaccination

You cannot be serious.  There's a Bangladeshi magazine actually advocating - wait for it - homeopathic vaccinations.

Many say that there are benefits to homeopathic vaccines. One important benefit is that they do not contain Thimerosal, Aluminium, Borax (used to kill ants) and other chemical elements, also, in the studies that have been able to proceed, no child has ever had any severe side effects from the any of the homeopathic vaccinations given.

I sincerely hope there's no-one impressionable reading this. I can barely think of anything more dangerous than injecting your child with

a homeopathic remedy made from diseased tissue, that comes from someone with that disease, and then made into potentised form so that is given in a homeopathic remedy.

I don't feel qualified to actually go into the medical ins and outs of this stupidity, but I know a steaming pile of bullshit when I see it. What the hell are these "doctors" advocating this junk on?

Dr. McCluggage DVM says:

"...we must stop advocating yearly vaccines because of the harm we are doing to the animals we vaccinate. He covered the homeopathic concept of "vaccinosis". Vaccinosis is a disease entity that may be introduced through vaccinating animals or people. Once vaccinosis develops, there is a disturbance in the bodies vital forces that leads to symptoms of chronic disease that can be very difficult (and often impossible) to cure. Dr. McCluggage also stated that there are no good reasons to recommend annual vaccinations for our companion animals."

Vital forces? Are you for real?

These people are playing with children's lives. Please stop.

Festive films and skepticism

Like Tim Minchin, I really like Christmas, and it is a'comin', and with it the usual stodgy diet of festive films.

What gets me about all the depictions of the Santa Claus myth is that the ultimate virtue is usually belief. You can see this in many Xmas films, such as Miracle on 34th Street, where an old man is apparently proved to be Santa. Or The Polar Express, which is a Tom Hanks pet project, and a particularly odious example of the genre to my mind.

I'll stick with the Polar Express, as I'm so familiar with it due to being force-fed it for years by my kids, who, I should point out, loved it.

The boy at the centre of the story starts the movie as a Santa skeptic, if you like. He reads up on the North Pole in encyclopaedias, and has come to the conclusion that Santa doesn't exist.

He's then, however, taken on a magical train ride to the North Pole, where he receives a gift from Santa himself, a bell from Santa's sleigh, and once he wakes up in the morning, the ringing of the bell, which only true believers in Santa can hear, is the only evidence the trip ever took place.

There are a couple of things that disturb me about a story like this. The first thing - it's religion sneaking through the back door. Blind faith is praised over rational thought. The premise of all these movies is - just believe! It's magic! Don't question it, or the magic won't work for you! Isn't that the language the religious use? These movies are teaching kids to suppress any kind of skeptical instinct they might have in favour of mumbo-jumbo.

I don't mean to say that every kid should be hunting down the truth about what they're being told by their parents, and disbelieving everything they're taught. But this is the point of it. The propogation of myths like Santa, and the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny, are just extensions of the other Christmas myth, the one involving a virgin and a little donkey. (That's a film script staring you in the face, right there). Just believe. No questions.

The second thing - why do we need a myth of an overweight man dressed in a red suit climbing down our chimneys once a year anyway? What's wrong with our kids knowing that the presents they open on Christmas Day are from the family and friends who love them, and not a fantasy figure. Isn't that more emotionally healthy for them? Shouldn't we be giving our kids truth and kindness, enabling them to grow into intelligent young people, instead of filling their heads with ridiculous myths like these? Isn't it just a bit scary for some kids? Any other time of the year, someone dropping down the chimney would be cause for alarm.

Yes, you're right, this blog post has also become a metaphor for religion. I'll admit that I haven't dispelled my youngest child's ideas about Santa, and probably won't for a while yet (the eldest two have figured it out for themselves). As a society though, we need to take responsibility for our children growing up in a state of strong emotional health, I think.

Bah, humbug. No, Merry Xmas. I think.


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Orient draw Daggers in FA Cup

And news just in, Orient have drawn Dagenham & Redbridge in the 1st round of the FA Cup, to be played at Victoria Road, scene of probably our most dismal performance so far this season.

Omens on our side? Well, we've beaten the Daggers in both our FA Cup meetings, including that spectacular 5-4 victory in 1992. And Dagenham are currently bottom of League 1, meaning they've got even more incentive than we have to lose the match and "concentrate on the league", as the saying goes. 

Swindon Town 2 Leyton Orient 2

Um, disappointing?

Not necessarily in terms of the result - a 2-2 draw away ain't to be sniffed at. I'm more annoyed that we took the lead twice, and lost it on both occasions. It shows a lack of concentration in the team, and we can't afford slip-ups like that.

I'm writing having yet to see any of the goals, but I'm pleased Matt Spring got on the scoresheet. We don't get many players with true vision down at the Orient, and he's an integral part of the team.

Also, pleased to note that Mpoku started the match after his stunning intervention from the subs bench last week against Hartlepool, and that Cox started as well, as I suggested in last week's post. Clearly Russell Slade's taking notes from me. And I've just noticed that Orient have extended Mpoku's loan from Spurs, which is also excellent news.

Just need that 20-goal-a-season striker now...

Swindon

• 01 Lucas
• 02 Cuthbert
• 06 Caddis
• 14 Morrison
• 15 Amankwaah (O'Brien 69)
• 21 Sheehan (red card)
• 07 McGovern
• 08 Ferry
• 22 Ritchie (Dossevi 85)
• 16 Ball (Rose 58)
• 32 Austin

 Goals

Austin 62 Rose 84

  Leyton Orient

• 12 Butcher
• 02 Omozusi
• 04 Chorley (yellow card)
• 06 Forbes
• 07 Cox
• 10 Chambers
• 13 Daniels
• 16 Spring (yellow card)
• 20 Smith
• 27 M'Poku (Revell 17)
• 09 McGleish (Walker 90+4)

 Goals

Spring 60 Revell 76

No, religion is for those who DENY evidence

According to Christian Today, atheism is becoming the new religion.

Carver Yu, President of the China Graduate School of Theology in Hong Kong, said that “confusing ideologies” were creating emptiness and alienation among people, while indifference to religion was “tightening its grip”.
“Atheism is about to become the new religion,” he said. “Christians must preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ fearlessly because he is the way, the truth and the life. Only he can lead us away from the present state of godlessness.”

No, no, no. Religion is for people who deny evidence in order to cling to the increasingly tattered standard of their outdated faith. Atheism is for people who have looked at the available evidence, and come to the only logical conclusion that there is no god (probably...). Simple enough?

Clearly not for some.

Also taking to the podium was Michael Herbst, researcher in evangelism and church development. He warned that the decline of faith among parents was leading to a whole generation of children in Germany growing up with an “atheist mindset” and the belief that “faith doesn’t matter”.
He noted that the idea of a “singular truth” and monotheism had become unpopular and were widely regarded as dangerous, arrogant and potentially violent.

Good on Germany if it were true, although given Angela Merkel's recent comments on immigration, and the power of the CDU in Germany, methinks you're overegging the pudding a little, Michael. But I do appreciate your thoughts on monotheism, you've hit the nail on the head there, son!

Os Guinness, co-founder of The Trinity Forum, echoed his sentiments. He said that the biblical view of truth had become “obscene to modern minds” and was being taken by many to be exclusive, intolerant and divisive.
“But on a deeper look the biblical view is profound, timely and urgent for the day, even for those who reject it,” he said.

That's exactly how we see it, and a deeper look at the bible only confirms it. It's the ravings of a genocidal lunatic. There are no lessons to be learned there.

He continued: “Shame on those Western Christians who casually neglect or scornfully deny what the scriptures defend and what many brothers and sisters would rather die [for] than deny – that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.”

These people have absolutely no interest in accomodationism. For them, the bible is the literal truth, and anyone who says otherwise is the enemy. They scorn liberal Christians who fail to adhere to their fundamentalist values. You cannot argue with these people. Their minds are made up. And they are dangerous.

Anyone arguing that atheists should tone down their views so as not to offend needs to take a look at what these people really think.

Kids write the funniest things

I love all three of my kids - but as any parent will know, this is regularly tested. They all have their own ways of getting to me, and sometimes you have to remind yourself they're only kids - grrr...

But they make up for it. We went to their parents' evening yesterday, and I spotted, in my eldest daughter's literacy book, a description of her dad. I won't lie, words like "fantastic", "takes me out", "helps me with my homework" were in abundance.

Naturally she was embarrassed at me seeing it, and of course I don't hear any of this at home. But it's moments like that which really make me feel like I'm on the right track.


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Harold Kushner

Now I've had a chance to look up Harold Kushner, I can see he is the type of guy whose idea of a good book includes ethnic cleansing, attempted child murder, and homophobia. I won't be listening to any more pithy one-liners from this guy.