Editor, The Times:
When I can't sleep (and this is most nights) I turn on CBC Overnight. This is the CBC is at its best – there is Deutsche Welle (German public radio), BBC, and ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation).
Tony Abbott's Liberal governing party (Australia's version of the Tea Party) has tried, just as Stephen Harper in this country has done with the CBC, funding cuts and appointment of party hacks to oversee ABC's operations, etc.
However ABC still puts out some very good programing, Religion and Ethics Report being one of them.
Remember the God is Dead syndrome of the late 60s – 70s?
Well, the consensus on the Religion and Ethics Report is that, in the 21st Century, God (or, in the case of India, the Gods) is very much alive.
The downside to all of this, with a few exceptions, there is nothing to celebrate. One of the exceptions is the Catholic Church, which now has one of the best, if not the best popes it has ever had — Francis.
There's been much progress in some Protestant denominations on the right of indigenous people, gays, etc.
However for every one step forward, there's been two or more backward.
Let's just look south of the border for a moment. In this land of Nobel and Pulitzer prize winners it is said that 30 – 40 per cent of Americans actually believe that this Earth is 6,000 thousands years old.
Not only that but the malign influence of such fundamentalist belief reaches into places like Uganda where these American Christians have influenced the rulers of that country to criminalize homosexuality — the death penalty no less!
The absolute awfulness of God – Allah in the form and belief of ISIS, Boko Haram, El Qaeda, the Taliban is so obvious and so well reported one doesn't need to dwell on it here.
Also, the influence of the Russian Orthodox Church on the homophobic semi-dictatorship of Vladimir Putin is a main factor in of the present time in that country's sad thousand year history.
And, to deal with the Gods India (and I hope I'm wrong here) could well be the next explosion point due to the nationalistic Hindu fundamentalism of it's ruling party and leader.
Yes, in the 21st Century, God is very much alive!
Too bad there isn't more to celebrate.
Dennis Peacock
Clearwater, B.C.