649: Fancy a Laugh?

 

Source

The "personage" portrayed in the image above rejoices in the jaw-breaking name SHREE KASHTABHANJAN DEV HANUMANJI. Hilarious isn't he?  Les Dawson had nothing on him!

The Wikipedia piece on Exorcists includes another image of this bloke with a caption that reads: The image of Hanuman at the Hanuman temple in Sarangpur is said to be so powerful that a mere look at it by people affected by evil spirits, drives the evil spirits out of the people affected^[4]

Oh really? Well I say "bollocks," although I would like an introduction to his dentist who, judging by the gnashers on display appears to be an altogether superior being.

For some reason, which escapes my memory I started today to investigate "demoniacal possession" which of course led me to exorcism, exorcists and some of the rest of the associated ridiculous mumbo-jumbo that has collected around the subject over the past few thousand years.

I have posted here before about the pathetic and indeed ludicrous beliefs of the so-called "creationists" who apparently imagine that earth is about 6000 years old.  And as for those who believe in demoniacal possession - well - I don't know whether to laugh or cry.  This tragic case - a relatively recent one that occurred in a civilised country - frankly beggars belief. 

I wonder that these fruitcakes don't summon the Witchfinder-General, and I remain amazed that people can be so incredibly stupid and gullible to believe in this rubbish.

I was unfortunately baptised and brought up a Roman Catholic - a fine source of superstitious nonsense - and in later life (i.e. now) a source of considerable distress to me - to think that these perverted bastards tried to corrupt my mind  - and may well in fact have done; how can I know?  An especial bugbear is the wonderfully- named the Index Librorum Prohibitorum - a list of books that the Catholic Church in its "wisdom" decided that the faithful should not read.  This nonsense lasted from 1529 - 1966. For a long time various scientific works (e.g. Descartes, imagine!) were banned and of course sex, unsurprisingly was off the menu (except of course for a number of VERY naughty Popes). Please click on the link and read for another belly-laugh.

Until the next time

 

603: Even Blacker

Today is 26th January, the blackest day in the year, even blacker than 19th January and 14th February.

If you have been, thank you for reading this - oh and thanks to the Lord Jesus as well (not); fairy tales are no consolation.

And it's raining too.

Until the next time

SImultaneously scares me and makes me smile...

But not necessarily in that order.


"What's he rambling about now?" you are saying to yourself I expect. Well it's the big "R": religion. Before I start I should make it clear that (God knows!) I am in no way religious

As the Papal visit clogs the streets of Paris (much of the clogging possibly due to all the special French security police) there is news of a problem in the Amish community in the USA.

It seems that the US government wishes to use RFID (radio-frequency identification) tags on cattle in order to check on disease. The Amish however have joined in with a law-suit that suggests that the RFID tag is in fact "the mark of the beast", and naturally, as you'll understand if you clicked on the Amish link above, they object. From the law-suit: "Use of a numbering system for their premises and/or electronic numbering system for their animals constitutes some form of a 'mark of the beast' and/or represents an infringement of their 'dominion over cattle and all living things' in violation of their fundamental religious beliefs."

Yes it's easy to smile, but on reading about the Amish I could not help reflecting that, whilst to most of us, many of their beliefs and practices seem risible, one has to ask oneself, what harm have they done? And their treatment of old people might make some of us in our "advanced societies" pause for thought.

Image source: Here

For some reason, reading about the Amish reminded me of the story of Joshua Abraham Norton (1819 - 1880) the self-proclaimed Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico. If every there was someone larger than life he was it. In San Francisco, where he lived, he was treated with deference, the currency he printed himself was accepted by shopkeepers and the City Council even paid for a uniform made by a firm of first-class tailors.

"Emperor Norton" Image source: Wikipedia

When he died, the San Francisco Chronicle ran the headline "Le Roi est Mort" and 30,000 mourners attended his funeral. Robert Louis Stevenson admired the people of San Francisco for their fostering of this harmless eccentric, and a judge remarked, on rebuking a policeman who had arrested Norton for lunacy: "He has shed no blood, robbed no one and despoiled no country, which is more than can be said for most kings and emperors."

The leaders of many of the world's religions would do well to reflect on the words of this wise judge I think.

Until the next time.