Thursday, November 29, 2007
Naming my teddy bear...
...hasn't been a priority so far. (I was presented with him the other day, as regular readers of this Blog will know, after speaking at a school). Today, it occurred to me that as a gesture of solidarity I would name him, and I have done so. From now on, he will always be known by that name.
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13 comments:
Not Mohammad I hope...
Benedict Bear. Has a nice ring to it....
Just heard you on Jeremy Vine Show today and would ask you to listen to yourself on the listen again facility.
You came across as extremely rude, patronisng and arrogant. Your message was lost as a result.
Is it Foxy Knoxy in support of that poor girl in Italy?
Think I'll pick up a little bear today. What shall I name him? Hmmm?
Auntie!
I too heard you on the Jeremy Vine Show and I thought you were excellent.
Some people do not like to hear the truth. But as Pope John Paul II wrote: "The splendour of the truth shines."
I don not think you were rude, patronising or arrogant. Your message would only be lost by those who did not want to hear it.
Thank you.
A grateful PP
I too heard your encounter with the unfortunate Paul and as a casual listener i was so shocked by your aggressive and patronising attitude to this young man who had the temerity to disagree with you.
I am afraid that this fundamentalist approach is most off putting to those of an agnostic disposition and gives religion of whatever stripe a bad name. Along with Ann Widdecombe you do more damage to your faith that Voltaire, Bertrand Russell and Richard Dawkin put together
Auntie J,
I heard you on the radio and you were superb. The secular guy was reading from a tired script; you were talking from the soul.
Isn't it strange that some people want to constantly snipe at ol' Auntie or anyone firmly Christian, but chose to remain cowardly annonymous while doing so?
No, its not strange at all.
Blessings
James
Joanna, I heard you on Radio 2 as well and have done before. I actually agree with you that Christianity has been a huge influence on thought, art and culture and that it's important to learn about it. I also think the same about the Greek, Roman and Egyptian belief systems. But one can appreciate this without actually having to believe in a god. Where I disagree with you is that I don't think any of the mythology is true, and don't believe in a concept of the "divine". I simply don't share your imaginary friend.
Saying to the other guest "not believing in god doesn't make him not exist" is very childish and patronising - after all, one could equally say that believing in it won't make it exist.
I do find it sad that any sensible point you might have had to make about the cultural importance of your religion was lost in the signal-to-noise ratio. You do, I'm afraid, come across as a shrill, strident, patronising person with a playground approach to argument. This will do you no favours, and win you no friends.
Dannyboy, I agree that as a general rule it is extremely important to debate rationally and politely - I can't say whether Joanna did so as I didn't hear this programme - but does it not occur to you that referring to Christianity as 'mythology' and God as 'your imaginary friend' comes across as insulting, patronising and childish?
Um... no. I'd refer to Greek or Roman mythology, so why not Christian mythology? And I do think God is imaginary. Just stating what I believe.
I too heard the Jeremy Vine program. To me, Joanna Bogle came over as someone who has complete disregard and disdain for other peoples' views if they don't concur with her own. Furthermore she appears to have no regard for the right of others to express any views that are not aligned with her own views.
I perceived a fundamental lack of ability to debate the issues, rather she preferred to just shout down and attempt to belittle others that don't hold her beliefs.
I suppose to some extent maybe that has to be expected when one is trying to defend, what is by its very definition (i.e. it has no rational basis), the indefensible.
Objectively, one is led to the conclusion that the stance that she was attempting to espouse, at least as far as her own ability to understand and express it, was, ultimately, barren and devoid of any real meaning.
Re The Vine Show,
Clearly, the reason they keep getting you on the show is because you "stir it up" and get people agitated and angry. It's legalised bear-baiting, and it's undesirable for the same reasons as bear-baiting is: because people enjoy the violence, the distress and the malevolence. What you believe in, and what you say is not the problem. The problem is that you no doubt hope people will hear God's truth being spoken with confidence and conviction. They don't, they hear you.
Be brave about this. Ask yourself if Jesus would speak His truth in the way you do? Ask yourself why they keep asking you onto the show? Ask yourself if there is somone else who could do it better?
Showing compassion is not weak. Being gentle is not weak. Being vulnerable and admitting uncertainty or doubt about any issue is not weak... the wolves won't come pouring in through the gaps.
I'd like you as one of my friends, or as a sister, or a project manager, or standing in the trench next to me - but I would not like you as an ambassador. Turn them down next time they ask you on.
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