This is bizarre

[LeftishBrit]

ConservativeHome is a large website for 'Tory grassroots', founded by Tim Montgomerie, earlier a founder of the Conservative Christian Fellowship, and someone with considerable sympathy for Palin and the American Right (he just co-founded an American version of ConservativeHome).

Someone with the pseudonym 'Melanchthon', a regular poster on Conservative Home, recently contributed the following gems of pure woo of the religious anti-secular variety:

http://conservativehome.blogs.com/centreright/2010/11/islam-should-become-our-state-religion.html

http://conservativehome.blogs.com/centreright/2010/11/further-remarks-on-islam-as-our-state-religion.html

http://conservativehome.blogs.com/centreright/2010/11/final-remarks-on-islam-as-our-state-religion-for-now.html
Assuming that he's serious, my prediction that 'in 10 years' time, we will have a significant problem of collaboration between the Christian Right and Muslim Right' may have underestimated the time-span involved!

Some of the comments on the threads are...interesting.

[Warpy]

1. At least your studiously ignorant half wits can spell.

I'm quite frankly jealous.

[mr blur]

3. True, but they're still halfwits.

We need a state religion, to provide moral purpose to our politics and moral guidance to our people. As an Anglican, I obviously believe Anglican Christianity is best, but unfortunately our Establishment finds it impossible, any longer, to be respectful of Christian goals and morals. We cannot simply have no state religion, so we must try something other than Christianity.

Massive Fail.

[LeftishBrit]

4. Probably this bloke is a public-school-educated upper-class twit

The fact that he gives himself the pseudonym of a 15th-century German theologian (whom I had to look up) means that he has learned some history. Unfortunately, he hasn't learned any *sense*.

[Warpy]

5. Yes, and most likely a failed seminary student at some point

Maybe it's Tony Blair, himself. He'd certainly qualify.

[laconicsax]

2. Tory grassroots?

I thought their supporters live in bogs.

[onager]

6. Meanwhile, up in Scotland...

I enjoy reading Gary Otton's blog for Scottish Media Monitor (link below). Here's a sort-of related note from Dec. 2009. I may need help from our UK posters to translate some of this into Stupid American, so I can understand it. Though most of it is fairly clear - politicians pandering to believers, as usual:

It was no surprise to me to see a few weeks later, the pious Scottish National Party (SNP) marching shoulder-to-shoulder with Islamists under a ‘Scotland United’ banner in the city centre.

The SNP have been indulging religionists with more so-called ‘faith’ or sectarian schools, support dodging equality legislation, and of course, promises of more grant money, all publicly endorsed by leader Alex Salmond’s proclamation of his own unerring faith...

The BBC, of course, already indulges in a less than healthy relationship with religion under the auspices of its Religion and Ethics (sic) Department, funded by all of us to the tune of £10m a year to do things like interrupt the morning news with religious flag-waving, a slot coveted by an assumed Christian majority.

Otton on the Pope's Edinburgh visit in Oct. 2010, which flopped. Someone FINALLY got it right about the Vatican's phony "nation" status:

A crew of ‘faith leaders’ corralled by Conservative lickspittle, Henry Bellingham, were on hand to show solidarity and to greet (the Pope) as he stepped off the plane. As TV cameras followed the Popemobile into Edinburgh, the commentator cautiously mentioned the lack of crowds lining the route to wave him on.

Footage of demonstrators were destined for the cutting-room floor, including the Popemobile passing one organised by Pastor Best outside The Regent, a gay bar with a burkha-clad choirboy and Sisters from the Order of Perpetual Indulgence eagerly waiting outside on the pavement to greet the Pope as he passed...

Excuse me...:rofl:

While ordinary Scots men and women were being told to cut back on essential services, the authorities are still blocking moves to unravel the real cost to the taxpayer of this so-called ‘State visit’. (The Vatican has only 800 citizens and was established by fascist leader, Mussolini). Indeed, the Catholic Church has already admitted that it has fallen far short of raising the money to pay its share.

No sooner had Ratzinger left; the press were reporting that Catholics were being urged to show their faith more; crossing themselves in public and saying ‘God bless you’ to people. (Fortunately, that would exclude splattering blood over passers-by and making the pavements slippery with public displays of self-flagellation).

Neither was there ever likely to be an increase in the amount of burkha-wearing Muslims, Buddhists twirling prayer-wheels whilst out shopping or followers of Wicca parking up their broomsticks on bike racks.

The Papal visit has reminded us, thankfully, that religion could be said to have had its day.

http://www.scottishmediamonitor.com/features2.cfm?ID=42

[bluescribbler]

7. Fundies are fundies

No matter the basis of their ideology.

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. He's not really serious about Islam, but I can't work out what he really wants

The list of things to do to establish Islam as the state religion, at the end of the second piece, reads like satire - with its point being to show how absurd the establishment of the Church of England is, I'd say. But then in the third piece, he seems to really be supporting having the Church of England as the established church, and seems to be berating his fellow Tories for not being more pro-Anglican, and for not attacking the evil Guardian-reading atheists as godless lefties.

Best not worry about it, I'd say. It's just one guy who has a bee in his bonnet about something, but doesn't feel like explaining it straightforwardly.

[Gamey]

9. Polymorons of oxymorons by simply morons

"We cannot simply have no state religion, so we must try something other than Christianity."