Debate – The Catholic Church is a Force for Good in the World

I’m going to start this post by going off topic…

I love Stephen Fry. Until recently I didn’t know who he was, and then I started watching his In America series and was captivated by his curiosity and enthusiasm for everything. I was so sad once the series ended, but maybe he’ll do In Canada next!

Enough gushing…I heard that Fry was in this debate on the topic of whether or not the Catholic Church is a force for good in the world (pfft!), and I couldn’t wait to see it because I’m such a big fan of him, as well as of Christopher Hitchens, who would both be debating against the motion that the Catholic Church is a force for good…and also Stephen Fry tweeted this adorable tweet right before the debate:

Nervous as a kitten. Got to take part in a debate on the RC Church. Me and C Hitchens facing Anne Widdecombe +1 Don’t know why I’m so nervy.10:48 AM Oct 19th from Tweetie

(follow him @stephenfry or me @EnlightningLinZ)

The debate was on October 19th, but it was just recently put on YouTube so now you can watch it here:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

You can read my thoughts on the debate after the jump (spoiler alert!)…But first, the opening vote from the people in attendance:

Motion: The Catholic Church is a Force for Good in the World
For: 678
Against: 1,102
Undecided:  346

Leviticus, Homosexuality, and Haircuts

I love this picture (seen on AnyEveryNot):

Another example (like my previous post about tattoos) of how homophobes pick the parts of the Bible that support their beliefs, and ignore the inconvenient parts.

I wanted to find the actual passage from the Bible on haircuts, but ended up stumbling upon something even better! Here’s a list of 11 things the Bible bans, but you do anyway.

It Might as well Just Say “I am a massive douchebag”

Apparantly this guy is so threatened by what goes on in other peoples’ bedrooms that he felt the need to permanently carve it into his skin:

That’s the verse from the Bible that homophobes use to justify their hatred for a lifestyle that makes them feel uncomfortable:

Thou shall not lie with a male as one does with a woman.  It is an abomination.

Leviticus 18:22.

The Bible can be used to justify anything, and it’s such a mish-mash of rules and contradictory statements that people pretty much just pick and choose the parts that confirm what they already believe. Jesse Galef over at Friendly Atheist has pointed out what a beautiful example this tattoo is of cherry-picking the Bible:

Leviticus also forbids tattooing.  In the very next chapter.

“Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD. Leviticus 19:28″

How much do you wanna bet this guy’s never read the Bible?