Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Should Finsbury Park be a secular space?
The Friends of Finsbury Park are revisiting our events policy.One of the questions we need to answer is whether or not we support religious events in the Park. The old byelaw against preaching and singing hymns has gone but some people strongly believe the Park should be a secular space.
My opinion is that if people want to get together to worship their god that's fine but promotional events are not fine.
We're also discussing this at our meeting this Sunday (2:00pm at the art hut, by the Finsbury Gate, if you're interested).
My opinion is that if people want to get together to worship their god that's fine but promotional events are not fine.
We're also discussing this at our meeting this Sunday (2:00pm at the art hut, by the Finsbury Gate, if you're interested).
Tags for Forum Posts: finsbury, park, religion
Replies are closed for this discussion.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Birdy_Too on
-
I love HOL!
Why are some people sooooo intolerant to people different to themselves? whether that be looks, lifesytle, sexuality, religion, colour, culture etc etc
I am not religious, but I cannot see why a section of the community cannot use common ground like the rest of us.
We have all sorts going on at FP so why exclude a section of the community because you don’t like it.
I think it should be used by all communities that surround FP, and please can we stop being so intolerant. -
-
Permalink Reply by Eddie Finnegan on
-
Hear, Hear! Birdy2.
-
-
Permalink Reply by Danzigger on
-
It gets complicated though, doesn't it? How tolerant should we be of intolerance? For example, what if some wacko Fundamentalist Christian group held a rally in the park and allowed a speaker to describe homosexuality as a sin?
Would we allow a Muslim event which required that all women in the park wore a headscarf?
Who decides what we will or will not tolerate? -
-
Permalink Reply by John D on
-
But surely homophobic propaganda IS against the law and CAN be dealt with. I can imagine a Muslim speaker advocating that women wear a headscarf, but I really don't see how they could impose that on women park users in general.
The general principle on tolerance in this country is that it's ok as long as it's not against the law.
"Who decides what we will or will not tolerate?" - who are we, exactly ? White middle-class Guardian readers? I believe that the majority of Haringey residents would not answer to that description. -
-
-
I'm not entirely sure about this, but I don't think that a preacher who says homosexuality is a sin is technically spreading homophobic propaganda. It's a matter of religious dogma. Those Anglican bishops seemed to get away with it didn't they?
-
-
-
I don't think the Anglican bishops were spreading homophobic propaganda either - they were saying that active homosexuals could hardly hold responsible positions in an organisation in which the rules forbid homosexual activity. If you don't like the rules don't join, or at least get the rules changed.
-
-
Permalink Reply by matt on
-
Absolutely Birdy, I think we should welcome the Territorial Army in to FP for light military training .... and the odd outdoor Tory convention. As you say, open to all.
-
-
-
Absolutely Matt, you can do military training in FP three times a week should you be mad : )
-
-
-
But getting back to the point (and this is a good debate which has been well conducted by all, despite the odd quirky comment being lobbed over from the continent :) ), if religious mtgs are allowed would it not eventually follow that political mtgs will be allowed as well?
If we follow some people's desire, which is to open FP up to all activities and affiliations, then once political mtgs follow on the back of religious meetings we just might end up with a certain far right party taking up the offer of a meet at FP.
It's a strippery slope but as someone else has pointed out here, surely this debate is a little academic if the law says religious mtgs can now be held within parks.
I suggest religious and political organisations wander up to Ally Pally and pay for the use of one of that buildings rooms. God knows this borough needs the income! -
-
Permalink Reply by StephenBln on
-
You've changed your tune!
I don't happen to think that being concerned about certain injustices is 'quirky'....
Most religions and their moderate members are quite happy to 'stay at home' as it were and use their own places of worship. There's nothing wrong with that and as far as I'm concerned they can say and do want they want on their own premises.
What worries me is why, some people want to use parks.. I'm convinced it has to do with promoting themselves and stirring up trouble.
Seventy years ago, many people sat back until it was too late and let fascist tendencies get the upper hand. Make no mistake, Britain was beaten in 1940 and if the Americans hadn't have been brought into the war by the Japanese in 1941... That would have been it..
I'm certainly not going to sit back and let it happen again, even if it is quirky... -
-
-
Stereotyping all religious groups is like saying all the punk bands that have ever played in FP are Nazis, we know it aint true. I bet all the Guardian Readers would be falling over backwards if the Dali Lama were to address a crowd there, political, spiritual and religious (of sorts anyway)
There are guidelines with all things and this could be easily monitored, as are other events. The police are usually involved in the planning of such events. I see know problem with this.
I wouldn’t expect a KKK or Osama-fest to be given the go ahead. -
© 2024 Created by Hugh.
Powered by
