Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Contact with Extraterrestrial Life Imminent? What about God? - International - Catholic Online

A bit of synchronicity; the other day I submitted my article to UFO Magazine which was about the Vatican and its acceptance of alien life. Here's an interesting article on the topic. (Hat tip to UFO Disclosure Countdown for link.)Contact with Extraterrestrial Life Imminent? What about God? - International - Catholic Online

Sunday, July 15, 2012

The Pope, Castro and ET: Jorge Martin on C2C Tonight

Tonight's Coast to Coast host is George Knapp, with guest Jorge Martin. Martin will discuss the Vatican and ET. Here's an article by Martin on Castro's thoughts of an alien presence, and what the Vatican thought in regards to the Pope's visit in 1998.Jorge Martin - Enigmas del Milenio / English version

BBC News - France's National Front to sue Madonna over Le Pen swastika


BBC News - France's National Front to sue Madonna over Le Pen swastika
France's far-right National Front is to sue Madonna after an image at the US singer's Paris concert showed party leader Marine Le Pen with a swastika imposed on her face.

National Front vice-president Florian Philippot said the party could not accept "such an odious comparison".

The image, in a video accompanying the song Nobody Knows Me, was followed by another resembling Adolf Hitler.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Debunker Faces Arrest for Debunking Watery Jesus


(This story dates back to March of this year.) Debunker and member of the Indian Rationalist Association Sanal Edamaruku faces arrest for his participation in doing what skeptibunkies do. He says he explained/exposed the watery seeping Jesus in Our Lady of Velankanni Church, in Mumbai.

India has laws against insulting religions and  "...deliberately hurting religious feelings and attempting malicious acts intended to outrage the religious sentiments of any class or community,” according to the Slate article.  On the surface Edamaruku is doing what's expected of debunkers, but I suspect there is a cultural and historical context at the root of his actions. (Italics mine):
What do you fear might happen to you?
If it comes to a trial, I have nothing to fear. I would welcome the opportunity to throw some light on the role that the Catholic Church played and is still playing today here in India. The possibility of arrest is threatening, however.
The religious zealotry, dogmatism and fanaticism Edamaruku fights is ironically mirrored by his own version of same:
Do you have any regrets about intervening? Why would one not intervene when somebody gives gullible people sewage to drink? But my reason is broader. The promotion of superstition and belief in paranormal phenomena dulls people's minds and establishes dangerous misconceptions about reality in our society. Such efforts have to be countered.
Edamaruku refused to back off and in fact, got quite contentious with critics. While India has the anti-insult to religions law, it also has this, according to Stephen Law.
Clause (h) of Article 51-A of Constitution of India states that : ‘It shall be the duty of every citizen of India to develop the scientific temper, humanism and spirit of inquiry and reform.’