…and this is a 
Cheap parking in London!
Category: Religion
Posted on: June 29, 2008 5:48 PM, by PZ Myers
Well now, isn't this special: if you're a religious leader on official business, you can get free parking permits in North London.
Mike Freer, leader of the council, said: "The importance of religion to many Barnet residents cannot be underestimated and the council has acknowledged this with a policy that will assist spiritual leaders when engaging with people in times of illness or crisis."
It may be important to some people, but since it doesn't actually do anything for them, this logic seems backward to me — clergy should be paying extra for the privilege of peddling superstition, as a kind of idiot tax.
Comments
We already have an idiot tax, the national lottery.
Posted by: guthrie | June 29, 2008 5:51 PM
I would have thought that if God really wanted them to visit that particular person, he could teleport them there.
Posted by: sailor | June 29, 2008 5:54 PM
"...when engaging with people in times of illness or crisis".
Obviously, cheap parking doesn't really go far enough, in times of crisis. They should have flashing lights and a special woo-woo siren, so that the godless know to get out of the way.
I wonder who lobbied for this concession?
Posted by: Moggie | June 29, 2008 5:59 PM
I'm imagining a lot of start-up religions in that area in the next year
Posted by: Matt Heath | June 29, 2008 6:00 PM
"The importance of religion to many Barnet residents cannot be underestimated . . . "
Gotta agree with him there. Hell, it's probably impossible.
Posted by: Molly, NYC | June 29, 2008 6:03 PM
It might almost be worth the 40 pounds to have a Pastafarian parking permit.
Posted by: sailor | June 29, 2008 6:03 PM
Well, that should speed things up at the day care center.
Posted by: Capital Dan | June 29, 2008 6:12 PM
Pedophilia acts can be easily construed as "engaging with people in times of illness or crisis".
Posted by: Chupacabras | June 29, 2008 6:13 PM
Fecking Tories...
Posted by: Al | June 29, 2008 6:15 PM
So they lost their faith in praying for parking?
Posted by: somedude | June 29, 2008 6:27 PM
Sex is important to people, so it follows that hookers making house calls should get free parking in Barnet.
Posted by: John McKay | June 29, 2008 6:37 PM
I wish I could get persecuted with free parking like the religious. :(
Posted by: Doug | June 29, 2008 6:39 PM
Religious belief is a kind of handicap, isn't it?
Posted by: Wowbagger | June 29, 2008 6:47 PM
Doofus No. 1: I visit sick morons and comfort them using this special fantasy book loaded with magic formulae!
Doofus No. 2: Cool! You get to park for free!
Posted by: CalGeorge | June 29, 2008 6:49 PM
What do you expect now that Boris Johnson's been elected?
Posted by: JoJo | June 29, 2008 6:51 PM
The National Lottery is the official UK tax on people who are bad at maths rather than generic idiocy. Despite the fact that people must at some level be aware of the lack of merit involved in winning a lottery, it still causes considerable outrage when known criminals win it.
I suppose it was too much to hope that Boris would really be beating out the demons of stupidity across London (although I'm aware some people are fans of his to some extent). Merely having a serious haircut for a change simply isn't enough to get the job done.
Posted by: SEF | June 29, 2008 6:55 PM
Posted by: amk | June 29, 2008 7:26 PM
I'm a Pastafarian Minister and I'm officially doing business, this means I get a free parking pass right? I also wear official Pastafarian religious garb mind you!
Posted by: t-1000 | June 29, 2008 8:13 PM
@t-1000:
Arrrrr!
Posted by: Charlie Foxtrot | June 29, 2008 9:54 PM
We can all play this game. I suggest that everyone in Barnet (and visitors, of course) become officially ordained ministers - for free. Then everyone can enjoy the fruits of religion!
For free ordination see:
http://www.spiritualhumanism.org/
http://www.theuniversallifechurch.org/
Posted by: Cyberguy | June 29, 2008 10:45 PM
@Charlie Foxtrot:
Aye matey!
Posted by: t-1000 | June 29, 2008 10:58 PM
Hasn't "Jedi" been recognized as a religion on that side of the Pond? "Hi, I'm a Jedi Knight. Can I have my free parking pass now?"
Posted by: kcrady | June 29, 2008 11:29 PM
Hypothetically, this would be out of the question in the U.S., right? Please?
Posted by: Dennis N | June 29, 2008 11:40 PM
"The importance of religion to many Barnet residents cannot be underestimated and the council has acknowledged this with a policy that will assist spiritual leaders when engaging with people in times of illness or crisis."
uhh....sorry, but the theistic idiots can shove that idea to places the sun does not shine.
The damned voodoo MUST be called into question at every turn.
No matter how 'baptized' stupidity is still stupidity.
a day!
Posted by: MarkInTexas | June 30, 2008 12:01 AM
"The importance of religion to many Barnet residents cannot be underestimated and the council has acknowledged this with a policy that will assist spiritual leaders when engaging with people in times of illness or crisis."
uhh....sorry, but the theistic idiots can shove that idea to places the sun does not shine.
The damned voodoo MUST be called into question at every turn.
No matter how 'baptized' stupidity is still stupidity.
a day!
Posted by: MarkInTexas | June 30, 2008 12:03 AM
Posted by: amk | June 30, 2008 12:50 AM
As a matter of interest is the official pastafarian religious garb a chefs hat and apron? Or is that the heresy?
Posted by: shane | June 30, 2008 1:08 AM
We annoys me about this sort of thing is it does not discourage the use of cars. The argument (whinge, really) "that I need a car!" does not apply in this case since the mumble-jumble being delivered by car isn't needed.
Posted by: blf | June 30, 2008 1:45 AM
When I was last in England, I overheard a conversation where someone was saying that in order to use a handicapped parking space, it used to be required that you drive a special handicapped car (which happened to be a tiny deathtrap). Is this just an urban legend? I can't find any references to this on the web.
True or not, a good solution to the current problem might be to apply this solution to the clergy. Initially, It would be just as bad for the normal people of the world, but over the long haul, the situation would gradually improve one fiery explosion as a time.
Did I just advocate a form of eugenics? That must be a side effect of my rampant case of darwinism.
Posted by: Jose | June 30, 2008 1:53 AM
I know, from personal experience, it is VERY important for people to be able to get pizza delivered, especially when they are college students in time of great stress, like papers due and exam cramming. Ergo, pizza trucks should be able to park free.
It's not like the pizza guy is going to be written into people's will. They sometimes don't even tip. Obviously, pizza guys need the break far more than ministers do.
Posted by: Samantha Vimes | June 30, 2008 2:09 AM
It looks like the people on God's continent might finally be getting their act together. Those who serve Him deserve special treatment. Unfortunately, the UK's established Church is run by the Sodomite Rowan Williams; they need to get true Christians running the Church of England who would be worthy of the permits the city is issuing!
Also, in Ireland, the people refused to give up their national soveriegnty to the buggering bureaucrats in Brussels. Europe truly has potential. A mass movement to serve Jesus could do wonders over there since they don't have America's dishonest First Amendment to stop them!
Posted by: Pole Greaser | June 30, 2008 2:57 AM
@ #15:
I expect stupidity, but this was a decision at the borough level. Borough councils are responsible for issuing such parking permits, not the mayor's office, and this particular permit will be valid in Barnet only, not London-wide. If one of these "religious leaders" were to park in my street (in the borough of Camden), a pack of traffic wardens would pick their bones clean.
Posted by: Moggie | June 30, 2008 4:19 AM
the Sodomite Rowan Williams - Pole Greaser
the buggering bureaucrats in Brussels - Pole Greaser
Ach, zee unfortunate patient zhows zee glassic zign of repressed homosexuality - obzession viz ze zupposed homosexual practices of uzzers. Mr. Greazer, you vill feel much better ven you ztop denying your true nature!
Posted by: Nick Gotts | June 30, 2008 5:51 AM
Sex is important to people, so it follows that hookers making house calls should get free parking in Barnet.
Yes, but I think the smack and crack dealers really have a stronger case. What's more the quality of the "solace" they deliver is scientifically measurable!
Posted by: Nick Gotts | June 30, 2008 5:57 AM
You don't think clergy actually perform many useful roles in community building, counselling, moral support, friendship etc despite the religious thing? They're not just delivering religion.
I can see why this policy is supportable - it's providing some social glue that is pretty hard to separate from the centuries of embeddedness within religious traditions. After all, we don't expect to hear Bach sung with new secular lyrics. The music is still amazing, just as the social benefits of religious communities are a general good, regardless of the superstition.
Posted by: Robert Davidson | June 30, 2008 6:48 AM
At one of the hospitals here in Gwinnett County, GA, there are spots exclusively for clergy (and marked as such) that are closer than the handicapped spots.
I guess some priorities are different down here in the red states.
Posted by: Brian K. | June 30, 2008 6:49 AM
http://firstchurchofatheism.com/ also offer free ordinations so not only can you officiate weddings, funerals and saying hello from the world to little'ns in an entirely atheistic fashion, you also get free parking in Barnet to boot!
Let us just hope they start bringing it in in places you'd actually want to leave your car unattended...
Posted by: Jack H | June 30, 2008 7:06 AM
This probably only made the news because of the scarcity or cost of parking permits in that area. Seeing just how entrenched the Church of England is in British society would horrify (or delight) most Americans. Yet the poms don't have much trouble with being a secular society or the separation of church and state, even without a fairly rigid constitution that explicitly spells out the division.
Posted by: Muzz | June 30, 2008 8:11 AM
The whole thing could have been dealt with within the existing system simply by giving them all Disabled Parking badges.
Posted by: Simon | June 30, 2008 8:25 AM
Posted by: Reginald Selkirk | June 30, 2008 8:50 AM
#35
"After all, we don't expect to hear Bach sung with new secular lyrics."
You might not expect it, but we actually have secular translations of Bach and they are performed here too.
It reminds me of a remark made by the only non-believer in our cabinet some time ago. While he performed the Matthäus Passion together with a Christian choir, the fundamental christians were discussing their position on porn on public tv the whole day. He actually sent their political leader a text message with this observation. I still have containers filled with all the intense irony produced that day.
Posted by: Dutch Delight | June 30, 2008 9:05 AM
Secular translations of Bach? That would tend to rather spoil the work, surely, which is whole-cloth Lutheran (who is behind this activity?).
That said, your wonderful Louis Andriessen has done some nice cutups of Mozart and others (assuming you're Dutch).
But like Christopher Hitchens, I couldn't be without the artworks produced by Christian superstition, presented without overt interference.
Posted by: Robert Davidson | June 30, 2008 9:15 AM
They're kind of like doctors, in that they get free parking. And ...
Nope, that's all I've got.
Posted by: dogmeatib | June 30, 2008 9:19 AM
Robert Davidson wrote:
Thanks for pointing this out! This is a worthwhile service to the community. Some of the folks who receive pastoral visits are all alone in the world, housebound, and have little or no other human contact.
Until we atheists find a way of providing this kind of human support, I have no problem with giving what amounts to quite minimal public support to those whose belief system impels them to do so.
By the way, this is nothing new. Many communities in the US provide the same courtesy to ministers and priests. Sometimes there are special license plates, but more often it's just a small card that's left on the dashboard where a parking enforcement person can see it and skip writing the ticket.
My father was one who received this privilege for years when he was a parish minister. He never abused it (e.g. by getting free parking when on personal business) and I'm sure most don't.
Posted by: Donnie B. | June 30, 2008 9:33 AM
From 2000 to 2002, I was a valet at Emory University Hospital. We parked cars for visitors and for people rushing to the ER. In those two+ years I couldn't believe how many clergy expected free parking simply because they were clergy.
Now, if you visited the ER, your parking was comped anyway. All you needed to do was get your ticket validated by an ER attendant. Since most clergy were not visiting the ER, they had to pay up. And they hated that.
Posted by: Tony | June 30, 2008 9:44 AM
It will be intersting to see if the council allows humanists carrying out visiting to make use of these permits, and if the friends and family of someone terminally ill in the borough can obtain a permit to make visiting a bit easier.
Posted by: Matt Penfold | June 30, 2008 9:56 AM
Does the TARDIS get free parking, too? I think the Doctor is much more useful than these folks.
Just saying...
Posted by: Nicole | June 30, 2008 9:58 AM
I live in West Wales and there was a furore about a year ago when the local council started checking the car parks on a sunday for people who had not paid. It had always been the case that you had to pay to park on a sunday, but no one had bothered checking before. A local councillor got all upset because a lot of the people who got parking tickets were attending a nearby chapel and he could not see why they should have to pay. I am glad to say the council refused to back down, and a spokesman pointed out that he could not see why someone should have to pay to go shopping but not pay to go to chapel.
Posted by: Matt Penfold | June 30, 2008 10:05 AM
Ok, I checked it out since the source for my last posting was a radio broadcast from some time ago. I remember them talking about Jan Rot and a secular translation.
From what I can find now, it's basically a retelling of the story with a few twists, no supernatural stuff and JC as a freethinker fighting the established powers to preach love.
His version is published as ISBN 90 388 6347 0 if you're interested. Apparently it was 5 years in the making and he had a panel consisting of a philosopher, a Bach expert and a minister on hand to help him along. From what I can gather it seems quite popular.
Posted by: Dutch Delight | June 30, 2008 10:08 AM
All churches should NOT get special privileges or tax excerpt status unless they can prove empirically that they contribute to science, medicine and technology.
Posted by: Nephi | June 30, 2008 10:11 AM
I call "Poe" on Pole Greaser. Check out the time-cubey page (s)he links to.
Posted by: Matt Heath | June 30, 2008 10:21 AM
Posted by: SEF | June 30, 2008 11:04 AM
A good number of conditions will get better if treated or not, and all treatment does is reduce the severity or longevity of the condition.
However there are also a good number of conditions that are likely to kill you if left untreated. Many cancers come into this category(*) and not many people survive an untreated broken pelvis or femur.
(*) The exceptions tend to be in the elderly where the cancer is very slow growing.
Posted by: Matt Penfold | June 30, 2008 11:44 AM
Sorry, I posted the above in the wrong thread!
Posted by: Matt Penfold | June 30, 2008 11:45 AM
Unfortunately, I have to report that we here in Australia have surpassed even the British for sheer religious stupidity. Have a look at this:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/thou-shalt-not-annoy/2008/06/30/1214677946009.html
Posted by: Phaedrus | June 30, 2008 12:29 PM
As a resident of that very borough may I also add that our beloved council refuses to give recycle boxes to people who live in flats.
It has absolutely nothing to do with religion but it pisses me right off. I want to recycle, grrrr...........
Posted by: TheMonkeyMan | June 30, 2008 12:55 PM
> in order to use a handicapped parking space, it
> used to be required that you drive a special
> handicapped car (which happened to be a tiny deathtrap).
> Is this just an urban legend?
There was a three-wheeler called the Invacar, built especially for people who were unable to walk. It was build, ironically, by AC, makers of the AC Cobra, and leased to disabled persons as part of their health care benefits. Being a threewheeler, it was, technically, a motorcycle rather than a car under british law. Styling was similar to contemporary british three-wheelers build for the commercial market, like Bonds or Reliants, with a reverse-slanting rear window. In fact, a civilian version was marketed commercialy as the AC Petite during the Suez Crisis. For some reason, all Invacars were painted light blue. It was the butt of a thousand jokes, and several famous british racing drivers lobbied for decades to have the invacar abolished, until it was finally declared illegal for road use in 2003.
Calling it a "disabled car", rather than a car for the disabled, actually makes sence for the original version of the vehicle, wich utilised a 147ccm Villiers two-stroke engine. The later versions had a Steyr-Puch engine, and performed frighteningly well.
Posted by: johannes | June 30, 2008 2:18 PM
#55 - Holy shite! $5500 fine for wagging your weinie at the pope?!
So much for the merry ol' land of Oz. :(
Posted by: Patricia | June 30, 2008 2:31 PM
I used to live in Barnet ........
Posted by: synthesist | June 30, 2008 5:48 PM
Posted by: amk | June 30, 2008 6:28 PM
wiki contradicts my description of AC, with the AC Ace sports car the immediate predecessor of the Cobra. The first AC was a van though.
Posted by: amk | June 30, 2008 7:42 PM
#58: No, not a $5500 fine for wagging your weinie at the poop.... errr.. Pope (on the other hand what's the difference anyway). Wagging your weinie would only cost you $1100. Simply WEARING A T-SHIRT that MIGHT offend the morons because it had a Darwin fish, rainbow ribbon, or a URL to Lenki's E Coli results COULD cost you $5500.
This is the insanity of it all. We're supposed to be an enlightened country, laughing at the Americans with their fundagelical loons running all over the place, and look at what's happening right here at home. We can't even move about in our own city. Remind me again what the difference is between living in Sydney right now and living in the old Soviet Bloc of the 1950s?
I'm angry, and I want my city back. Fuck the Pope. Oh wait, he probably already has a few priests on tap to oblige.
Posted by: Phaedrus | June 30, 2008 9:02 PM
Phaedrus:
They're also closing 300 roads including the harbour bridge.
They're encouraging people to leave their cars at home and catch public transport to work, but also to avoid using any train stations in the Central Business District.
And they've exempted World Paedophile Day from the Freedom Of Information act, so they don't have to tell you how much it cost.
The cost of moving it from the Olympic Village to Randwick Racecourse added at least $41 million, on top of the $150 minimum they've already admitted to.
With the cost of housing priests in the public schools (!) estimated at another $20 million, it comes to at least $210 million.
On the upside, the you can get a plenary indulgence (get-out-of-hell-free card) if you say a prayer in St. Mary's cathedral. You don't get THAT kind of offer every day.
Posted by: the great and powerful oz | June 30, 2008 10:01 PM