For the Honourable Lady Mark

[miss_s_b]

... whose latest entry prompted me to remember this picture comparison from our local pub paper:



Personally, I think it's an insult to Peter Griffin, and I really hate Family Guy. But then we're still picking up the pieces from Pickles' reign of terror in dear old Braddy, so...

Comments

[bagfish]

My mum and I were talking about the prayer issue this evening. She mentioned that when prayers were part of the meeting agenda of certain councils, those councillors who didn't partake of the prayers on the basis of being atheist/not Christian and came in afterwards were formally marked as being "late" to the meeting.

This is patently a ridiculous state of affairs. By all means pray if you really feel the need, but the ruling is completely correct, praying is not a "statutory function" of council business, and therefore has no place on agendas or anywhere else and should be undertaken before or after the business of the council, not during.

My Dad (a quiet atheist) who is likely to be elected mayor this May will be in the awkward position of having to be in attendance when prayers are said, as meetings cannot formally start until the mayor is present. This leaves him no choice but to attend despite the fact he is a non-believer.

I don't think the right wing media and Tory reactionaries like Pickles quite understand how bizarre the whole situation is. I can't imagine they would be supporting non-Christian prayers during council meetings in places where the majority religion is not Christianity.

[andrewducker]

Gah! I've been thinking "They should move them on a point of principle, as atheists shouldn't have to sit through them." - and you've just pointed out how selfish I'm being. It's _far_ worse for a Muslim or a Sikh or a member of some other religion. It may even be a breach of their own religious beliefs/laws to attend Christian worship.

[miss_s_b]

Can your dad not make them pray to Dawkins?

Seriously, though, if people want to pray, why do they have to force other people to join in? What's Christian about that?