Err, yes, Marshall Mathers III is back with another outrageously brilliant, violent, self-focused album. Only buy it if you can stomach it. But guess who else is back?
That’s right: God.
In the imaginatively entitled God is Back unbelievers John Mickelthwait and Adrian Wooldridge explore why God is back on the agenda. But make no mistake, this is no Dawkins-esque wild-eyed anti-theist rant, but a well-researched coolly written tome. Last week’s The Weekend Australian newspaper carried an extract and it was enlightening to say the least. Part of Dawkins’ argument is that while individual believers may do good, collectively religion is very very naughty and responsible for everything, except possibly the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.
Mickelthwait and Wooldridge show the opposite to be the case. Nations prosper in all of the important indicators; socially, economically and educationally, when there is a strong religious structure to the society. Interesting it is in the New World’s liberating commitment to the separation of powers rather than the Old World’s church-state marriage that “God” is value adding to the culture, so theocracies measure poorly against the criteria (mental note, email this to Iranian mullahs – Ed)
Have a read of the main article here.
There was another extract that, depending on your viewpoint, is a slightly cringeworthy or exceptionally encouraging account of the Chinese house church movement. No prizes for guessing why Celine Dion might be mentioned in the article (hint: It has something to do with the Chinese worship music – Ed)
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