We passed through Canberra on our way home to give our kids a dose of Questacon, but beforehand we took the drive up to the top of Mt Ainslie to take in the vista.
I’d forgotten all about the panicmongering from Catch the Fire ministries about alleged blood sacrifices by witches on the mountain-top from a few weeks ago, but Saturday was the day of the exorcism for the evil spirits raised by these rust stains at the base of an air safety beacon just below the summit. (first clue, dear Pastor – actual witches would never use a metal construction well below the actual summit for a sacrifice – only the actual summit would do)
This chap walked around the summit (both deosil and widdershins) and up and down the central stairs and this path several times before the rest of the exorcists arrived, preparing the ground for the blessing before and after the exorcism. The large flag is the international Christian symbol. ETA: He tried to tell us all about the blood and the witches. I felt most restrained in simply saying “I heard it’s just rust stains” and then confining myself merely to raising a quizzical eyebrow as he went on to describe how the photos he had seen looked just like fresh blood.
We left to go to Questacon before the exorcists arrived. Nevermind, apparently they had plenty of other company for their ceremony. If only I’d thought to make a witch’s hat before we went.
Categories: culture wars, media, religion, skepticism
Hoyden About Town 
Oh priceless! And how funny it would have been if you’d been wearing a witches’ hat. Maybe we should get Zoe to do it – she’s so tall she could scare the pants off the godbotherers with lots of scary makeup and flowing black garments.
Glad you had a good holiday!
I’m glad that reports have it as the exorcists taking the dissent and mockery in fairly good spirit. Honestly, what else did they expect in Canberra? what better fun could the alternative lifestylers have on a Sunday afternoon than a picnic in witches’ hats where they might annoy Danny Nalliah?
Anyway, here’s some of the vista that I actually went up there to shoot.
I’ll stitch together a panorama sometime later this week.
If someone comes across what they are convinced as evidence of a murder, then it should be reported to the cops. If the stains are rust, a quick check by forensics would demonstrate lots of fragments of haemoglobin, and even be able to find DNA from leukocytes and plasma proteins.
So either the godbotherers don’t /really/ believe that they have found evidence of blood, let alone ritual bloodletting, or they don’t think it’s a crime that should involve the police, or… the witches have magically prevented all but mature erythrocytes (which contain no nucleus and thus bugger-all DNA) from being spilt everywhere, thus preventing hints as to the identities of hypothetical victims.
My guess? The folk with invisible friends realize that their statements are rubbish, and smart enough to realize they’d be charged with wasting police time, so never made the official complaint that a moral person would be obliged to do.
(Better be quiet… the god-botherers would probably be cutting THEMSELVES there just to cause a bit more of a media stir)
as a total aside, I love Questacon – it’s so full of sciencey goodness (for both the little, bigger and big kids)..
the family’s priorities of that day (exorcism v Questacon) were right on the money.
Some of my fellow pagans were at the mountain yesterday along with people from the Eros Foundation and a bunch of others. Apparently is was all quite peaceful and Danny actually calmed down some his brethren who weren’t all that happy with having naked people ‘in their faces’. LOL.
I’d happily tromp around the mountain all tall and scary-like. Just send the word.