The Bishop of Stafford has written an article in a parish magazine likening climate change deniers to Josef Fritzl, the Austrial child abuser that locked up and raped his daughter for 24 years.
As a “climate change denier” myself, I find these remarks highly offensive so I got on the blower to the office of the Diocise of Lichfield and told them I wasn’t best please with his remarks and wanted to complain.
They’re obviously a progressive bunch in Lichfield because you can complain to the Bishop of Lichfield directly by email to bishop.lichfield@lichfield.anglican.org. Alternatively, if you want to complain by snail mail then you can write to the Rt Revd Jonathan Leadhill, Bishops House, 22 The Close, Lichfield, WS13 7LG. I would urge anyone who taks offence at anyone being likened to a child abuser for not believing humans are causing climate change (or anything else for that matter) to write and complain. It would be far easier, after all, to liken vicars to Josef Fritzl bearing in mind the number of priests and vicars that have been convicted of child abuse but strangely, “climate change deniers” don’t go around accusing the Bishop of Stafford of being a paedophile.
Dear Bishop,
I am writing to complain about the offensive and highly inappropriate comments made by the Bishop of Stafford in a parish newsletter likening people who don’t agree with the discredited propaganda surrounding climate change to Josef Fritzl, the Austrian child abuser who locked up and raped his daughter for 24 years.
As somebody who doesn’t believe the propaganda that comes out of the Treasury or the “scientists” paid by the Treasury, I find this extremely offensive. I agree that climate change is happening – just like it has for millions of years – but I believe we need to adapt to the changing climate rather than try to stop it chaning which is, in itself, an exercise in futility.
The Bishop of Stafford is out of order and I insist that he withdraw his comments and issues an apology to those of us he labels as “climate deniers”. Belief in something that defies both logic and evidence is, of course, an essential qualification for a man of the cloth but it doesn’t give anybody the right to liken me to a child abuser for disagreeing with their views on climate change.
Stuart Parr
Technorati Tags: Bishop of Stafford, Climate Change, Josef Fritzl, Propaganda
Stu, you could’ve credited me with finding that story. Without me you’d never been offended and this wonderful story wouldn’t start happening. lol
Should consider suing the the cunt for defamation of character…
This could be another person to add to my goon list.
http://www.thebroadsheetrag.co.uk/?page_id=18
You’re right Maximus, you do deserve the credit for bringing it to my attention and the subsequent interruption of the ginger one during his lunchtime pint(s) with the news. 😉
Rob, a worthy entrant I think. Might motivate me to do a Twat of the Week this week.
Did the bishops not also say the Earth was flat?
what a tosser who asked him anyway! he should be sacked
This story was in the Birmingham Post on Saturday and in every parish magazine delivered to every household in the Lichfield diocese last week, it was on Radio Shropshire this morning and the Bishop himself was given a thorough going-over by Ed Stourton on Today on Radio 4 this morning too, so it’s a bit much for anyone to claim credit for it, particularly if you only heard about it at lunchtime.
It’s a shocking analogy, but hasn’t the Bishop got a point? If we act in a way that risks depriving our children of a future, then doesn’t that amount to treating them badly?
Allie, we don’t get the Birmingham papers up here and I don’t listen to the radio very often so I didn’t hear about it until Max texted me.
I don’t mind being behind on this one, I blogged about the extend of the Liebour Party’s debts that need to be repaid this year a week and a half before the dead tree press noticed and I don’t expect the BBC had a “climate change denier” on to defend their corner because that would be off message.
If you disagree with him, will Jesus and his teenage disciples not come round to your street and steal your car?
Or is that what happens if your RC?
Did God not do global warming before, circa Noah?
Should the minister not be telling us to be nice and stop having sex with gingers or something?
You’ve been spending too much time in the chocolate factory.
I’d go and have a lie down in a dark room for a while if I were you Willie as your spleen could obviously do with the time off.
The Bishop, as a fellow practioner of faith based belief systems (and therefore someone with some degree of knowledge and expertise of the subject of faith based belief systems) was making a comparison of attitudes based on the ultra-selfishness of current day libertarianist thinking using examples at the individual and the collective levels.
And he’s spot on. The attitude of selfishness towards others – of which Josef Fritzl is merely an extreme example at the individual level – is mirrored at the collective level by those like yourself (who have chosen to pick up the cap and put it on your head as a self-appointed martyr) with your faith based belief in the pseudo-science which denies the impact of human activity on the climate and by extension the impact on other people.
There are valid criticisms to be made about the negative impact on others, individually and collectively, of other faith based belief systems – like for example organised religions such as Christianity – and those like the bishop who practice that faith and act in a leadership capacity. However, that does not preclude such practionioners, like the Bishop, from commenting on the negative aspects of faith based belief systems or negate valid criticisms of those who have no problem – like those who follow the pseudo-science of denying the human impact on climate change – from imposing their dogmatic faith on others.
So calm down Willie. get yourself down the chemists for a tube of gorm and stop being so bloody gormless.