Morphine's Comments

Sean the Blogonaut : Funerals to remain joyless prayer fests according to Melbourneâs Catholic Archbishop

Sat, 11 Sep 2010 04:27:45 +0000

See, this kind of thing is exactly why I started my own religion.

Sean the Blogonaut : Mercy Ministries Australia to destroy client files

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 07:01:22 +0000

Gee, what a surprise. :-| Also, did the person who made the request mention the FOI Act at the time? It seems an odd thing to bring up otherwise. I'm inclined to wonder what specific information they asked their lawyers to advise upon, given the general slant of the legal advice quoted in the letter. O_o I'm no expert in these things, but it just seems odd that there would be no law preventing MM from destroying its records, particularly given the nature of its operations.

Sean the Blogonaut : Hillsongâs original press release on Mercy Ministries

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 04:25:08 +0000

I assumed that the ACCC investigation had fizzled out too. I'd be very interested to learn of the outcome. I'm inclined to wonder whether Hillsong is just protecting its image after realising that it had backed the wrong horse, or if there where things even it didn't know were going on. :-\\

Sean the Blogonaut : Mercy Ministries Australia Closes

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:09:29 +0000

Glad that they are gone. I'd still have liked to see them legally brought to account, but hopefully this at least means that organisations like MM aren't going to find the kind of support in Australia that they seem to enjoy in the USA.

Sean the Blogonaut : Australian Vaccination Network (AVN) to be investigated

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 06:24:39 +0000

I'd be happy if the AVN was simply compelled to retract any false or misleading statements that it has made. They would probably only re-form under some other guise if shut down anyway. With regard to free speech, even in jurisdictions which do have an express right to free speech, limitations are placed on that right. In Australia, we legally only have a limited right to free speech with respect to political issues. That right to can be overridden by other considerations. In any case, I don't think that the right to free speech should include the right to make false claims, particularly with regard to medical advice.

Sean the Blogonaut : Has Anonymous jumped the shark?

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 02:50:53 +0000

Certainly undemocratic and posturing. No more juvenile than much of the other political posturing I've seen perpetrated by so-called adults. But then what would you expect from an essentially anarchist movement which developed out of 4chan?

Sean the Blogonaut : Australian parents urged to get the real facts on vaccination â Booya! for Aus Skeptics

Thu, 6 Aug 2009 02:47:35 +0000

Hells yeah.

Sean the Blogonaut : Atheism does not necessarily go hand in hand with Skepticism

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 04:12:41 +0000

"They tend to buy into wicca, psychics, crystals and new age woo. " Just out of curiosity, how on earth do these people manage to reconcile being an atheist with wicca? In my understanding wicca is a duotheistic/pantheistic religion whose followers generally believe in both a god and a goddess. I know that there is a good deal of diversity amongst wiccans but I thought that theism was pretty much a defining feature. O_o "Since I've always been a science geek, (yes, I bit the heads off spherical chickens for my PhD thesis defense)..." Punk rock!

Sean the Blogonaut : Atheism does not necessarily go hand in hand with Skepticism

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 03:39:42 +0000

I don't consider myself to be an atheist. I usually describe myself as either Discordian or agnostic if people want the short version of my religious beliefs. At any rate, I have a very secular value-system. I've encountered a number of atheists who are surprisingly close-minded. In my experience, it usually doesn't manifest as an uncritical acceptance of what is commonly termed "the paranormal". It's often about philosophical, ethical or scientific issues. For example some of them will vitriolically reject the existence of anything that might be termed a god, but nonetheless uncritically accept traditional Christian or other values. For example, I recall having a particularly heated argument with one individual who was adamant that suicide is morally wrong, but couldn't offer any rational explanation as to why. Then there are the atheists who give other atheists a bad name: The ones who uncritically accept the non-existence of god/the supernatural. It's one thing to take the view that since there is currently insufficient evidence to support the existence of "god", one should proceed on the assumption that no such thing exists. It is another to close one's mind to the possibility that things might exist that cannot be proven to exist or explained by the current body of scientific knowledge. I guess it all comes back to the idea that atheism is a term which only refers to a single aspect of a person's world view.

Sean the Blogonaut : Dolphins - Totems of new age woo

Mon, 6 Jul 2009 05:41:46 +0000

Only because kitties are easier to catch than dolphins. Plus they curry up a treat. :|

Sean the Blogonaut : Dolphins - Totems of new age woo

Mon, 6 Jul 2009 05:39:40 +0000

I never understood the allure of dolphins. It's clear that they are secretly plotting against us. As far as I'm concerned, so long as they stay in the ocean and I stay on land/ in a boat, everything is hunky dory. I have similar views on cuddling koalas (vicious little brutes), or approaching any wild animal. <_<

Sean the Blogonaut : …its only Natural

Wed, 1 Jul 2009 00:49:31 +0000

Don't take aspirin. Chew some willow bark instead! I was just chatting to my bloke about foods with "all natural ingredients" this morning. Like david e, I like to remind people that hemlock and sulphuric acid occur naturally too. (edited because I can't spell)

Sean the Blogonaut : ...But you must be open minded

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:27:52 +0000

I just find it depressing that people even need that explained. Although personal experience clearly indicates that many of them do. :-|

Sean the Blogonaut : Keeping it in the Family

Tue, 2 Jun 2009 01:39:12 +0000

Judging by the dismissive reactions that my rants about MM receive from some of my American friends in the past, I suspect that it's just that from the point of view of people living on Planet Fundo, this is all perfectly normal and above board. After all, what could be nicer than a family working together for the greater glory of our Lord? And since we are all filthy heathens, what do our opinions matter anyway?

Sean the Blogonaut : Mercy Wikipedia Assault

Thu, 7 May 2009 08:06:10 +0000

Oh gods, not again. [headdesk]

Bravehost - Website under Construction : Pimped-out Volleys?

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 08:16:43 +0000

"...surely you jest?" Frequently, loudly and persistently.

Sean the Blogonaut : Happy Good Friday

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:11:16 +0000

After being rudely awoken by my neighbours stereo on full blast at 7am, I wandered over to my parents' place to observe this traditional day of fasting and penitence by forgoing meat in favour of simple seafood dishes such as fresh prawns and mudcrabs, served with my mum's home-made seafood sauce. Washed down with rum. And followed by beef kebabs for dinner. My parents are kind of nominally Catholic in a way that mostly seems to involve not going to church, disagreeing with almost everything the Vatican says, drinking large amounts of alcohol, and not being Protestant. :| [shrugs] Hope you have a good holiday. :D

Sean the Blogonaut : Cameron Reilly interviews "Rogue Priest"

Thu, 9 Apr 2009 12:23:14 +0000

Cheers. I've been wondering for some time what Father Kennedy actually stood for, since most of the media coverage has been about that the Catholic Church stands against. Nice to be able to hear it from the horse's mouth. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised at his comments about his ignorance of what he was getting himself into when he became a priest. After all, the type of things the Vatican preaches seem a long way from the messages of charity, egalitarianism and respect that my devoutly Catholic grandfather cherished and tried to pass on to his family.

Sean the Blogonaut : Easter Offensive - Awakening.org.au

Fri, 3 Apr 2009 22:45:56 +0000

"And what are we doing celebrating an age old fertility festival at the wrong time of year in the wrong hemisphere anyway?" This has long been a complaint of mine. I like the idea of marking the passing of the seasons (such as they exist in Queensland), and you don't have to be a 'believer' to do so. But we do everything arse-about-face down here. Although despite the inappropriate timing, the alcohol-consumption and wild ( usually unplanned), Bacchanalian revelry that usually take place at mine around Easter is probably as good a way to pay tribute to the festival's roots as any. Pun semi-intentional.

Sean the Blogonaut : Big Brother is quite literally watching... err reading you

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 13:15:40 +0000

Yeah, once one gets past the knee-jerk reaction, one really has to wonder about the things that the article doesn't say. "The department later attached a clarification confirming this included "blogs such as Whirlpool"." Clarified, after specifically being asked? Opposition communications spokesman Nick Minchin claimed it was "extreme" to expand media monitoring activities to blogs. Interesting statement, taken at face value. In some ways, I think it would be more worrying if the government didn't "expand media monitoring activities to blogs". Incidentally, maybe it's just my perception, because BT is the local rag, so I probably tend to read it more extensively than I do other news sites (Can't read the Courier Mail anymore. Probably should, but it's bad for my blood pressure), but it does seem to have a bit of an anti-filtering bias. Nice when it gets the anti-filtering rally in the news. Less so if it is distorting the facts to drum up public outrage. Distorting the facts to drum up public outrage was what got us into this mess to begin with.

Morphine's Comments

Sean the Blogonaut : Funerals to remain joyless prayer fests according to Melbourneâs Catholic Archbishop

Sean the Blogonaut : Mercy Ministries Australia to destroy client files

Sean the Blogonaut : Hillsongâs original press release on Mercy Ministries

Sean the Blogonaut : Mercy Ministries Australia Closes

Sean the Blogonaut : Australian Vaccination Network (AVN) to be investigated

Sean the Blogonaut : Has Anonymous jumped the shark?

Sean the Blogonaut : Australian parents urged to get the real facts on vaccination â Booya! for Aus Skeptics

Sean the Blogonaut : Atheism does not necessarily go hand in hand with Skepticism

Sean the Blogonaut : Atheism does not necessarily go hand in hand with Skepticism

Sean the Blogonaut : Dolphins - Totems of new age woo

Sean the Blogonaut : Dolphins - Totems of new age woo

Sean the Blogonaut : …its only Natural

Sean the Blogonaut : ...But you must be open minded

Sean the Blogonaut : Keeping it in the Family

Sean the Blogonaut : Mercy Wikipedia Assault

Bravehost - Website under Construction : Pimped-out Volleys?

Sean the Blogonaut : Happy Good Friday

Sean the Blogonaut : Cameron Reilly interviews "Rogue Priest"

Sean the Blogonaut : Easter Offensive - Awakening.org.au

Sean the Blogonaut : Big Brother is quite literally watching... err reading you

Sean the Blogonaut : Funerals to remain joyless prayer fests according to Melbourneâs Catholic Archbishop

Sean the Blogonaut : Hillsongâs original press release on Mercy Ministries

Sean the Blogonaut : Australian parents urged to get the real facts on vaccination â Booya! for Aus Skeptics