All I need, right in my backyard....

[LeftishBrit]

This.

http://www.lmschairman.org/2010/05/linacre-centre-gets-new-name-director.html

After some years in London, it has relocated to Oxford.

I realize they have the right to free speech, the same as anyone - I'd just prefer if they were doing it a little bit further from where I live. Especially as the local branch of the anti-abortion organization LIFE are particularly unpleasant and reactionary already without any encouragement, and it came to a head at the General Election when their representative sent out lots of nasty leaflets to smear the incumbent pro-secularism MP, who then lost (to a Tory!) by less than 200 votes. And there was me thinking that such things don't happen in England! For that matter, you don't have to be an atheist to have problems with the local religious-righties: both the current and the former bishop of Oxford have been attacked by such people for being too liberal and soft on the Muslims and especially in the case of the former bishop, soft on teh gays!

Here is a lovely article by the Anscombe Centre's former director, now one of their governors:

http://www.faith.org.uk/publications/Magazines/Mar06/Mar06MarriageAndTheProphylacticUseOfCondoms

And their current director:

http://www.linacre.org/AbortionDrHelenWatt.htm

And a staff member:

http://www.linacre.org/Grip%20of%20Dogma.html


Ugh.

No, Oxford hasn't been taken over by Sarah Palin, and is still a great place for liberals, secularists, and those who like cultural diversity. But this is where I moan about the small, but unpleasant, negative element.

[TZ]

1. Well somebody has to keep an eye on all those immoral scientist types

Whats frightening to me, is you could post about this in either Science or R/T and you would get regular long time DU'ers defending this junk. Ugh.

[charlie]

2. Second link is borked

http://www.faith.org.uk/publications/Magazines/Mar06/Mar06MarriageAndTheProphylacticUseOfCondoms.html

That is some of the most prolix, contrived, legalistic hair-splitting wankery I've ever read.

Don't marry unless you can spoo. Don't spoo anywhere outside of your wife. Don't spoo in your wife unless you welcome changing nappies in 9 months. Then Jesus will smile and proffer a cigarette. Simple. Unless you're a (*kazoo fanfare*) theologian and get paid by the volume of pedantic gas you can fart.

The variations of "ejaculation of semen into his wife’s reproductive tract" must number in the dozens. I think they gave him a secret thrill. Way to make the sacred profane, pervert.

You're right to be worried. The insanity started small over here, too. The pious loudmouths were a national joke for a good while.

Until they weren't.

[LeftishBrit]

3. Slightly relevant to the above...

you may be interested in the opinions of the rather fanatically religious John Smeaton, director of the Society for Protection of Unborn Children, with regard to President Obama:

http://spuc-director.blogspot.com/2008/11/please-say-extra-prayer-today-that-us.html

http://spuc-director.blogspot.com/2009/05/my-initial-reaction-to-obamas-notre.html