In all the media coverage of his comments
one thing I never actually saw was a transcript of what he actually said, or even quotes that gave the proper context.

He was giving a speech to a bunch of lawyers, and I am led to believe that he was discussing some of the finer points of the practical application of our laws in this strange new multicultural society.

His responses to the furore have been naive and counter-productive, for sure, but the media have been happy to perpetuate the "LOL HE WANTS US TO HAVE SHARIA LAW LOL" angle as long as it sells newspapers, willingly discarding what few facts were actually reported in the first place.
( The Hedgehog From Hell is recycling turmeric as we speak, Sun 9 Mar 2008, 1:10, archived)

So you're saying he's become a Muslim?

( my other username is a porsche , posting shit pictures so you don't have to, Sun 9 Mar 2008, 1:12, archived)

this

( Mushroom, Sun 9 Mar 2008, 1:13, archived)

Whatever his
motives and intent he is still the leader of an archaic cult and should not be allowed to make statements of any kind.
( Pasanonic WARNING - May induce flouncing., Sun 9 Mar 2008, 1:13, archived)

I'm not going to bite tonight.
Someone else can have this one.
( my other username is a porsche , posting shit pictures so you don't have to, Sun 9 Mar 2008, 1:15, archived)

*burns the heretic*

( The Hedgehog From Hell is recycling turmeric as we speak, Sun 9 Mar 2008, 1:15, archived)

I swear to god ;)
if we banned religion worldwide and burned a few catholics we could sort out the ills of the Earth in 20 years ( but not the global warming, you are stuck with that whatever you do, numpties, it's a natural occurence ).
( Pasanonic WARNING - May induce flouncing., Sun 9 Mar 2008, 1:19, archived)

Provided you planted enough trees
to make your Catholic-burning carbon neutral, I don't see a problem with this.
( The Hedgehog From Hell is recycling turmeric as we speak, Sun 9 Mar 2008, 1:21, archived)

You're making it difficult for me,
but I do need to go to bed soon so once again I'm passing.
( my other username is a porsche , posting shit pictures so you don't have to, Sun 9 Mar 2008, 1:22, archived)

*dangles*
allowing a few to perpetuate myth, conjecture and downright superstitious nonsense as a means to placate and control a populace that no longer needs crazy answers to what are now mundane questions is really the biggest crime on humanity to date.
( Pasanonic WARNING - May induce flouncing., Sun 9 Mar 2008, 1:25, archived)

*hums quietly*
I should point out I'm not especially pro-religion, I just don't think this level of demonisation is at all justified.
( my other username is a porsche , posting shit pictures so you don't have to, Sun 9 Mar 2008, 1:27, archived)

*jiggles*
How is it not justified? God was an invention of sentient man that allowed the birth of civilisation. Without a superior being man was unable to get over the big questions he had as he grew as a species. The comfort that 'god' gave as answers allowed progress. However with god came religion as unscrupulous people saw a means to become lords of the many by pretending they knew what god wanted for his people. Of course this happened at different times in different places. That has led to the shithole we are in today. The only way for mankind to make the next evolutionary step is to do away with religion altogether. It is the last bastion of a world we have not needed for hundreds of years.
I wonder how man managed to function for 70 thousand years before the invention of organised religion.
( Pasanonic WARNING - May induce flouncing., Sun 9 Mar 2008, 1:35, archived)

I can see what your religion is
£70 thousand years indeed...
(Cuthbert Annihilator http://www.gamesbooksfilms.com/, Sun 9 Mar 2008, 1:37, archived)

We'll have to do this properly another night, I'm off to bed.
Goodnight b3ta.
( my other username is a porsche , posting shit pictures so you don't have to, Sun 9 Mar 2008, 1:37, archived)

haha. He got away
and he was ...........this big!

night night.
( Pasanonic WARNING - May induce flouncing., Sun 9 Mar 2008, 1:39, archived)

Like I said, you made it difficult.

( my other username is a porsche , posting shit pictures so you don't have to, Sun 9 Mar 2008, 1:39, archived)

My worms are often
juicy ;)
( Pasanonic WARNING - May induce flouncing., Sun 9 Mar 2008, 1:41, archived)

This biggest crime on humanity in general
is the idea of rights. In anything.

People see it as worse for humanity to have no rigid arbitrarily constructed rights and wrongs.
But those who see something as right will continue to do it regardless of the concequences. And the world is far too much of a diversed, interweaved and chaotically theoried responsibility of a place to go about fucking people over just because of some stupid assumption.
(Jeru The Cunt of Monte Cristo, Sun 9 Mar 2008, 1:37, archived)

Not really
Bizarre arbitrary value systems, enforced pointless hierachies, misinformation and the various other malicious areas of religion are rife throughout society as a whole.

Although arguably it might be easily to sort things out, because without religion at least people would fear death.
(Jeru The Cunt of Monte Cristo, Sun 9 Mar 2008, 1:23, archived)

it's like the militant islam vs communism thing
at least MAD applied with communism ;)
( Mushroom, Sun 9 Mar 2008, 1:27, archived)

To be fair, this furore didn't involve any Catholics
Apart from banning contraception and hence inflicting overpopulation on developing countries, I'm not sure Catholocism does that much damage to the world compared to other religions, like the fundementalist Christian right in the US dictating foriegn policy, extremist Islam in the ME blowing up innocent civilians, Hindu nationalists in India threatening to "string up" all Muslims in Mumbia (and this is a fairly popular politician, I was reading about him on wikipedia the other day) and I'm guessing the smattering of anti-semitic, anti-muslim anti-immigration nationalist parties in Europe have at least a touch of Christian influence. And the BNP has a Sikh correspondent for their newspaper whose only qualification is his visceral hatred of Muslims.

Of course in a world with yer Richard Littlejohns I'm not saying that all Christians, Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs are evil. Just that there are serious problems with all of those religions that allow extremists to gain a foothold.

PS. I hate Catholicism really, I just wanted to have a go at every other religion.
(Cuthbert Annihilator http://www.gamesbooksfilms.com/, Sun 9 Mar 2008, 1:32, archived)

all Christians, Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs
are not evil at all. They are just misguided, manipulated,naive fools and would do better thinking for themselves and getting on with a fruitful life the same way all other earth organisms do. Feed fuck and fight. Works for me.
( Pasanonic WARNING - May induce flouncing., Sun 9 Mar 2008, 1:37, archived)

well yes
that too
( Mushroom, Sun 9 Mar 2008, 1:16, archived)

I'm not clear on what legal changes he had in mind, since private arbitration is already legal
I mean, people can settle various disagreements in courts of their own invention if they want to. I think opt-in sharia courts of that kind already exist. The worrying thing is whether the people opting-in genuinely realise that they are free to not-opt-in, or feel brave enough to decline. Giving these courts extra legal recognition won't help with that. Also, I suspect he was trying to sneakily acquire more power for the church of england in certain ways, possibly related to the gay priests thing - he probably wants to be able to legally discriminate, based on religious exemption from discrimination laws, to get out of that pickle.
(_Felix ekorrar med brösten, Sun 9 Mar 2008, 1:37, archived)