dawdling

I wanted to write something about the Queen meeting an Italian fascist, but somehow the opportunity seems to have passed me by. And the royal family supporting fascism is hardly a new story, be it Edward VIII and his support for Hitler, or the late, unlamented Queen Mother, and her support for apartheid in South Africa. So let's think of something else. And the only thing that springs to mind is religion.
A thought I had today. Doubt is one of the most useful human traits. Imagine what people would be like if they didn't know doubt - if they were convinced they were always right, regardless of the evidence. Then take a look at Prime Minister Blair...
But also, consider the way that religion treats doubt. Doubting Thomas is the obvious example. A man who, when presented with an implausible claim ("Jesus has risen from the dead") came back with a very reasonable response ("Prove it to me"). And yet he's castigated as some sort of pariah in the Christian Church for not accepting the truth of what he's told, without question. Which shows, ultimately, the problem of religion. No room for doubt. No room to say, "But what if we're wrong?" So they condemn people to hell, blow up hospitals, and so on, in the sure and certain knowledge that they are doings God's will. And if two of them are doing God's will, but contradicting each other...? Erm....
Still, mustn't doubt, eh? God told us not to...