Harry Potter and the Potty Professor

The Half Blood Welshman in his usuall erudite way draws attention to the latest folly of the Archbishop of the Fundamentalist Atheist Church, Professor Richard Dawkins.

The Prof according to the Daily Telegraph, is going to research the damaging effects that books, such as the Harry Potter series might have on children. As the Harry Potter stories about wizardry, witchcraft and spell making are not scientifically factual (do bears cast spells in the woods?) the Potty Prof believes that they might be damaging to child development!

If Professor Dawkins' extreme views and extreme prejudices against those who dare to disagree with him, were not so frightening, his latest nonsense might be considered laughable.

But not just laughable, a tad hypocritical too.

The TV programme Dr Who is just as, if not more, scientifically dubious than the Harry Potter stories. There is little basis in science for believing in Time Lords (or Ladies). It is doubtful that any scientific research has shown the likelihood that a 1950's police call box could be used as a means of travelling through time and space. There are probably no Daleks - now stop worrying and enjoy your life.

If Harry Potter and, by extension Dr Who, are a danger to children then those who act in tv versions of these dangerous follies are guilty of propagating such unscientific abuse. People such as the actress Lalla Ward who played the part of Roana, a Time Lady (Time Peeress?) in a number of episodes of the abusively dangerous unscientific programme.

Never heard of Lalla Ward? She's better known, these days, as Mrs Richard Dawkins!

As a PS here is a Poems and Politics Extra courtesy of The Wilted Rose:

I was once an amoeba in for a swim,
And then I was a tadpole with my tail tucked in.
Then I was a monkey in a banyan tree,
And now I'm a professor with a Ph.D.

Spellbound Others:
Holy Webb
The Daily Quail
St Aiden
Zadok the Roman
Burke's Corner
Massinformation

Ten commandments for Bloggers

The Evangelical Alliance has designed 10 commandments to help Christian bloggers to keep on the straight and narrow paths through cyberspace.

Ten commandments for bloggers
1 You shall not put your blog before your integrity

2 You shall not make an idol of your blog

3 You shall not misuse your screen name by using your anonymity to sin

4 Remember the Sabbath day by taking one day off a week from your blog

5 Honour your fellow-bloggers above yourselves and do not give undue significance to their mistakes

6 You shall not murder someone else's honour, reputation or feelings

7 You shall not use the web to commit or permit adultery in your mind

8 You shall not steal another person's content

9 You shall not give false testimony against your fellow-blogger

10 You shall not covet your neighbour's blog ranking. Be content with your own content

I can't see myself sticking to all of them somehow! Indeed I think that I might have broken numbers 5, 6, 7 and 10 in just one short post here!

Beleving in Science

The last time I did a scientific experiment was a long long time ago. It had something to do with a Bunsen burner heating up a chemical to create a smell similar to rotten eggs. I don't remember why the experiment was done or what I was supposed to have learned from it.

When I was doing my rotten eggs experiment, scientists were proving that smoking cured asthma, in faith I believed them and started smoking - I'm still hooked!

Clearly I don't know much about science, what I do know is based on faith rather than knowledge.

I would suspect that the vast majority of people are in exactly the same position as me, they believe what scientists say, they have faith in scientific proof but they have very little understanding of science.

But we have a problem, scientists have a tendency to prove what the money tells them to prove.

For a million dollars wind farms are good trump that with four million and we'll say that nuclear is better!

Scientists say that global warming is happening and we need to do everything that we can to stop it. Other scientists say bollocks, global warming is just a statist way of controlling people and that global warming is a myth!

It is faith that makes us choose sides on such issues rather than knowledge.

Creationism or Darwinism? Do you make your choice through personal scientific experimental proof, or is your view based on what you believe to be true? I suspect that 99% of people believe what they believe and don't give the subject a second thought - irrational blind faith from both sides of the argument!

I know that my redeemer liveth! As a matter of fact and experience I know that the Lord Jesus Christ is my saviour.

But apparently I'm a nutter for knowing something through my experience of faith in religion rather than being confused by a mixed up faith in science!

Confusin' i'n it?