Author Archives: Andrew Stuttaford

Rick Perry’s “Merry Christmas”

Posted on June 16, 2013 by Andrew Stuttaford

MSN reports: AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday signed a law protecting Christmas and other holiday celebrations in Texas public schools from legal challenges — but also stressed that freedom of religion is not the same thing … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, law | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Symbiosis

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Andrew Stuttaford

Vladimir Putin’s attempt to blend social conservatism and Russian Orthodoxy into the mix that is (nominally: the reality is rather grubbier) the ideology of his regime continues. The Guardian has the details. First, we have an unpleasant piece of anti-homosexual … Continue reading →

Posted in Church & State, law | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Awe Shucks

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Andrew Stuttaford

There’s quite a bit of vitriol splashed around in this new post by Sam Harris, and, as so often with his work, there’s also much that’s worth discussing at length, but for now let’s just note that the point that … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, Religion | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Tyndale & More

Posted on June 6, 2013 by Andrew Stuttaford

Here’s Melvyn Bragg writing in the Daily Telegraph on the topic of William Tyndale (and Thomas More): After almost 500 years, Tyndale continues to command our language and when we reach for the clinching phrase, we still reach out for … Continue reading →

Posted in Church & State | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Science & Conspiracy

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Andrew Stuttaford

Daniel Pipes: The polio disease was on the verge of eradication when Ibrahim Datti Ahmed, president of the Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria and a physician, suggested at about this time in 2003 that the vaccination program in his … Continue reading →

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The Empty Church

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Andrew Stuttaford

The Welsh poet R.S. Thomas was an Anglophobic Anglican vicar with a hatred of modernity, but he can be forgiven a lot for the first four lines of his poem, The Empty Church, singled out in this recent article in … Continue reading →

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The Rewards of Violence

Posted on June 1, 2013 by Andrew Stuttaford

The Commentator reports: The Australian National University (ANU) has apparently banned the satirisation of Islam for fear of inciting violence and creating a backlash. The Australian newspaper reported this week that the ANU cited international violence in the wake of … Continue reading →

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Hmmm…

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Andrew Stuttaford

Judith Potts writes in the Daily Telegraph: One day in 2007 my late mother – then a sprightly 93 year old – said to me “I do wish these people would get off my sofa. They sit there all day … Continue reading →

Posted in science | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Good News From Vermont

Posted on May 25, 2013 by Andrew Stuttaford

Vermont may be a lefty sort of place, but occasionally it gets some things right. MSNBC reports: After 10 years of emotionally-charged debate, Vermont became the first state in the country to pass a doctor-assisted suicide bill through the legislative … Continue reading →

Posted in law | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Same Old, Same Old

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Andrew Stuttaford

The pope is a new pope, and Twitter is a new(ish) medium, but Francis certainly knows the old tunes. Here’s a papal tweet from this morning: My thoughts turn to all who are unemployed, often as a result of a … Continue reading →

Posted in politics, Religion | Tagged , | 7 Comments