Monday 30 December 2013

Incoherent arguments for criminalising smacking


"Because in law you are forbidden from striking another adult, and from physically chastising your pets, but somehow there is a loophole around the fact that you can physically chastise your child."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25529744

Is Ms Atkinson aware that the law also forbids you to imprison another adult in their bedroom, restrict their movements to the "naughty step", impose curfews on them, and so on?

If the ideas behind the absurd arguments of the brigade who want to criminalise smacking were followed through, then it would make parenting itself illegal. When parental powers are reduced, who takes up the slack? Answer: highly paid state officers like "children's commissioner" Ms Atkinson.

We presume that she gets up to other things too, but, as she spends her time arguing that ordinary parenting should be criminalised, the state rewards Ms Atkinson with over £140,000 of taxpayers' money every year (http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/csv/occ%20senior%20staff%20data%20march%202011.csv).

Wednesday 25 December 2013

Emmanuel

Somehow I can't recall hearing the carol "Mary did you know?" until this year.

It's great to hear a carol that's both beautiful and has got some good theological meat in it.

http://www.metrolyrics.com/mary-did-you-know-lyrics-kenny-rogers.html

This child that you've delivered
Will soon deliver you

...

Mary did you know that your baby boy
Is Lord of all creation?
Mary did you know that your baby boy
Will one day rule the nations?

...

Did you know that your Baby Boy
Is Heaven's perfect Lamb?
This sleeping child you're holding
Is the great I am

* * *

Do you know? Happy Christmas!

Monday 16 December 2013

What Protestants should be protesting

http://www.ligonier.org/blog/what-do-protestants-protest

(N.B.: I haven't read the recommended book, and so was not endorsing that particular sentence, as I suspect it advocates Presbyterian ecclesiology, which I, obviously, don't!).