Opinion piece for Gair Rhydd, published 15th November 2010. Believe it or not, I’ve never looked at porn. Far from being harmless “adult entertainment”, I believe porn degrades both women and men, and damages relationships and society. Defenders of porn say that people know the difference between porn and reality. But the unreality of porn […]
My friend Swithun has been posting some thoughts on marriage and relationships under the needlessly provocative title of “The Christian Union is not a meat market, it’s a delicatessen“. But then, “needlessly provocative” sums Swithun up perfectly. And over on Ship of Fools, the topic of whether some people are “called to celibacy” came up […]
The following cartoon from the Boundless A Guy’s Guide to Marrying Well made me laugh. If only relationships were quite this simple!
Beverley & me at Rich & Becky’s wedding last weekendTo cut a long story short:On Saturday 19th July, around one o’clock in the afternoon, I got down on one knee and asked my wonderful girlfriend Beverley Watling if she wants to marry me. She said yes, so we’re now engaged! To cut a short story […]
I’ve always been a bit bemused and sceptical about the twin ideas of “masculinity” and “femininity”. For a long time, it just seemed like so many gender stereotypes: Real Men go out into the wilderness to hunt bear with pointy stick; Ladies, on the other hand, like flowers, the colour pink, and fluffy things. And […]
There’s an interesting article on The Guardian website about Facebook, in particular the people who run it, and their ideology that drives it. It makes for interesting reading. Talking about Peter Thiel, one of the three board members of Facebook, who is a 40-year-old Silicon Valley venture capitalist and futurist philosopher, it says: His philosophy, […]
If you now check my details on Facebook, you’ll see that my profile now says that I am “In a relationship” with a young lady called Beverley Watling! I’m thrilled and excited and think she’s amazingly wonderful. So yes, me and Beverley are going out (no “scare quotes” needed!) – what exactly do we mean […]
I’ve been thinking about this question, which I saw posed on the Ship of Fools forums. The short answer is: “It can be, but needn’t be”. The difference between Christianity and Buddhism, as I understand it, is that Buddhism teaches detachment, while Christianity teaches the right ordering of our attachments, starting with God. Loving God […]
Here are some of my articles for Quench’s Debate page over the last few months: Dating: An individualistic, consumerist and self-centred method of relationships? (website, pdf) The Meaning of Life: How the glory of God gives meaning to all we are and do. (website, pdf) Space: The final frontier or a distraction from life on […]
Blimey, over 3,000 hits in two days because of those Doctor Who photos! Doctor Who fans may also be interested in the report I did on the Doctor Who press launch for the student magazine Quench, photos and report on the filming of The Idiot’s Lantern, and much more besides. Also, keep an eye on […]