In which religion offers a diversity of silliness ...

The pond was thinking of talking modalities, in a gangster-like way, this morning, but suddenly had to sweep everything aside because (a) it looked like the cult Lobbecke blessing had been offered up unto Denis Dragovic and (b) that header, "religion seeks to unify", was so intrinsically absurd the pond just had to know, in this world of schismatics, splitters, heretics and cultists, how anyone could be so profoundly stupid …

And then the pond got distracted again …

 

The  pond wasn't quite sure how Dan the man had scored a top spot snap for a story supposedly featuring the thoughts of Fraser Anning, but the pond was immediately attracted to the notion that this was going to be a fine example of how religion seeks to unify, except when it comes to Islamics v. Christians …

The pond breathed a sigh of relief … already the splitters, dissidents, heretics, schismatics and rogues had come out of the woodwork, and there would be endless arguments about which team - fundie Islamics or fundie Xians - would be given the best break in the chance to persecute bystanders who didn't happen to share their bigoted fundamentalism …

So the pond turned to the Lobbecke-blessed  Dragovic in good spirits …

Now the pond has to say - with the deepest respect to the master Lobbecke - that his image of a hapless persecuted Xian dressed in shirt and white tie, as if on a Mormon crusade to convert the masses to the worship of mysteriously vanishing gold plates , is a feeble effort, with the mob of cardigan wearers and grannies doing the persecution far too innocuous …

The master was much more on song with this threat to innocent prawns …

Of course that one accompanied a beauty by nattering "Ned" way back when, in yet another example of the way that religion seeks to unify …

But the pond was aware of the nattering "Ned" trap. 

Too much emphasis on the glories of unified religions would only distract from the Dragovic, and there was a final gobbet to go ...

It's such sublime nonsense and so infinitely silly that the pond doesn't feel the need to argue … someone who so profoundly misunderstands the concept of original sin isn't much of an Xian …

All the pond can do is suggest he do a Greg Hunt here … and he'll understand that blather about personal responsibility can't get him off the guilt of deep, ineradicable personal sin from the days of the garden of Eden, compounded by the way that original sin led directly to his personal share of the collective responsibility for the persecution and crucifixion of Christ.

What to do? All the pond can suggest is a cilice for everyday work wear, and perhaps a crown of thorns at Easter ...

Meanwhile, the pond feels personally guilty for having raised nattering "Ned's" column from the dead, and now feels the urgent need to expiate its sin by completing the missive …

Yes, there's the go, all that's needed to get the reptiles agitated about religious freedom is for some Islamic fundamentalists to chip in … though there are other forces at work lending a helping hand …

  

And so to the final gobbet of ancient "Ned" …

Of course any proposal to move the state from being neutral to being actively pro-religious, or for the right of religious bigots to persecute minorities might be a tad problematic too, but you won't get a lick of sense out of a reptile tormented at the notion of their original sin, working for the Chairman, which will only be expiated by an eternity in hellfire …

And now as politics has once again got itself involved in religion, a cartoon …