R.I.P Platitude Of The Day the complete answer to Thought for The Day

Sadly Platitude of The Day  is at an end. After seven years of providing an alternative version to BBC's Radio's  Thought for the Day a daily four minute puff for Belief Systems with no right of reply allowed ever the Rev. Peter Hearty has hung up his dog collar.

I must admit I saw it coming as the Rev. missed the monthly Clemmie Award for the most platitudinous item that month, nevertheless when it happened this morning I was shocked. No more POTD! I feel devastated. It is like a death in the family.

I only discovered Peter Hearty a couple of years ago. I have never been able to understand sermons although I have heard thousands. I get lost. I really tried to keep up with the priest/preacher/whoever but always lost them half way through so it was with delight that I read the wit and brilliance of Peter Hearty who cut through the waffle and showed the contents up for the rubbish that it is.

I used to perform in satirical revues in London in the 1970's and I know just how hard it is to write satire. Oh if only we had had Peter Hearty and ditched the Lord Chamberlain who used to censor each sketch. I have so enjoyed waking each morning to Peter's contribution. He should be working for the BBC.

Everyone who knows me knows that I am not a fan of Belief Systems. I experienced three different varieties of the Abrahamic religion and these actually ruined my education, (I didn't get one) and gave me nightmares and guilt complexes from which I have never truly recovered. I feel guilty writing this!

Peter Hearty is able to cut through the humbug in a funny, witty and acceptable way. He was nominated for Secularist of the Year by the National Secular Society and I think should have won and still ought to be a winner for his contribution to common sense. As long as the BBC and The House of Lords allows these faith systems to go unchallenged the masses will never learn reality. I mean if it is good enough for the BBC to believe in fairies it must be true.  Well perhaps not!

Peter Hearty wrote on brilliant ironic spoof on the difference between a faith school sex education and a secular school sex education and I asked if I could make a YouTube video of it. He agreed and you can see it below. I know it is true because this is the sex education I would have received at my faith school if sex and science had been mentioned which it wasn't.

I did ask if Peter would write me another script about Adam & Eve but he never obliged but you never know he might now!

So thank you Peter and all your fans. I really, really shall miss you.  I shall  miss Dinah especially who is just so sensible and educated. Oh to have had Dinah as a friend! Matt I shall miss you too and everybody else. End of an era.

A few weeks ago I might have demurred from adding this video but hey, with the NSA and the UK version it is not possible to expect privacy anymore.

Just checked  back and it seems that the site will be kept up for daily comments and the Rev has promised us the best Worst Platitude next Sunday!

Religion is for people who can't handle science - Matt Westwood

Video Credit & Copyright: Mark Gee;

This a comment by Matt Westwood on Platitude for the Day  which I found so amusing that I want to share it with you. Really I think it says it all.

Religion is for people who can't handle science. After all, it's difficult and complicated, and requires that you paid attention in school. Not the sort of pay attention where you all sit and recite the words by rote, but the sort of pay attention where you have to think hard when the teacher asks you a question. Not the sort of questions where you are asked things like: "What was it that Little Miss Muffet sat on?" but the sort of questions where you are asked things like: "If you drop a hammer from the height of one metre, how fast is it moving when it hits your toe?"

My elder sister, who had religion when in her teens (still got it, poor thing) considered it completely beneath her dignity to know anything about science, even basic physics (so such domestic knowhow about centre of gravity and coefficients of friction were deliberately a closed book to her, which is why she managed to demolish such a colossal quantity of crockery etc.) but if you were to profess to be ignorant of the fact that her personal spiritual humility was right up there with Jesus, you were in Deep Trouble. 

Matt Westwood 

For those who have not yet discovered the Rev Peter Hearty's  brilliant spoof blog on the BBC's totally biased four minutes of belief system drivel on the today programme  entitled Thought for the Day when a  group of enthusiastic religious believers are given their heads to say what ever they like safe in the knowledge that no one will contradict them Platitude for the Day is the antidote.

Non believers are not allowed which is rather unfair and very un-British.

With a few minutes of the BBC broadcast the Rev Peter gives his version of what has been said and if you have, as I had, to sit through hours of sermons on Sundays for  years on end this is a revelation.

So enjoy!

BONUS FEATURE

Every day the Rev Peter includes an image from APOD and today'simage is the moon arising over Mt. Victoria, Wellington,New Zealand where I live. I cannot embed it unfortunately but HERE IS THE LINK. This is not time lapse but real time.