Brash has quit parliament apparently. Its a shame in many ways because he really had a lot to contribute and I would have liked to see him do more.
That said, if he had an affair whilst in office [note use of "if"] then he is unfit for office and quite rightly should go and sort out his personal affairs.
I am sick of this country accepting as public representatives people devoid of ethics, people unable to keep promises, people unable to tell the truth and people who think they are above the law and that the way to rebut anyone pointing out any of these things and questioning them on them is to dig dirt on them and say derogatory things about them.
Now to be fair to Brash, he did not do a Liarbour and he did leave. I don't for a second view him with the sheer utter contempt I view Helen, Field, Hodgson, Benson-Pope, Dyson and other Liarbour MP's still in office who have done despicable, unethical things and remained in office. Brash has redeemed himself in my eyes because he has done the right thing after allegedly messing up and doing the wrong thing.
Thursday, 30 November 2006
An Atom Walks Into a Bar . . .
[Stolen from Maverick Philosopher]
. . . looking dejected. The bartender says, "What's wrong, pal?" The atom replies, "I lost an electron." Bartender: "Are you sure?" Atom: "I'm positive!"
. . . looking dejected. The bartender says, "What's wrong, pal?" The atom replies, "I lost an electron." Bartender: "Are you sure?" Atom: "I'm positive!"
Laboratory Workers Strike
The Laboratory Workers Union Strikes officially began yesterday. I have to say I am really peeved.
I am peeved because striking reminds my of my youngest children's responses to not getting their own way. A big tantrum with lots of screaming and demanding and outrage and self-pity combined with a refusal to stop unless they get their own way.
Don't get me wrong, I support workers rights and I think people should be paid for a days work and paid well if they bring good skills to the job and that they should have safe working environments too. I also think that they are perfectly entitled to voice their concerns and enter into negotiations if things become unjust. I have no issue with the use of negotiations, lobbying, etc.. but striking? Its just so childish.
Not to mention how many innocent people get hurt by strikes - strikes are the workers equivalent of food and trade sanctions on a foreign country.
I am peeved because striking reminds my of my youngest children's responses to not getting their own way. A big tantrum with lots of screaming and demanding and outrage and self-pity combined with a refusal to stop unless they get their own way.
Don't get me wrong, I support workers rights and I think people should be paid for a days work and paid well if they bring good skills to the job and that they should have safe working environments too. I also think that they are perfectly entitled to voice their concerns and enter into negotiations if things become unjust. I have no issue with the use of negotiations, lobbying, etc.. but striking? Its just so childish.
Not to mention how many innocent people get hurt by strikes - strikes are the workers equivalent of food and trade sanctions on a foreign country.
Guest Posting Policy
MandM publishes guest posts from time to time. Typically these are original, well supported and argued pieces in keeping with our general theme, although in special circumstances we might publish a guest post as a right of reply.
While we do not mind if the author cross posts his or her contribution on his or her own blog, we prefer to publish the piece first and we will consider exceptions to this.
Each guest post will receive a backlink to their own blog and we encourage our readers to visit the sites of our guest authors.
If you would like to submit a guest post for consideration, please contact us via the contact page.
While we do not mind if the author cross posts his or her contribution on his or her own blog, we prefer to publish the piece first and we will consider exceptions to this.
Each guest post will receive a backlink to their own blog and we encourage our readers to visit the sites of our guest authors.
If you would like to submit a guest post for consideration, please contact us via the contact page.
Wednesday, 29 November 2006
Fides Quaerens Intellectum: Faith seeking understanding
The MandM blog addresses philosophy of religion, ethics, theology, jurisprudence and social commentary from a Christian perspective, with a distinctly kiwi twist. MandM utilise a deliberate blend of academic and popular writings, share snippets of their lives, blogging tips and mix it up with a good measure of dry humour in the hope that there will be something accessible for everyone in their pages.
MandM feature at the higher end of the New Zealand blog rankings and are consistently listed in the top 10 New Zealand Christian blog rankings (which they also run).
Who are MandM?
Dr Matthew and Madeleine Flannagan have been married for 11 years and have 4 children. They are Evangelicals, with Reformed leanings and are currently members of the Presbyterian Church. Both are adult converts and were not raised in Christian families. Politically they are both Classical Liberals, Madeleine is slightly more libertarian in the outworking of her theology; neither have political party affiliations.
Both were founding members of civil liberties student group, Student Choice, national leaders of tertiary student pro-life organisation, Students Organised to Uphold Life, and board members of research think tank, The Locke Foundation. They were elected as President and Vice-President of the University of Waikato’s Student Union. Currently they run Thinking Matters Auckland, an Apologetics organisation promoting the rational defence of the Christian faith and they write the column, Contra Mundum, for Investigate Magazine.
MandM are available for public speaking, debates, lectures, symposiums - see videos of some of their talks here. They can speak on a wide range of topics including critical thinking & logic; ethics; apologetics; worldviews; theology; hard questions. Matt is available for preaching. Both have years of experience talking to audiences both lay and academic and can pitch their topic to suit any audience from children through to university level.
Dr Matthew Flannagan holds a PhD in Theology from the University of Otago, a Masters with First Class Honours and a Bachelors in Philosophy from the University of Waikato. He is currently an adjunct lecturer in Philosophy for both Laidlaw College and Bethlehem Tertiary Institute. He is seeking full-time academic employment in either Philosophy or Theology and will consider vacancies anywhere in the world; contact Matthew if you are interested in his resume.
His area of expertise is the interface between Philosophy and Theology, Applied Ethics and Worldviews. He has formally debated Dr Zoe During (formerly of the Abortion Law Reform Association of New Zealand) and Dr Bill Cooke (then President of the New Zealand Association of Rationalist Humanists). His publications appear in several international journals of philosophy, theology and ethics.
Madeleine Flannagan began studying Law at the University of Waikato and is completing her LLB through Auckland University currently. She has a strong interest and background in philosophy of law and in civil liberties and intends to undertake a Masters Degree at Auckland University in Jurisprudence.
Contact MandM here.
View their respective profiles for more:
Matt's Profile
Madeleine's Profile
Dr Matthew and Madeleine Flannagan have been married for 11 years and have 4 children. They are Evangelicals, with Reformed leanings and are currently members of the Presbyterian Church. Both are adult converts and were not raised in Christian families. Politically they are both Classical Liberals, Madeleine is slightly more libertarian in the outworking of her theology; neither have political party affiliations.Both were founding members of civil liberties student group, Student Choice, national leaders of tertiary student pro-life organisation, Students Organised to Uphold Life, and board members of research think tank, The Locke Foundation. They were elected as President and Vice-President of the University of Waikato’s Student Union. Currently they run Thinking Matters Auckland, an Apologetics organisation promoting the rational defence of the Christian faith and they write the column, Contra Mundum, for Investigate Magazine.
MandM are available for public speaking, debates, lectures, symposiums - see videos of some of their talks here. They can speak on a wide range of topics including critical thinking & logic; ethics; apologetics; worldviews; theology; hard questions. Matt is available for preaching. Both have years of experience talking to audiences both lay and academic and can pitch their topic to suit any audience from children through to university level.
Dr Matthew Flannagan holds a PhD in Theology from the University of Otago, a Masters with First Class Honours and a Bachelors in Philosophy from the University of Waikato. He is currently an adjunct lecturer in Philosophy for both Laidlaw College and Bethlehem Tertiary Institute. He is seeking full-time academic employment in either Philosophy or Theology and will consider vacancies anywhere in the world; contact Matthew if you are interested in his resume.
His area of expertise is the interface between Philosophy and Theology, Applied Ethics and Worldviews. He has formally debated Dr Zoe During (formerly of the Abortion Law Reform Association of New Zealand) and Dr Bill Cooke (then President of the New Zealand Association of Rationalist Humanists). His publications appear in several international journals of philosophy, theology and ethics.
Madeleine Flannagan began studying Law at the University of Waikato and is completing her LLB through Auckland University currently. She has a strong interest and background in philosophy of law and in civil liberties and intends to undertake a Masters Degree at Auckland University in Jurisprudence.
Contact MandM here.
View their respective profiles for more:
Matt's Profile
Madeleine's Profile
Comment Luv and Do Follow
MandM welcome comments and critical reflections on their posts so to show their appreciation they have set MandM up to reward them. MandM use Comment Luv, so if you have a blog and you leave a comment on MandM, your latest post will show up under your comment automatically as a live URL, much like an invitation for other readers to visit your site with one click rather than clicking through to your profile.
Further, as MandM are "do follow" that link will be search engine spidered and will help to increase your page rank.
Further, as MandM are "do follow" that link will be search engine spidered and will help to increase your page rank.
Availability & Contact Info
MandM are available for public speaking, debates, lectures, symposiums and media comment.
They can speak on a wide range of topics including:
They can speak on a wide range of topics including:
- Philosophy of Religion
- Critical Thinking & Logic
- Ethics
- Apologetics
- Worldviews
- Theology
- Hard Questions
- Philosophy of Law
Matt is also available for preaching.
Both are accomplished speakers, have years of experience talking to audiences, both lay and academic, and can pitch their topic to suit any audience from children through to university level.
Contact MandM
m_flannagan@clear DOT net DOT nz
(+64) 021 256 94751
Both are accomplished speakers, have years of experience talking to audiences, both lay and academic, and can pitch their topic to suit any audience from children through to university level.
Contact MandM
m_flannagan@clear DOT net DOT nz
(+64) 021 256 94751
MandM Comments Policy
We welcome comments and critical reflections on our posts so to show our appreciation we have set MandM up to reward them. We use Comment Luv, so if you have a blog and you leave a comment on MandM, your latest post will show up under your comment automatically as a live URL, much like an invitation for other readers to visit your site with one click rather than clicking through to your profile.
Further, as MandM are "do follow" that link will be search engine spidered and will help to increase your page rank.
That said, we remind readers that MandM is our property and we are under no more obligation to accept comments on it than we are to allow everyone who knocks on our door into our house.
Nonetheless, we typically do not delete comments unless they are defamatory or spam but we reserve the right to delete any comment for any reason. This is not a form of censorship or an affront to free speech; to suggest it is is to confuse these matters with lack of sponsorship.
Currently we run no moderation on MandM and allow comments to be made without any form of ID, including anonymous comments, as we recognise that there can be good reasons as to why people do not wish to be identifiable. However, it is our preference that commenters, at the very least, adopt an identifiable name to avoid confusion.
Finally, we reserve the right to quote whatever you may write on our site and attribute it back to the handle you adopt, as once you comment it is public with all that that entails. Please do not be offended if we do this, we mean it as a compliment. If we quote you in a blog post it means your comment provoked our thoughts so significantly that we felt compelled to highlight your views and our reflections on them.
Further, as MandM are "do follow" that link will be search engine spidered and will help to increase your page rank.
That said, we remind readers that MandM is our property and we are under no more obligation to accept comments on it than we are to allow everyone who knocks on our door into our house.
Nonetheless, we typically do not delete comments unless they are defamatory or spam but we reserve the right to delete any comment for any reason. This is not a form of censorship or an affront to free speech; to suggest it is is to confuse these matters with lack of sponsorship.
Currently we run no moderation on MandM and allow comments to be made without any form of ID, including anonymous comments, as we recognise that there can be good reasons as to why people do not wish to be identifiable. However, it is our preference that commenters, at the very least, adopt an identifiable name to avoid confusion.
Finally, we reserve the right to quote whatever you may write on our site and attribute it back to the handle you adopt, as once you comment it is public with all that that entails. Please do not be offended if we do this, we mean it as a compliment. If we quote you in a blog post it means your comment provoked our thoughts so significantly that we felt compelled to highlight your views and our reflections on them.
MandM Copywrite Policy
This blog is our private property. The posts contained within it, unless otherwise attributed, are the exclusive intellectual property of MandM.
When reproducing, referencing or linking to our intellectual property, please properly attribute its authorship and provide a link back to MandM.
If you wish to reference or publish out material in a medium other than the Internet, please notify us of this occurrence for our records through our contact page.
When reproducing, referencing or linking to our intellectual property, please properly attribute its authorship and provide a link back to MandM.
If you wish to reference or publish out material in a medium other than the Internet, please notify us of this occurrence for our records through our contact page.
In Remembrance of the Religious Right
British politics was divided between the Whigs (Liberals) and the Tories (Conservatives). The Tories were shocked at the violence and atrocities of foreign leftest regimes. Into this fray entered an ultra conservative religious sect who railed against the perceived immorality of British society. One member of this sect, a recent convert, was a member of parliament. Reflecting in his diary one day he decided that God had called him to reform the morals of English society and he set out on a legislative program to achieve this end. He highlighted numerous activities that he considered to be a sin against God. One of them, though opposed in principle by many people, was considered something that the State should tolerate. This convert would have none of this, his religious beliefs about the immorality of this practice must be imposed upon all British citizens, in fact, he advocated that through imperialism this belief should be imposed on the colonies. He knew that the indigenous members of such colonies practiced the sin in question, he knew also that it was only in Christian countries that this practice had been challenged. But nevertheless he was undeterred and repeatedly, doggedly brought Bills before the house advocating moral reform. The convert was met with oppositon, in one famous speech a Lord of the house denounced his program as "bringing religion to bear on public life" and hence, deemed it problematic. It should be noted also that the convert brought his children up in his strict right wing religious views. His son would later become famous for opposing evolutionary theory against Thomas Huxley and has widely been denounced in popular history as an ignorant bigot for doing so.
England are about to celebrate this convert's achievements. Two hundred years after the fact he will be considered one of the greatest reformers in British history. The man is William Wilberforce. The sect is the Clapham Sect, a group of evangelical Christians and his legislative program was the abolition of the slave trade. Many, many people gained their freedom because of the religious right and the determination of one man to impose his unpopular religious beliefs onto society through the state.
England are about to celebrate this convert's achievements. Two hundred years after the fact he will be considered one of the greatest reformers in British history. The man is William Wilberforce. The sect is the Clapham Sect, a group of evangelical Christians and his legislative program was the abolition of the slave trade. Many, many people gained their freedom because of the religious right and the determination of one man to impose his unpopular religious beliefs onto society through the state.
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