Two good-weather days in a row, but this is England, so we mustn't feel too pleased about it: English summers have a habit of being disappointing.
Nosher, however, has been taking advantage of the opportunity to work on his allotment plot, so didn't appear for lunch until late afternoon.
By this time I had enjoyed my sandwiches and a long siesta in my old deckchair, so he had to wake me to get any conversation.
'Moderation in all things!' he said as he shook me awake.
'You missed the one o'clock news' I told him 'Tony Blair has launched his Faith Foundation in New York, ostensibly to being all religions together in a spirit of reconciliation.'
Nosher chuckled derisively as he settled into his deckchair.
'It's just a tax dodge and an excuse for Blair to hobnob with the world's leaders' he said 'he's so deluded and egotistical now he probably thinks he's God's right hand man.'
'What really annoys me' I continued 'is that very few commentators are prepared to make an issue of the abuse of the term "faith" in all this. Faith and religion are not synonymous: faith is a personal mental state, religion is constituted by a set of doctrines and dogmas and the associated rituals and practices, along with the organisation of the faithful to obey and conform. Religions exist only to further the interests of their followers, and have little or nothing to do with faith as such. It's just conceit and self-deceit to claim otherwise.'
'Have you spent too long in the sun?' Nosher inquired 'because you sound unusually tetchy today.'
'No' I replied 'I just wonder why the media have to pander to the conceits and self-deceit of those whose moral narcissism over-rides their scruples about mis-using linguistic terms and white-washing their attempt to impose their beliefs and practices upon others, because that's what this ridiculous "faith foundation" is actually all about: increasing the political influence of religion by uniting different religions in a common aim to undermine secularism in politics.'
'Well, I don't think there's much to worry about' Nosher declared 'only hypocrites and delusional idiots will take much notice of Tony Blair.'
'The trouble is the world seems to contain far too many hypocrites and delusional idiots' I replied.
More from www.overthegardenfence.blogspot.com soon.
Find out more at www.paulsturdee.co.uk
and www.PGSBooks.co.uk
Paul Sturdee's book Is God a Terrorist? is available from all good booksellers. Please support your local bookshop - if you don't, it may not be there next time you visit!
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Best wishes and have a nice day!
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