Ang Kape Ni LaTtEX

The news this past week amuses me, in the sense that it appears that god (or at least, as interpreted by man) in all forms and religions has been too getting too many headlines in different parts of the world for different reasons — enough perhaps for atheists to take notice. And be amused as well.

In the West, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the highest official of the Church of England, held closed door negotiations with its US branch, the Episcopal Church. The point of contention: the Episcopal Church’s liberal stance with regards to homosexuality, and a moratorium on same-sex marriage and consecrating openly gay bishops.

Makes me wonder if the Anglican God has homophobia, despite all His might and power. We will see.

In Nebraska, however, God finally responds to the lawsuit filed against Him. In the response, God argues that He, the defendant, is immune from earthly laws and the court lacks jurisdiction over God.

I’m not really interested in God’s response, I am interested in the answer to some questions:

a) If God is omniscient, does He need a lawyer?

b) If God is omnipresent, how much will a lawyer charge Him for being there all the time even on the lawyer’s breaks?

c) If God is called to the witness stand, how does He respond to the “so help me God” clause of the oath?

Gay pride and humor aside, that’s boring compared to the East, where some real action is brewing.

In China, all is fine and well with the Vatican’s approval (finally) of a Beijing-appointed Catholic bishop when Joseph Li Shan was appointed to the post. Beijing and the Holy See has long been at odds over the earlier’s insistence on meddling with the Catholic church’s power structure, despite the communist state’s officially atheistic stance.

Sign of the times? Or maybe China also wants to manufacture plastic rosaries and crucifixes for cheaper at wholesale? Better ask the guys at Catholic Trading in Tayuman if Divisoria’s 168 has been threatening them too.

A totally different god is at odds with the military junta in Myanmar, wherein monks lead “100,000″ protesters in a peaceful rally through Yangon. The military has, however, issued a warning against the monks. I will imagine they could hold Buddha under house arrest alongside Aung San Suu Kyi.

In the local blogosphere, a high school student of a certain science high school (made “certain” by yours truly, a proud alumnus) complains about the seemingly anti-atheistic stance of some of its teachers and officials despite its non-sectarian and taxpayer-funded nature. The ensuing comment thread reveals nothing less than a Da Vinci Code twist to the story.

Ah, nothing like the feeling of god being shoved up your ass.