Oh My Teapot!

(Russell's Teapot design from InklingMagazine.com by Patrick Quigley)

Russell's Celestial Teapot finally wins over a worshiper! At long last someone has realized that the existence of Bertrand Russell's miniature china teapot, spinning ad infinitum somewhere in the void between Earth and Mars, is just as likely as that of the biblical Christian god! Or rather, that said teapot is just as deserving of idolatry as the god of the Christians. Click here to read the story at The Telegraph.co.uk. The bad news, however, is that this convert to Teapotism is a former Muslim Malaysian, and she's been arrested because Islamic apostasy is against the law in her country, punishable by jailtime.

I've actually been to Kuala Lumpur for a few days (my most memorable experience was climbing Cesar Pelli's stunning Petronas Towers while they actually were the world's tallest buildings) and this news is extremely troubling to me. My impression was that of a tolerant and "moderate" majority-Muslim country, divorced from the hardcore Wahhabism of the Near East, that endorsed freedom of religion and worship as well as the freedom not to worship. It appears now that my impression was wrong.

I offer up a prayer for poor Kamariah Ali:

Our little Teapot, short and stout,
who art in the heavens,
Hallowed be thy Brew.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in High Tea.
Give us this day our daily Scones.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into soft drinks,
But deliver us from Coffee.
[For the Earl Grey, the Chrysanthemum,
and the English Breakfast are yours
now and for ever. Amen.]