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Chris Bateman's avatar

Thank you for this passionate rant, it is appreciated. I would like to share some not-so-short remarks...

"Notice that I do not use the cloying word ‘planet.’ Those who revere the planet turn the world into a deity situated in some fantasy ‘outer space,’ which is claimed only to be there by chance."

As you may know, I have chosen 'planet' to contrast to 'worlds' at Stranger Worlds and How To Live In Them. I did this intentionally to avoid making the contrast case centre upon 'the universe'. For 'the universe' is as irrelevant to us now as it ever was, while this 'planet' is a name for the space we share... but I think those that you intend to spear with your remark are those who would treat 'the universe' as objective fact, and 'subjective experience' as mutable. I resist this, with ever fibre of my being. The priority here - universe above souls - is almost entirely the reverse of what it ought to be, for any reasonable meaning of 'ought', although there are equally abominous ways of inverting it.

(As an aside, Toby Green's work over the last three years has been an inspiration. I (privately) dedicated my essay "Decolonising Public Health" to him, which he was grateful for, having felt that his work was being largely ignored at the time.)

"Along with some other religious leaders, the current Pope now tolerates all manner of things associated with breaking the rules of Catholicism."

I am not Catholic and have no skin in this game, but I share your disappointment with Pope Francis, who I presume was persuaded in private to support these injections. The association of Christianity with mass injection programmes is problematic, and it is far from just the Catholic church who has been embroiled in this travesty, alas...

At Christmas 2021, I was separated from my family by visa bureaucracy, but went to stay with my sister on the Isle of Wight. I went with her to her Christmas service. I was horrified to see how many people were wearing masks... I still cannot understand how any Christian can think this was the right thing to do, except through a kind of idolatry. And there is an idolatry here... Christians dare not appear anti-science. But as a result, they end up appearing anti-Christian, at least to me, and I hope to anyone who has read Ivan Illich. If we are to be denounced as 'conspiracy theorists' - the new heretics - let us con-spire, let us share breath.

"Universities have been joining in with this game for decades. It is no longer the job of a university to seek truth, but to produce it to order. Their funding depends upon it."

Well said.

"The solicitous Guardian newspaper stands out as the most hypocritical of all... It was shameful."

Aye, once again, well said. It willingly became an abomination, and responsible for initiating and encouraging tremendous harm during the years of the Nonsense.

"If you happen to be puzzled about that, consider the following redefinitions made over the past three years. Herd immunity. Vaccine. Pandemic. And then consider the flipping of the phrase safe and effective."

You might however also remember the gerrymandering of 'anti-vaxxer', which changed from meaning a principled resistance to vaccination programmes to a blanket condemnation of anyone who might ask questions about them. Overnight, I was redefined into an anti-vaxxer. I have found it hard to forgive this, but of course, there is much that it is much worse and far harder to forgive - the treatment of our African brothers and sisters during the Nonsense most especially burns within my quiet rage, along with the horror at those who were forced to die alone.

"The looking glass world is also revealed in the act of prioritizing computer modelling over real-world experience."

Coincidentally the theme of today's Stranger Worlds.

"First do no harm is naturally reversed through the looking glass."

I have an essay on this, but it won't be coming up until early May. I write too much... I have to let it out slowly or it is even harder to find readers than it already is.

Thank you greatly for your stimulating thoughts, and your passion. I must come at this differently, in so much as I practice what being a Christian means to me (and I am in most people's eyes 'a bad Christian' as much as a I am a 'bad Hindu' etc.). In so much as I am Christian, I remain focussed on a future reconciliation I doubt I will live to see. But I am grateful to have others such as yourself who can offer catharsis for all this anger I am frequently struggling with.

Thank you,

Chris.

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Stephen's avatar

Another superb piece.

The vatican-produced new coin is possibly another indication of where it's allegiance lies, as the image appears to look like a vaccination injection.

I think the Vatican is evil. The more I read about it, the more I'm disturbed. And the Pope's role in creating the new religion of Chrislam adds strength to suspicions of warped values.

Our society is in grave danger.

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