mediawatchwatch.org.uk

Stephen Green, the director of Stephen Green’s Voice (less accurately known as Christian Voice), has written a confused and self-contradictory letter to The Telegraph in support of retaining the UK’s archaic, discriminatory blasphemy law.

Here are two sentences extracted for you to compare and contrast:

Your correspondents are wrong to say the blasphemy law “purports to protect beliefs”.
[…]
That being said, the existence of the blasphemy law should engender a proper respect for the sacred and so provide an umbrella of protection for the deeply held religious beliefs of others.

This is your brain on fundamentalist Christianity.

His argument, what there is of it, is that the UK is a “Christian country” therefore the blasphemy law should exist in order to respect and protect Christian beliefs. From that can we infer that Green was in agreement with the Sudanese authorities when they prosecuted a teacher for naming a teddy bear Mohammed? They were only trying to engender a bit of respect for the dominant religion of their country, after all.

Life has been decidedly dull without Stephen Green. Goodness knows where he’s been for the past few weeks, but this normally vocal leader of Christian Stephen Green Voice does seem to be a shrinking violet of late.

Well, you need grieve no more. He’s back. This time he’s holding forth on new guidelines to doctors that say they needn’t tell parents if kids are having under-age sex. It’s only a very small quote, mind, but, hell!, does he pack a punch!

The new guidelines come from the General Medical Council and, according to a story on the Thisislondon.com website, “this would apply where doctors believed an under-age patient might harm themselves or run away from home if the information were shared with their family”.

The story continues:

The written guidance from the GMC is the first time that the medical establishment has given its blessing to the growing practice of GPs handing out condoms and authorising abortions for teenage girls, often without parents having any idea their child is sexually active.

The guidance also controversially advises that children should have the overriding decision on their own healthcare in general, meaning, for example, that a child with cancer would be able to turn down life-saving but painful treatment without their parents having a final say.

GPs already have some flexibility in these matters, it seems. Under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, they are exempt from prosecution for “aiding and abetting” child sex through providing advice if their aim is to prevent sexual infections or pregnancy, which means they don’t have to inform police 

So, then, we now come to the moment you’ve all been waiting for: Stephen Green pronounced, sagely, clearly having read all the evidence and all the learned journals – wait for it: “The idea of using contraception to stop the spread of disease is a dead duck. It will lead to more abortions, more sexual diseases and more infertility.”

Now wasn’t that worth waiting for?

MWW is not known for agreeing with Stephen “Dogshit” Green of Christian Stephen Green’s Voice infamy, but for once we do.

The Christian Voice website was shut down by hosts Pipex recently after a complaint by Brighton-based gay newspaper One80News. (no link available) The complaint came after a reader of the paper contacted them saying:

I do think that Christian Voice has broken the rules of the ISPs (Internet Service Providers) they use. The site should be pulled or become a subject for investigation by the police.

After the paper contacted Pipex, the site was taken down straight away, but was reinstated four days later. Green himself commented:

A commercial company cannot act as judge and jury unilaterally cutting off valuable web traffic on a whim or because of behind-the-scenes politicking. If they get away with it, every politically incorrect website is at risk.

And as much as it sickens me to say it, I agree with him. As odious and repugnant as I find Green’s views on almost everything, he should retain the right to express those views. After all, if he is silenced, we can’t take the piss out of him!

More at the Freethinker.

News is filtering through that Stephen “Dog Shit” Green’s application to prosecute the BBC for blasphemy has been rejected. Will keep you updated as we learn more.

Chortle confirms the story. Horseferry Road Magistrates rejected the action. Pity.

Stephen Green, the zany homophobic fundamentalist leader of Christian Voice (just google “ignorant bigots”), has made another appearance in the satirical comic Viz.

Jumping on the wallchart bandwagon started by the Guardian a few months back, Viz has produced a double-page illustrated guide to “Arseholes and Twats of the British Isles”. Our Stephen is right in the middle, sandwiched between Bernard Manning and Russell Brand, with John McCririck at his feet.

Unfortunately, Viz does not specify whether Green is an arsehole or a twat, although evidence points towards him being both. His cancer charity blackmailing episode, his rejoicing at the “purity” brought to New Orleans by hurricane Katrina, and his impertinent attempts to prevent the paying public from seeing a wonderfully entertaining musical all qualify him as an arsehole. The fact that he believes wholeheartedly in arrant nonsense, and that he appears to be completely lacking in self-awareness both point to him being a twat.

However, if to qualify for inclusion in Viz’s chart it is necessary to be both an arsehole and a twat, then one could legitimately question a number of their decisions. Nicky Campbell, for example, may be an arsehole, but he’s not really much of a twat; and Germaine Greer is probably a twat, but it would be unfair to call her an arsehole.

Viz needs to clarify its criteria if it wants to be taken seriously as a wallchart publisher.

Confirming a rumour we heard yesterday, a Christian Institute mailshot reports that the CPS has dropped the case against Stephen Green.

This is good news all round. Not only was the charge of using “threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour” a specious one, given that SG was merely distributing leaflets at a rally, but this will also scupper the “double standards” charges aimed at the CPS who recently refused to pursue the case against the Gay Police Association for its bloody bible ad.

Common sense has prevailed this time, but it is unlikely that this will stop competing groups from trying to prosecute each other for saying things that upset them.

UPDATE: To make up for his disappointment at missing out on his day in court, publicity-hungry Stephen Green has vowed to take civil action against the police for infringing his freedom of speech. And so it goes on… So much for turning the other cheek – why not help waste a bit more public money, Stephen? As long as it keeps your name in the papers, eh?

Stephen “Dog Shit” Green, national director of Christian Voice, was arrested this weekend at the Cardiff Mardi Gras.

His was charged with using “threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress thereby, contrary to section 5(1) and (6) of the Public Order Act 1986”. What he actually did was hand out around 1,000 anti-gay leaflets (PDF download).

Green is predictably delighted:

I thank God for the honour of being locked up for sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. […]

Speaking about righteousness, morality, sin, repentance and the forgiveness sinners can find in the cross of Jesus Christ may well offend the fragile sensibilities of homosexuals, but should the police have a partisan unit whose job is to round up Christian dissidents, treat them like thought criminals and trample on freedom of speech?

While it is quite amusing to see hypocrisy exposed in such a manner (this self-styled champion of free speech tried to get a musical show shut down because it offended him, wanted to sue the BBC for “blasphemy”, and reacted with glee when the Gay Police Association were investigated for an alleged “faith crime” after they suggested that religion was sometimes a contributing factor to violence against homosexuals), isn’t it about time people stopped trying to prosecute each other for “faith” or “hate” crimes when no actual crime has been committed?

Freedom of speech not only means the right to say things others don’t want to hear, but also involves hearing things you don’t like the sound of. If Stephen Green is prosecuted for his silly leaflets, or the GPA gets done for its bloody Bible ad, it will be a sorry day for freedom of expression in this country.

UPDATE: (6 Sept) Green has denied the charges and was remanded on unconditional bail until Sept 28

Stephen “Dog Shit” Green, the national director of the fundamentalist Bible-believing organisation Christian Voice (just search for “bigots” on Google), has all-but claimed responsibility for England’s Test victory over Pakistan.

Green was of the opinion that Pakistan were attempting to promote Islam during the 1st match, so he decided to have a word with God to see if he could pass a bit of judgement on them (‘Lord, may it please thee to judge these men for their arrogance in this land dedicated to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,’ he said). God, being on such close terms with the charity-blackmailing bibliolater, willingly obliged.

Pakistan promptly lost the 2nd and 3rd Test Matches, and were disqualified in the all-important 4th for their reaction to ball-tampering accusations.

Says, Green:

It is a sad day for cricket, to be sure, but the collective madness which gripped the Oval yesterday should encourage Christians that God can always be relied upon to do the unexpected. The way in which Pakistan were giving it large about Islam was always asking for trouble from the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you Lord, for answering my prayer in such a dramatic fashion.

“Giving it large”?

England’s victory was due largely to the efforts of a Muslim and a Sikh.

Doesn’t Stephen Green’s mind work in mysterious ways?

The Independent’s Pandora reports that the BBC agreed to drop Australain comic Jim Jeffries from its upcoming Heaven and Earth show.

Jeffries is currently appearing at the Edinburgh Fringe with an act entitled The Second Coming, which claims to be “his most morally bankrupt show to date”. He was meant to take part in a debate with Stephen “Dog Shit” Green on the subject of blasphemy on the BBC’s Sunday morning religious affairs show. But Green refused to engage with such a “sick repellent man”.

Freedom of speech doesn’t go so far as being blasphemous. This is a matter of God being gratuitously insulted. God is Almighty and beyond insult,

said the bigoted bibliolater, typically oblivious to the self-contradiction.

Jeffries expressed his disappointment:

It’s stupid because I was looking forward to dropping the knob gags and having a serious debate about blasphemy. He could easily have beaten a hungover bloke on a Sunday morning.

Pink News reports that Stephen “Dog Shit” Green of Christian Voice has lodged an official complaint with Sussex police after police chief Joe Edwards took part in Brighton’s gay pride parade on Saturday. CV had fielded a counter-protest of about six Bible-quote-placard-wielding fundamentalists.

Green has interpreted the police chief’s participation in the event in an idiosyncratic way:

What he’s saying to the Christian people of Sussex is that he holds their faith in contempt. That’s a very serious thing.

Hmm.

He also called for the arrest, under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, of two men kissing. No arrest was made. The public spectacle of a same-sex kiss was, apparently

offensive to normal people.

The remarkable thing is that Stephen Green genuinely considers himself qualified to make such a judgement.