Conservative MP for Milton Keynes South, Iain Stewart, said: “One of the most powerful things that we can be is role models […] People who might be inspired to go into politics need to be able to see that there are people like them in Parliament…”

Bryant responded: “I hope to God nobody will ever think of me as a role model in relation to anything whatsoever at any time.”

The official Westminster transcript records him being interrupted and told “not to worry, because nobody does”.

Bryant replied: “That is very generous.”

via PN

If morality comes from God - why does it keep fucking changing?

A few hundred years ago the Church was burning people at the stake. Then that was seen as probably not a great idea.

A couple of hundred years ago the Church was alright with slavery. Then it was despicable and it was  all “Oh, we’ve always said all mankind is equal”.

Then they were silent on racism. Only later was abhorrent.

Then sexual minorities. And now the church is split again.

Progressives are regularly described as morally depraved whilst fundamentalists claim only they serve the real God.

Why are there so many different forms of morality if all morality comes from God?

Why is Western morality different from Eastern morality?

Why do different cultures have different morals?

Why in South American tribes is drinking cum seen as a right of passage for young children - and not child abuse, morally repulsive as we view it in the West?

Why in America is capital punishment supported by so many so-called Christians?

Why in the Middle-East does Allah instill a moral sense of outrage in society over homosexuality whilst in Europe the only moral outrage is at those who seek to impinge on the rights of others to live with and love their lifelong gay partner?

Why are there so many forms of morality if morality is absolute and comes from God?

The simple answer… morality does not come from God. Morality is a combination of thinking and society. The groundwork laid by society - the culture in which we live and what is expected - combined with rational argument and freethinking and, where you regressives, obviously an unwavering absolutist belief in some entirely different code of living to that which one arrives at through natural freethought.

“I have had (Lou Gehrig’s disease) for practically all my adult life yet it has not prevented me from having a very attractive family…”

This man. <3 Happy 70th, sir!

Startup Britain was quite literally the most shallow piece of tech PR ever.  Compare it to the Startup America project Cameron claimed it was “inspired” by. Totally INCOMPARABLE in value. One is actually useful, the other is a government-sponsored silo for crappy sites to make crappy offers you’d expect to find in the classifieds at the back of an old edition of BusinessWeek.

Down with the coalition, woop woop Obama!

Pretty sure to truly understand the bible you literally have to be a polymathic, septilingual Oxford graduate and retired theologian. Equally sure no real God would set the barrier to enlightenment quite so high. Ugaratic? Aramaic? Classical Hebrew? Latin? Really, Lord?

The Bible is a work of man, expressing the individuals of the times’ beliefs - and should be treated as such.

My Grandad fills me with faith. In humanity.