STATING THE CASE

Censorship

Censorship exists and sometimes those most protesting it help keep it going. Awareness of the true situation gets displaced by focussing on one or two areas, (usually the pornographic in film or the ultra realistic in literature) that don’t greatly affect average rights and freedom of expression. But censorship of much that matters to life is fundamental and everywhere in “free” societies. As a modern philosopher Foucault, insisted, Power is distributed. It’s not just in government and doesn’t just apply to sex.

Media, the press, publishing, conservative religionists and their secular opponents can all display incredible prejudices and use techniques of manipulation to screen out what they don’t want treated.

My blog concentrates on three areas of information suppression I have long noticed and almost always been denied all voice and opportunity as a writer and doctor in religious studies to help in any wise rectify, by speaking or writing..

Religion.
Only types of beliefs are considered by media and entire subjects like the persecution of Christians from Sudan to Vietnam and in Muslim societies goes unreported or not called what it is.

Astrology.
Almost a forbidden subject to academics and despite the Magi visiting Christ too often a taboo subject for many Christians rejected as “divination”. Much that can be known about Christ and Christianity is being suppressed because of refusal to examine aspects of this issue. The astrological establishment, largely neo-pagan is in its own way repressive and a block to getting out important information in ways to be described..

Gay Issues.
Many of these are as taboo with gays as straights. I have for example not been able to pursue the study of gay ethics in Australia nor engage any debate in regular outlets like magazines about it. Gays through their PR concerns risk becoming major manufacturers of censorship.

Here are examples from recent events and my experience that relate to these subjects.

RELIGION

A scandal from Canada. Saskatchewan University’s student newspaper The Sheaf has published a cartoon (March 2nd) depicting Jesus performing fellatio on a pig. The caption reads "Go on, it's ok, it's kosher if you don't swallow". The decision to publish the "Capitalist Piglet" cartoon comes after the same newspaper refused out of respect for Islam to print the cartoons mocking Mohammed. Local radio has taken it up suggesting students could take the case to the Human Rights Commission ( who will doubtless reject it) but who, beyond the many angered students obliged to contribute to funds supporting the newspaper, is protesting? The leaders of Church? Media? Of course not.

The situation is in line with media conduct and decadent church values more generally. Much could be said about the Mohammed Cartoons crisis. I’m not for lampooning beliefs and Muslims have their point to object. But they protest too much and no one should appease mere bullying. However, press and media which have repeatedly denied respect to Christ and Christianity (along with clergy who have not protested its bias) have been engaged in precisely appeasement towards over-the-top protest. If the press has not actually apologized for what has happened they have not reissued what with the damage done might reasonably have been shown for purposes of reader knowledge and judgement, and they are now conceding to sensitivities by referring to “the Prophet” Mohammed, in a way they would never refer to say, “the Messiah” Jesus, or reckon to concede to the feelings of Christians. Especially as Islam means Submission easy concessions risk being interpreted by fanatics as a gesture of submission encouraging more and larger claims. But lest it seem inflammatory as usual mainstream media has not been reporting the violence to Christians that has been occurring from Nigeria (130 dead over cartoon riots) to Pakistan and Danish clergy rush round the world not to protest attacks on Christians but to assure of the goodwill of Christians to Muslims – which since the religion advocates love and forgiveness doubtless exists, but even so….. Secular media is on the way to silencing Christianity and that religion’s weak leaders blindly acquiesce in it.

ASTROLOGY

One might imagine that censorship would not operate here but as only one example of suppressed information, research and forecasting within the new/old field of astrology one could mention the Christianity to which something major will happen fairly soon. It always does when certain power planets hit the Galactic Centre and the pattern of Pentecost. The entire history of the Church (and by association the Western world) can be read against the super expressive and continuously working birth chart set from the Day of Pentecost, the longest working chart in existence. Yet despite the interest and possible use of the data not only is such information not news to Christian media (one maybe has to accept such blindness is inevitable), but the same applies to even the astrological establishment which has never in years allowed the information to be published and discussed. New Agers can be as big on censorship as the rest.

GAY ISSUES

Another censoring unit of society is the gay establishment. It is not particularly representative of gays at large but frequently distorts and disrespects beliefs and feelings in making its own points - such as recently in another cartoon scandal at Toronto University with images of Mohammed and Christ smooching - and is prompt to suppress whatever it doesn’t find convenient to hear whether from gays or straights. In my own case I’ve managed never in over a year since publication for world first gay research to be interviewed or reviewed in any major paper or media channel in my home base Australia. As pointed out to me by others rather than merely imagined by myself, at least some of this blockage is directly related to the venom of controlling gays. One of these employed by the national broadcaster had the insolence to tell me I couldn’t be interviewed because I hadn’t written about "religion" (my work had in fact been most recently reviewed in America for the Review of Biblical Literature).

For more information visit my website http://www.rollanmccleary.com/