Meanwhile the Daily Record stirred up a shitstorm with their story about an American, happy-clappy bunch of God-botherers infiltrating a primary school in East Kilbride. Opinion was split in the comments section. Many agreed that they should be thrown out and that such groups should not be allowed into our schools; others, however, saw the article as an attack on Christianity in general, and Protestantism in particular. This brought out quite a bit of bile on Bill McMurdo's blog.
Although McMurdo claims on his blog:
"Let me reiterate that there is no place for bigotry or hate on this blog or in the Comments section.
I am happy to allow debate and even heated debate, including criticism of other faiths, but outright abuse has no place here.
From any side.
I do not endorse any comments of a bigoted nature in any way."
This only seems to work in one direction. He moderates his blog, so he knows what goes on it and seems happy to allow words like 'scum,' 'beadrattlers,' 'tarriers' and 'beadrattling shitehawks,' to name but a few. Child abuse is constantly brought up as a stick with which to beat Celtic and the Catholic Church, the posters evidently revelling in this sick crime. Mention The Rangers being a new team, however, and your post will never make it.
As for allowing debate, I'm afraid that doesn't happen either. Individuals posting on the blog are alway going on about some Catholic agendas in the SFA, in local government, in the media and even in the Scottish Government. The story in the Daily Record seemed, to them, to prove their point. Strangely, they never tire of calling the Catholic Church 'a cult,' and haranguing it for being homophobic. And yet they all support the God-squadders, reported in the DR, on this very subject! They also accuse Catholics, and ex-Catholics, of being indoctrinated and not thinking for themselves. In contrast, they call themselves, 'free-thinking.' As per usual, McMurdo allows no argument against this stance; even the truth is censored.
So what is the truth that none of them want you to see or hear? Well, the next time you come across one of them using the term 'free-thinking' just remind them of the terms 'Monergism' and 'Predestination.' Probably they will have no idea what you're talking about, but if they look the words up then they are in for a shock.
Protestantism came about not, as some folk would have it, because of abuses in the Catholic Church. Luther's ideas were a fundamental shift away from some of the most basic tenets of Christianity. Instead of repenting your sins and being forgiven, the new idea was that faith, and faith alone, was the key to salvation. This took, as Luther himself stated, responsibility away from the individual. You could never be good enough and God did not expect you to be. This gift of salvation, Grace, was freely available to everyone. All you had to do was accept the gift.
Calvin, and his followers, took things a step further. Their doctrine was that people had no choice; God decided who was being saved and that was the end of it. This doctrine was, and is, called Monergism. Since God decides who is going to be saved and since He is perfect, then He decides right at the beginning who is going to be saved and who is going to be damned. You can be as good as you see fit but, if you are not one of the Elect then you will burn in Hell. On the other hand, if God has chosen you then you will be going to Heaven no matter what. Of course, the Elect, according to this doctrine cannot help but be good; they are chosen by God and are full of His Grace, so they are pre-programmed to be good. This is Predestination. In other words, there is not really any such thing as free will.
Calvinists are expected to look into themselves for signs that they are members of the Elect. Of course, nobody is going to sit and meditate for a while and then say, 'Aw, shit! Ah'm wanny the damned! Ah might as well go oot an' start sinnin'!' They are raised on stories of hellfire and brimstone but they can rest assured that it is not going to happen to them: they are 'The Peeppell.' It's everybody else that is going to burn and, by God, don't they enjoy hearing about it!
This is the doctrine of all Calvinist churches and members, including the Church of Scotland, Leggat's Presbyterian granny and most of those that march about banging drums and blowing flutes every summer. So, according to their own beliefs, they have no free will, are pre-programmed to behave the way they do and in no way can be considered 'free-thinking.'
I don't know about you but that hardly sounds like my idea of God; creating people just to burn them for all eternity, with no chance of them proving the least bit worthy of salvation, no matter how good they are.
This is what McMurdo deems unfit to put on his blog, instead preferring anti-Catholic abuse. So much for allowing debate, even heated debate, eh? Debate is the last thing the bigots want as they know fine well that their ignorance will be exposed.
'Ach, Ah'm fed up! Whit kin Ah dae tae amuse masel'? Ah know, Ah'll make billions-a people, make thum live oan a world an' then burn thum fur aw eternity when thur deid. That'll kill some time. Ah better mind, though, that Ah canny burn any Scottish Proddies. They'll need tae come up here an' stye wi' me. Aw, shite! It's nae fun bein' perfect 'n 'at. Ah've made ma mind up noo so Ah canny chinge it. Ah'm gonny get stuck wi' aw they drummers an' flute players an' funny walkers fur ever an' ever an' ever an' ever...'
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