From the Daily Fail and a couple of blogs, as well as here I read that churches will have to "prominently" display no-smoking signs once the ban comes in. Firstly that is a bit odd; will they have to put up signs to cover all the other activities that are not allowed there too? Will we see "No Sex" signs, with the silhouette of a couple shagging and a red line through them (no crass jokes about the RC church and sex please)? No parking signs in the sanctuary? No speeding in the car park? Jesus. Secondly, it will blight many otherwise beautiful buildings; and thirdly:
it is completely fucking unnecessary and is just the state doing something to enforce its will on others for the sheer fucking sake of it. I must have been in hundreds of churches, been to thousands of masses (at a rough estimate 1560, not including holy days of obligation, so that makes it about 1570), and never, not once, have I even seen a fag in church. Not even in France. Anyone caught smoking in churches would be thrown out anyway. It treats churches and people who use them as idiots (which is the state's opinion now anyway), and is just intended to say, a la Mrs Thatcher, "We are the masters now". There will be people whose job it is to check and enforce this and I bet they will fucking love it too. Why can't the state just fuck right off and leave people alone? how the fuck do you expect anyone at all to function in a postmodern globalised world, especially in a country fast becoming nothing other than a global hub, when they need to be told not to smoke in churches? How can you demand that people are both independent and infants simultaneously? Of course, it comes down not to law enforcement (which progressives seem very keen on now, whereas years ago they tended to prefer talking about not obeying unjust laws, I suppose conservatives have made the opposite journey), but to: this is right, this is our view, and we will fucking well make sure you are aware of it wherever you go and whatever you do. When you are outside of your house, you are a subject of all our laws and fucking hell will you know about it. Let's bolt a big red sign to the outside of Canterbury Cathedral because we own it and we own you so fuck off.
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7 comments:
I'm open to correction here, but I think -- from looking at the news story you reference and from a close reading of the Wail -- that this idiotic idea is confined to Wales, where the Welsh Assembly members clearly don't have enough to keep them out of mischief.
Okay, we have No Smoking signs in our church building but that's because it's (a modern building) used as a hall by lots of people.
I make my own jolly little signs usually but this week we received a letter with all the relevant information in it about the ban, and including examples of signs. My boss - may she be covered in post-its - has waved them in my face, 'These have to be put up.' She loves rules. But she didn't read it properly: they are only examples to show the size of sign deemed necessary. And ours are already that size. So yah boo sucks to her. (I can say that here because she won't read it; I wouldn't say it to her face or on my blog, I am a coward.)
You are right, it makes you angry. I'm a smoker and I don't light up until I'm actually off church property.
I'm getting mighty sick of the secular authorities involving themselves in church affairs. The adoption agency business has had me seething, as even though I support gay couples adopting, I resent my church being forced to abandon core articles of faith.
As A catholic, i am understanding how my Elizabethan Co-religionists felt- treated as hostile enemies in the country of their birth
NS - yes, I've taken a short cut. But if memory serves me correctly, it certainly applies at least to Scotland too.
CBI - agreed.
I wouldn't use such shocking language myself [he smiles]:
"it is completely fucking unnecessary and is just the state doing something to enforce its will on others for the sheer fucking sake of it"
but I totally agree with the sentiment.
Love the post and love all the "fucks"! Cheered my night! and you're right - not even in Italy, where everyone smokes, have I seen anyone effing do it in church!
Despite having had a fairly agreeable weekend I'm still rather cheesed off about this. The attitude of modern government - we can do it so we will - mixed unhealthily with the modern elite view of everyone else - you're all a bunch of fuckwits and need constant guidance - is so clearly demonstrated here that it needs no further explanation.
I'm off now to bolt a metal sign onto an 11th century building.
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