At Tangent tonight we attempted to work through what we knew about the conflict in the middle east. In some ways it was a sharing of ignorance and in other ways it was surprising how effective the media is at explaining what is going on. Of course it is another matter whether the presentation by […]

I have to admit something - perhaps even ask for forgiveness.
Last week when I was thinking of what I would do at our tangent congregation, it crossed my mind that it would be good to explore the developing conflict in the middle east between Israel and the Syrian-backed terror group Hezbollah in Palestine. It is […]

One of our commentators sent me a link to this article this morning by Daniel Pipes which reports how muslim populations are “divided by conspiracy and hate”.  I thought that some of the reported results were interesting, and at times shocking, so I thought I would go to the original report of the study.  And […]

Alan reflects on where God is in the midst of world cup soccer fever!
“Spare a thought for God as the world moves into the second round.
While mere mortals would not wish to suggest that God is not capable of ensuring who will take the Cup, we do suspect that it’s a might confusing for Him […]

The United Kingdom Attorney-General Lord Goldsmith presented a speech to the Royal United Services Institute on terrorism and human rights recently. He called the US-run detention centre, where Australian David Hicks is detained, a symbol of injustice. He said its existence “remains unacceptable”. Our Prime Minister naturally joined with the US government in rejecting Lord […]

Alan sent in a link a while ago to an interesting article about how Islamic inventors changed the world. I only just got around to reading it.

“From coffee to cheques and the three-course meal, the Muslim world has given us many innovations that we take for granted in daily life. As a new exhibition opens, […]

Now this is an election strategy!
“AS ISRAEL goes to the polls today, the spiritual leader of the country’s largest Jewish religious party is promising heaven to those who vote for him and hell to anyone who supports acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, 86, spiritual leader of the ultra-Orthodox Sephardic Jewish party Shas, has […]

Well, it is certainly not news but it is good that the Archibishop of Canterbury has said it so strongly and simply.

“The Archbishop of Canterbury, spiritual leader of the world’s 77 million Anglicans, has called the US detention camp at Guantanamo Bay an “extraordinary legal anomaly” that sets a dangerous precedent.
“I think what we’ve got […]

Jim Wallis comments on President Bush’s latest state of the union address:

‘Speeches come and go, but policies continue’
by Jim WallisThe president’s State of the Union address sounded like it was cut and pasted from so many old speeches. There was nothing new last night. Easily agreed-to rhetoric about freedom, growth, opportunity, and civility hides the […]

Who said the British have the stranglehold on Yes Minister comedy lines?

“UNITED States Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has a way of ending the Iraqi insurgency.
He declared that the insurgents would, henceforth, no longer be called insurgents.
“Over the weekend, I thought to myself, ‘You know, that gives them a greater legitimacy than they seem to merit’,” […]