Imagine you're a Walrus – It's easy if you try
A man who left “insulting” pictures in an airport prayer room has been given a long list of punishments including community service, 6 month suspended sentence and an ASBO (anti social behaviour order). He left picture that he designed in the multi religion room in John Lennon International Airport, Liverpool. John Lennon, you might remember, was a staunch atheist.
Harry Taylor left the pictures mocking Jesus, the Pope and Islam as a form of protest against the airport having a prayer room, and claims to have made the pictures himself. One depicts the Pope (known friend of child molesters) with a condom on his finger, a smiling Jesus on the cross with an advertisement for ‘no more nails’ heavy duty glue and a picture of two Muslim protesters holding signs demanding equality with the caption “not for gays or women, obviously”.
It should come as no surprise that some people were offended… It usually takes less than that. He argued his case, that a room like that has no place in a building dedicated to John Lennon, world famous atheist and, according to Cartman, the King of the Hippies. Mr. Taylor claimed that far from trying to insult religious people, he was trying to convert people to atheism… By insulting their faith.
John Lennon once sang, “Imagine no religion”, but he also sang, “I am the walrus” so let us not put all our eggs in his basket. While Mr. Taylor had a point, he fell at the same hurdle as all atheists do, which is getting as wound up about converting people to atheism as religious people do about converting others to their God… When he should just ignore the room, not let it worry him and go about his day listening to John Lennon and living his own life without the added pressure of other peoples beliefs, regardless of how insane they may seem.
However, to punish a man so harshly for simply making fun of something he does not believe in, and for his fate to be decided by a group of people who swear on a bible seems a little twisted. Airport Chaplain Nicky Lees, who found the pictures, was “insulted and deeply offended.” Moreover, she was worried that other people might see the pictures. I am not 100% sure, but does blind faith not afford you the luxury of ignorance to other people’s views? If so then why would these pictures be so offensive? Exactly.
If only the Catholics were as upset about their Pope being a criminal and protector of child rapists. Misplaced anger, the hallmark of any faith.
Funny... Not offensive.
- henry hunter
Posted by henryhunter
on May 2, 2010. Filed under Henry Hunter Politics - World News,Opinion Editorial,WorldNewsVine.
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6 Responses to Imagine you're a Walrus – It's easy if you try
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Bill Downey
May 2, 2010 at 6:47 pm
People never realize that he said — IMAGINE —– . He never said they did not exist. He was not an athiest. He believed in God — but was most disapointed in religion. There is ample evidence of such. Even here he was ahead of his time.
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SWEJ
May 2, 2010 at 7:59 pm
Harry Taylor had just as much right to leave these pictures as Christians that inform him he is a sinner who will burn in hell. Everyone has a right to their beliefs, but that does not give them anyone a right to avoid being offended by others who think differently.
I am personally “deeply offended” every time I see Jesus on a cross, because I know what it symbolizes: That the all-powerful creator of the universe is going to sentence me to hell. This is as offensive as it gets people!
Way to go Harry Taylor, for shedding some light on the real issue: Religion Is Inherently Bigoted.
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victorhugo
May 3, 2010 at 3:42 am
A fantastic sentiment. He should have just ignored the room…faith, religion, god, satan…who cares what people believe in, it is their own right! I don’t agree with churches, prayer rooms etc because I believe that god or whatever you believe in is within you, and you shouldnt need a place to connect with your faith, it should be with you always. Who really gives a toss if John Lennon was religious or not? I certainly don’t!
Faith, religion whatever you want to call it has always been around in some shape or form, and if people could only quietly believe and live their lifes in accordance to what they believe and stop trying to change everyone else I think we would all get on a lot better!!
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David
May 3, 2010 at 4:52 pm
I don’t think there’s anyone who wouldn’t realise that John Lennon said Imagine… It was the title of the song afterall. As for his beliefs, many people said many things about his religion… He once said That god was a concept by which people measure their pain. And that the concept was created for just that. He was a drug taking, free loving, free thinking rock star… Religious people don’t really survive in that world… They certainly don’t write great songs. If you can think of one let me know.
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Rodney Hinds
May 3, 2010 at 8:13 pm
What this guy did is much less offensive than the Gideons who scatter bibles in many of the motels in America. I wonerd if the Gideons can get an ASBO?
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madame_zora
May 9, 2010 at 11:46 am
“God is a concept by which we measure our pain” was a line Lennon had read on a poster, although he didn’t know who had originally said it. Following was a litany of concepts he had come to reject, including religious and other popular heroes and ideas. He ends it with “I just believe in me, Yoko and me- that’s reality.” To say that he was not an atheist is to reject his own words.
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