Notre-Dame Fire

That's a lovely way of putting it hulmeman.

What a horrible thing to have happened and as someone said on Twitter, so much seems to have happened in Paris the last few years, surely they deserve a break.

I have to confess to being a little surprised at the depth of feeling and sentiment being expressed on social media about this dreadful fire, it seems almost personal for some, I can't think of a building that would bring the same reaction from me, shock and sadness certainly but this appears visceral for many. Not a criticism just an observation

... yes, Piers, there is. 400 year old (at time of construction) oak trees. Read the damn news.

EDIT: actually I just had a scroll through his feed, are we sure that this is definitely a real person? He's coming across as worryingly unhinged for someone who's apparently not a Russian bot...

It's odd, bordering on demented at times.

Here, we see more SHOUTY CAPS, further fixation on flames, and an apparent need to retweet himself. But he does have a reputation as a rather singular person, doesn't he?

So nothing out of character, then.

Not really, I have the strength in me to see religion as a sham and indeed a shameful money making exercise and nothing to do with religion and having buildings of grandeur. Having the biggest and best building in the town/city is all part of the jigsaw.

The bible, the Old Testament (Exodus) is to be taken on face value, when Moses walked down Mount Sinai with a tablet, on which were inscribed the commandments.

It says; ‘Love Your Neighbour.’

There is no opt out clause that says that we must have the biggest and best building and the finest pieces of artwork to worship in/to, to achieve this, this can be done with the cheapest labour, where people are bought (slaves) and ill treated which in many cases was fatal, so that the well healed can worship. So no, lavish buildings are not a fitting memorial to who died and suffered.

Only last week did Pope Francis make a statement and blamed all the sex abuse in the Catholic Church on the 1960’s. Which for me is a repugnant statement.

As I said all along thankfully no one has been killed, but sadly a fireman has now been injured. 

Not in the slightest - the windows are one of my key memories of my last visit there in the 90s. It was a huge Sunday service - loads of priests with their microphones, huge amounts of incense. It was such a theatrical atmosphere - and the light streaming in through the windows set it all off to perfection.

No idea about the mass - the spectacle was enough for me.

What, pretty much saying that all Catholics are paedophiles, that's "pointing out the facts" is it?

Although I'm not religious I'll often pop into a church when travelling around Britain. There's usually a laminate or small display giving an overview of the building and the development of the village and I find it interesting to dip into the history of the area and learn a little about the building itself.

It's easy to forget that before the modern age the church would have been the biggest indoor space anyone had seen, and once you get away from cities it's still the case that a spire or tower is the first thing you see as you approach somewhere. For me there's a feeling of the history of ordinary people about churches.

(Also, isn't it traditionally acknowledged that it takes a lot more strength to have absolute faith in something you have no evidence for, than to simply go "I don't buy it" and move on with your life...? What a funny choice of words...)

From the photos of the interior, the destruction doesn't look as bad as I thought it was going to be from the amount of flames there were last night. Hopefully they'll be able to reconstruct what has gone with a good degree of accuracy.



Some parts of life are much easier if you don't have that type of conscience! I happily listen to Wagner without worrying about his views, visit at museums without worrying about what the British Empire did (in fact I wish we still had our Empire), my dislike of the pyramids comes from hating Egyptian mummies rather than qualms about Ancient Egypt's societal structure & I've only ever seen one Tom Cruise film because I see very few films rather than because of his religion.

I am an atheist myself - or agnostic perhaps - and do worry about very fervent and vocal religious feelings... Yet I think that you can be spiritual without being religious. It's a matter of acknowledging the existence of something that is not tangible but that inspires and awes us. I find beauty very spiritual. The wonderful creations by artists, who lived in religious times, and put their best efforts to convey their religious beliefs, touch me. I think masses and services - with their music, incense and special rituals - were designed to create in people a sense of spirituality, to make them feel the presence of a God. Even if you don't believe in one, you often cannot help but feel touched. I think religious temples, especially Gothic Cathedrals and Muslim mosques, tend to be very strong statements of serene divinity (the former by being amazingly solid and powerful, the latter by being very light and ethereal). I remember 2001: A Space Odyssey. I was amazed at how Stanley Kubrick managed to convey the idea of incorporeal, but highly intelligent beings without showing them. He just used music and spectacular cinema technique to indicate a greatness that cannot be perceived by the senses, explained or fathomed. That’s the magic of true artistry. I don't believe in aliens, but never fail to feel completely gobsmacked when I see the film.