Thursday, March 12, 2009

I see on the news that a man has been put on trial in Germany accused of being a camp guard and personally responsible for the death of 29000 Jews so Evie, the leading character in my play “Red In The Morning” (published Samuel French NY), could be up to her evil ways even now let alone twenty years ago when the play was produced at JMU.
Had to have yet another blood test yesterday (how many is that?) so was up at sparrowfart and then, afterwards, took Wolf into Xania for a little exploration. I suggested first of all we visit the War Museum but he was adamantly against that but the Naval Museum was evidently more to his liking so we visited that. Unfortunately he wasn’t at all impressed. He criticised some of the models as being inaccurate, shop bought, he said disparagingly and not up to his standard of model making. I, in my ignorance, thought they were pretty terrific and I was a bit surprised at his criticism considering the navy and seafaring are matters of the greatest pride with the Greeks. I managed to do a little bit of good though as, having felt a nasty twinge in my lower back as I stepped where the floor should have been but wasn’t because of a shallow step, I told a girl in the office that it was highly dangerous and really visitors should be warned about it. Before we left she had already printed out a notice in Greek and English – Mind The Step – so, hopefully, there won’t be anymore twinged backs. I know there probably isn’t such a word but I’m using it anyway. At least three of the smaller rooms in the museum are dedicated to the Battle of Crete but I thought this material should be in the War Museum as it really had nothing to do with the navy.
The humanist posters on British buses (the posters have been banned in Italy of course, most probably in every other predominantly Catholic country) proclaiming there probably is no God so relax and enjoy yourselves have instigated the inevitable backlash from Christians and Bible thumpers. Their poster evidently states quite categorically that there is a God which has quite naturally engendered a thousand complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority because the humanists had the nous to say “probably” but the religious have stated definitely but have not, as has always been the case, come up with any proof as to God’s existence. Their attack consists simply of abuse and cherry picking quotations (as is always the case) from that ancient Bronze age book, the Holy(?) Bible. It is noticed that whenever the Bible comes up with ridiculous admonitions that might have applied to the tribes of ancient Israel, but which have absolutely nothing to do with the advancement of civilisation, these are ignored, as are those verses that make God out to be the supreme egotist and the most bloodthirsty of tyrants – kill their men, their women, their children, their oxen and their asses. In fact kill everything that moves. Mankind is quite capable of doing that as we know only too well but it could be comforting I suppose to believe that if you’re in the mood for a little blood letting God is egging you on. I think I might have mentioned this before but I cannot understand how a god of love, according to Christians, who is eternal and all knowing, didn’t take into account that when he came down to earth as man he would cause a number of infants to be ruthlessly slaughtered. If nothing else did he have no feelings for their mothers? The Athens News every week has three or four advertisements from various churches or groups inviting us to join their “Bible study” sessions. One of these days I might just be tempted to go along and start asking some pretty awkward questions. I’m sure I would not last more than five minutes before being politely requested to leave.

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