Comments on: Terror raids and Turnbull http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/08/06/comments-corrections-clarifications-and-cckups-54/ now with extra source Sun, 12 Feb 2012 08:54:01 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Guy Rundle http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/08/06/comments-corrections-clarifications-and-cckups-54/#comment-33542 Guy Rundle Thu, 06 Aug 2009 04:00:30 +0000 http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/08/06/comments-corrections-clarifications-and-cckups-54/#comment-33542 Oh stop being so hypersensitive Ray, and read the bloody article properly. The argument wasn't against Catholicism per se, it was directed against a well-known type - the worldly person who takes on Catholicism so they can, consciously or otherwise, use it as an alibi for their crappy behaviour, or as a way of filling an emptiness with the most luridly metaphysical form of Christianity around. Even Evelyn Waugh admitted that his faith was in part simply a way of taming his own awful personality - 'you chastise me for being a Roman Catholic and still being appalling' he remarked. 'You don't understand. Without it I would barely be a human being'. If someone can't admit that their religion, political belief etc attracts some people whose motives are mercenary or psychological rather than reflective or deeply motivated, then they're in a pretty defensive state. As to 'certain types of Jews', I've used that phrase or something like it, more than once in regard to orthodox settler types stealing the West Bank, because God told them to flee pogroms in Cleveland, Ohio - people whose religion is really a form of identity politics, getting a buzz out of oppressing others. And I'm quite happy to say that a lot of Islamic fundamentalism is resentment, self-repression and masochistic puritanism dressed up as a political-religious movement. See. Now you've got me a fatwa. Happy now? Meanwhile Australia's more prominent catholics are Tony Abbott, Christopher Pearson and George Pell, about as perfect a trio of Borgias as you could find. Maybe you should spend more time on changing your front row? Oh stop being so hypersensitive Ray, and read the bloody article properly. The argument wasn’t against Catholicism per se, it was directed against a well-known type - the worldly person who takes on Catholicism so they can, consciously or otherwise, use it as an alibi for their crappy behaviour, or as a way of filling an emptiness with the most luridly metaphysical form of Christianity around. Even Evelyn Waugh admitted that his faith was in part simply a way of taming his own awful personality - ‘you chastise me for being a Roman Catholic and still being appalling’ he remarked. ‘You don’t understand. Without it I would barely be a human being’.

If someone can’t admit that their religion, political belief etc attracts some people whose motives are mercenary or psychological rather than reflective or deeply motivated, then they’re in a pretty defensive state. As to ‘certain types of Jews’, I’ve used that phrase or something like it, more than once in regard to orthodox settler types stealing the West Bank, because God told them to flee pogroms in Cleveland, Ohio - people whose religion is really a form of identity politics, getting a buzz out of oppressing others. And I’m quite happy to say that a lot of Islamic fundamentalism is resentment, self-repression and masochistic puritanism dressed up as a political-religious movement. See. Now you’ve got me a fatwa. Happy now?

Meanwhile Australia’s more prominent catholics are Tony Abbott, Christopher Pearson and George Pell, about as perfect a trio of Borgias as you could find. Maybe you should spend more time on changing your front row?

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