Pangloss, Illinois has a magnificent Town Hall. This week it has thrown open its doors and invited the World in to debate the issue – How much tolerance is enough? It is hoped that there will be contributions from a diverse range of seasoned debaters, crackpots and harmless, doddering reactionaries.
As usual, this annual event has caught the media’s attention and the cameras will be pointing at the participants hoping for something outrageous. Already, we have had the spectacle of the Lady Mayor declaring her support for the Atheists Out pressure group. Her comment that “Some of my best friends are atheists, but they will still burn in hell for all eternity” did not augur well for a calm exchange of viewpoints.
Outing atheists has been a popular pastime in Pangloss for generations, and some of the recent restrictions have not gone down well with the older residents. Colonel Walmsley-Truscott, 83, expressed his displeasure by painting the word ‘NO!” on his horse in luminous yellow and riding it up and down the main street. Token resistance was offered by an anonymous atheist who left an ice sculpture on the steps of the Town Hall with the letters Y E S dripping in the noonday sunshine.
There was some cause for optimism when local religious leaders agreed to form their own Judeo-Christian-Muslim debating team. The suspicious devices posted to the members of the team proved to be harmless, and local police have already arrested several people they described as ‘zealots’. The Zealots debating team have threatened legal action and claim to have air tight alibis.
Finding the right person to chair the debate proved less problematic than had been anticipated. The renowned tv personality Emma Smalls, known to millions for her daytime show Plain Speaking, volunteered her services free of charge, although her agent has since described the arrangement as negotiable.Emma is keen to build bridges with faith communities after her unfortunate slip of the tongue on live television. “Sinning is good for you” a story about the popularity of choirs, went viral.
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