To have a decent society, we have to respect what people believe about the spiritual world. To have decent politics, we have to respect the facts of the physical world. As a religious believer, Edwin Poots is entitled to his own faith. As a prospective first minister of Northern Ireland, he is not entitled to his own facts.
This is not about intolerance of religious beliefs. It is about the need to recognise that discourse in a democracy has to be based on rationality and respect for evidence.
On a bend in the Shannon in Co Limerick, there is a graveyard with three burials. One of them has been dated by radiocarbon analysis to 7530-7320 BC; another to 7090-7030 BC; the third to 6610-6370 BC.
Except, if Poots is right, these burials are an elaborate hoax. In 2007, William Crawley asked Poots, on BBC Northern Ireland’s Sunday Sequence, “How old is the earth?”
Poots replied: “My view on the earth is that it’s a young earth. My view is 4000 BC.”
This is not about intolerance of religious beliefs. It is about the need to recognise that discourse in a democracy has to be based on rationality and respect for evidence.
On a bend in the Shannon in Co Limerick, there is a graveyard with three burials. One of them has been dated by radiocarbon analysis to 7530-7320 BC; another to 7090-7030 BC; the third to 6610-6370 BC.
Except, if Poots is right, these burials are an elaborate hoax. In 2007, William Crawley asked Poots, on BBC Northern Ireland’s Sunday Sequence, “How old is the earth?”
Poots replied: “My view on the earth is that it’s a young earth. My view is 4000 BC.”
Continue reading @ Irish Times.
Anthony
ReplyDeleteCan you put suitably copyrighted version of this article on my Twitter account please?
Barry - try the link now. I missed the link up
Delete"To have a decent society, we have to respect what people believe about the spiritual world."
ReplyDeleteOh bullshit. Without mocking retarded beliefs you give them oxygen. Far too long has the rest of society gave deference to "spiritual believers". They should be fucking mocked and derided or else be prepared for men to put frocks on, hold magic sticks and have special water splashing over infants while they claim they are morally superior to you.
Fuck that.
Steve - I found the same line troublesome. The most we should do is respect the right of others to hold their view but stop well short of having to respect the view.
Delete