by Bee Gees Fan » Tue Aug 13, 2013 8:29 pm
Some pertinent quotations:
The filters are set to be implemented by the UK’s major ISPs, which encompass 95% of British web users, with even McDonalds already caught blocking websites considered “Alternative Spirituality/Belief”...Websites of organizations that promote “esoteric practices” whether directly or indirectly, and the websites of “universally acknowledged sects” have already been blocked on pay-as-you-go Orange phones. Jaime Tanna, the petition’s founder also writes about how he was unable to visit his own website whilst at an internet café in the UK 2 years ago due to the cafe’s policies:
“Together with my wife, we run a holistic business which also mentions “spiritual healing” amongst other key services such as Reiki, Reflexology and Indian Head Massage. I was stunned to find that I could not access my own website as it was blocked for “religious” content. The message on the screen told me it was classified under “Alternative Spirituality/Belief”, and access was categorically blocked.”
Former Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre boss Jim Gamble told BBC Radio it was important to “get to the root cause” of illegal pornography. I agree, but I would also add that it is important to get to the root cause of why “esoteric material” became part of this filter, who was responsible for adding it, what their religious or non-religious affiliations are, and why it has not been addressed publicly by David Cameron? This appears to have been done as a very shady back-door deal indeed between the UK government and large ISP companies, which probably would have gone completely unnoticed if it hadn’t been for the Open Rights Group actually contacting the ISPs to find out exactly what was going to be filtered.
This is a major issue of religious and human rights, and the inclusion of “esoteric material” on such a filter is clearly symptomatic of a much deeper, underlying problem in UK society and state policy. It is likely that larger, mainstream religions will remain unaffected (at least for now), whilst it is used to discriminate against, marginalize, and stigmatize all manner of alternative spiritual viewpoints and faiths. This does not bode well; it is an indicator of something deeply wrong, and this may well just be the beginning. What starts as an “opt-out” filter may end up as something more permanent, as they lead us “down the garden path” one small step at a time. It is very important to not budge an inch now, because trying to turn things back will be 100 fold more difficult.
It is a dangerous move for any country to suppress, censor, or encourage bigotry toward spirituality—just take the Nazis, communist China, and Soviet Russia as examples. This is a highly significant step in the direction of totalitarianism for any society to make.
We should and must protect our children, but should we be sending a message to our children that spirituality is harmful, just like pornography, violence, and suicide? Should corporations or the state play any part in determining our spiritual choices? Should we make room for spirituality to be marginalized and discriminated against in our society? Absolutely not!
Who will determine what the word "esoteric" means? This is the first question to ask ourselves.
Will websites that mention "spiritual healing" and "reiki" be blocked by default? Will websites that have "pagan" overtones - those which use words like "summer solstice" or "tarot" or "wiccan" - be blocked? Would the category of eating "raw foods" (there is a big "raw foods" health movement in the USA, for example) be classed as cult-like or "esoteric" material, either now or in the future, and blocked? These are valid concerns that should not be casually brushed aside.
The word "esoteric" is a broad catch-all term/category that is ripe for misuse by our government.
The second question to ask ourselves is why is the word "esoteric" such a problem? Why does Cameron and the UK government want to police people's behaviour in a way that seriously undermines our individual and collective right to think and act freely?
Public figure websites such as the Dalai Lama, Deepak Chopra, and Neale Donald Walsch would almost certainly fall into this category of "esoteric" and "alternative spirituality/belief." The British Society of Dowsers and The London School of Psychic Studies would probably fall into the category of esoteric, and so would many other smaller, well-meaning websites.
I do not want to live in a world where website material that is inspiring and uplifting is banned, whether intentionally, or as the result of passing laws that make access impossible.
I also do not wish to see "esoteric material" or "alternative belief/spirituality" lumped in with pornography and extreme hate. That is a false and most disturbing association, and must be rectified immediately.
Many uninformed people will start to view "esotericism" and "alternative belief/spirituality" as material that is taboo, and will certainly wish to avoid the stigma of being associated with it.
Dara from Sydney in Australia says, "I think the thing that I find the most disturbing though, is looking down the road to the long-term implications. If this legislation passes in the UK, and then other parts of the world, then that means the power exists for any government, or many of them, to completely shut down a chunk of humanity’s access to spiritual material online. And if the power exists, then someday, someone is likely going to use it, to its full extent. That’s why it’s being put in place now, hidden amidst the other issues. The leap from people being completely banned from sharing, viewing, and publishing esoteric material online, to people being banned from sharing and practicing alternative spirituality in real life is not very big. It could happen so easily once the precedent is set."
"How to possess truth, know beauty and discover harmony through love. How to...reconcile ones-self to time: which will kill us all in the end...how to get there in time for the happy ending." Justin Wand
http://www.berkanapath.com