Was the BBC Ever Intended To Be A 'Mouthpiece' of Atheism?

[Walt Zingmatilder]

Oh, 72 at least.

Make a statement, Vlad.

The last time I did that I got reprimanded by the moderators for referring to Bluhillside as a
C**t

[Shaker]

The last time I did that I got reprimanded by the moderators for referring to Bluhillside as a
C**t

As a Christian?

[Rhiannon]

The last time I did that I got reprimanded by the moderators for referring to Bluhillside as a
C**t

We don't moderate strongly-worded emails to either Waterstones or the BBC. Knock yourself out.

[wigginhall]

I blame the late Terry Wogan; his insidious brand of Irish atheism, laced with charm and humour, has spread throughout the nation, so that millions of people, on rising, are more interested in an apricot whatnot than a prayer.  RIP, funny man.

[Outrider]

Like Waterstones.

Confusing philosophy/theology with science in their case, but yes.

Of course, their goal is to sell books, not to correctly classify their contents - it's cross-selling, of a sort, like when supermarkets put salsa in the 'crisps' aisle. They obviously aren't crisps, but whilst people are thinking about nachos they're more inclined to grab a salsa dip to go with it.

Similarly, whilst people are looking up popular science works they are more inclined to pick up and get a book on another topic by an author they're familiar with than they are to go looking for the religion and theology section on the off-chance a popular science author has penned a work of popular philosophy.

O.

[Shaker]

Similarly, whilst people are looking up popular science works they are more inclined to pick up and get a book on another topic by an author they're familiar with than they are to go looking for the religion and theology section on the off-chance a popular science author has penned a work of popular philosophy.

Well exactly.

Dawkins has written lots of science books and one on religion - when constructing a display of an author's work it's just easier to lump them all together, even if it doesn't satisfy the strictures of the bookshop classification system.

I did briefly think about trying to explain this to Vlad, but decided against it and thought I'd have a more profitable and more enjoyable time scooping the lumps out of the cats' trays instead.

[Walt Zingmatilder]

I did briefly think about trying to explain this to Vlad, but decided against it and thought I'd have a more profitable and more enjoyable time scooping the lumps out of the cats' trays instead.

So you leave shitty lumps in the cat tray as well as this forum.

[Shaker]

So you leave shitty lumps in the cat tray as well as this forum.

No, that's definitely the cats.

[Rhiannon]

I blame the late Terry Wogan; his insidious brand of Irish atheism, laced with charm and humour, has spread throughout the nation, so that millions of people, on rising, are more interested in an apricot whatnot than a prayer.  RIP, funny man.

What I find hateful is pointing the finger at Terry Wogan's atheism as some kind of moral deficiency when he was open about how it arose following the death of his baby daughter.

http://m.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/republic-of-ireland/terry-wogan-tells-of-anguish-over-death-of-baby-girl-28561282.html

[Gonnagle]

Dear Rhiannon,

What I find hateful is pointing the finger at Terry Wogan's atheism as some kind of moral deficiency when he was open about how it arose following the death of his baby son.

Who!! where!!

Gonnagle.

[Shaker]

What I find hateful is pointing the finger at Terry Wogan's atheism as some kind of moral deficiency when he was open about how it arose following the death of his baby son.

I never even knew that ... I knew he was an atheist because he mentioned it in an interview with Gay Byrne briefly included in a documentary about Ireland that wiggy referred to earlier, but I didn't know anything about that

ETA: Incidentally, if you find that distasteful, cast an eye upon this gem of grave-pissing (for a man not yet even buried) from the Torygraph: http://goo.gl/dza26Z

[Rhiannon]

I never even knew that ... I knew he was an atheist because he mentioned it in an interview with Gay Byrne briefly included in a documentary about Ireland that wiggy referred to earlier, but I didn't know anything about that

Little girl - I misremembered. But yes, I read it tucked away in a tiny column he had somewhere or other that he didn't believe because no loving god would allow such suffering.

[Shaker]

See amended post.

[Walt Zingmatilder]

Dear Rhiannon,

Who!! where!!

Gonnagle.

I misremembered, Gonners - it was a little girl.

The article in Rose's OP for starters. Isn't it a common theme among some Christians that all atheism is morally deficient? It's found often enough on this forum.

May I ask why a moderator seems to be editing someone's post to include rather than the deletion of expletives?

[Rhiannon]

May I ask why a moderator seems to be editing someone's post to include rather than the deletion of expletives?

Because I'm on my phone. Thanks for pointing it out.

Posts amended.

[Rhiannon]

Dear Rhiannon,

Who!! where!!

Gonnagle.

I misremembered, Gonners - it was a little girl.

The article in Rose's OP for starters. Isn't it a common theme among some Christians that all atheism is morally deficient? It's found often enough on this forum.

[OH MY WORLD!]

Nigella Lawson? Is she the one famous for her cocaine frosting?

[Walt Zingmatilder]

Nigella Lawson? Is she the one famous for her cocaine frosting?

LOL Mr C....that made me snort.

[Hope]

It doesn't matter how hard you try,  you can't please everyone.
Some will always think the balance is wrong.
Some people argue there is too much religion and religiously motivated programmes on the BBC, others that there is not enough.

The same has been said about their political output, Rose - and for the last 20+ years.  You can't please everyone all the time.  My view on the BBC is that it provides a platform for pretty well every 'mainstream' understanding of life, and long may that continue.

[Hope]

There is a BBC Religion & Ethics Department in Manchester, running at about £10,000,000 pa.

See if you can find any program designated as life from a Humanist Secularist viewpoint that is unchallenged, whereas there's a plethora of religion based programs that go to air freely and unchallenged almost whenever the religious want them.   

I've always understood that the two departments within the BBC that are most challenged are the Political/News and the Religion & Ethics departments. 

[Hope]

I think it no longer matters if the BBC doesn't cater so much for religion anymore because most of us have free veiw and there are whole channels that dedicate all their air time to religious matters.

Unfortunately, that is part of the argument that the Government is putting forward for the wholesale slashing of the Beeb's budget.  There are more than enough other channels that produce the same things as the BBC, whatever the subject.  The fact that the BBC's product is often of a higher quality is not something that interests the British Government, whichever colour it might be.

[ippy]

I've always understood that the two departments within the BBC that are most challenged are the Political/News and the Religion & Ethics departments.

The ban of the non-religious from presenting "Thought for the Day", BBC Radio 4's "Today"news program six days a week is entirely in my imagination; OK Hope I see?

ippy

 

[ippy]

10/10 for that one ipples

Sometimes the ball bearing in my head settles into its small depression and makes contact, yeeeeas, not very often.

ippy

[Shaker]

Know the feeling

[Bubbles]

Sometimes the ball bearing in my head settles into its small depression and makes contact, yeeeeas, not very often.

ippy