All 1 entries tagged Heaven

The Heaven And Earth Show

Writing about web page http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/programmes/heavenandearth/

I've been unfortunate enough to be too lazy to change the channel when the Heaven and Earth show comes on, more than once. This show epitomises everything that is irritating about the charlatans that perpetrate most religions.

In the most recent edition I watched , a debate over good medical practice, pitted a bright pink tracksuited woman (yes, I know, don't comment on what women are wearing -sets back the cause of feminism, blah de-blah. However in this case it serves to illuminate her odious character) with a high wattage smile that looked like it had been drawn on by an over excitable five year old; against an actual medical scientist (a man, cleverly). The show seemed to be attempting to grant some kind of legitimacy to the 'complementary' medicine brigade, both through the complete lack of forensic questioning of the flimsy 'evidence' presented by the radioactive spokeswoman, and the transparent attempt to show alternative medicine as more friendly, spiritual and feminine than the cold, hard and masculine light of… truth?

This disinterest in facts and rationality continued to permeate the whole show. Next up was a priest who claimed, dramatically, that he could forsee the future due to a special connection with god. he demostrated this power by recollecting the time when he was holidaying in Rome, noticed all the birds had fled and thought to himself 'I bet there is going to be an earthquake', and lo and behold, by the grace of god there was indeed a minor one. Nevermind the dubious claim that he thought it, then it happened (surely I could say that I thought that a hurricane would strike New Orleans after the event) there is also the overwhelmingly less exciting explanation that his thought was merely coincidence. We can then add the fact that he saw the birds leave and was able to make a logical connection that something big was going to happen and then guessed that in an earthquake zone perhaps that might be it….

No, it must be the divine power of god.

: 11 Sep 2005 22:09 |  Tags: Aetheism Earth God Heaven Human Condition Stupidity |  Comments (3) |  Close comments |  Report a problem