Finland: Opus Dei member adviser of True Finn party

[Ronja]

Oskari Juurikkala is the economic adviser of the party True Finns, which won most in the last parliamentary election in Finland. It has just become public that he is also a Numerary of Opus Dei. Most links about him and the possible influence of Opus Dei on e.g. the recent motion of no confidence, which the True Finns presented, are of course in Finnish, but I managed to find some in English, too. Search for "Oskari" on the pages which have multiple articles.

http://www.opusdei.org.uk/art.php?p=13816

http://larrywillmore.net/blog/2009/10/0 ... -pensions/

http://opusdeitoday.org/page/22/

http://inspiredtolove.org/screenplay

.

I do NOT want people who are steered by secretive organizations, which base their claims about society on no evidence at all, to influence my government! Definitely not!

[Audley Strange]

Then you are calling for an end to Government essentially. Good for you!

[Ronja]

Then you are calling for an end to Government essentially. Good for you!

Would you elaborate on that a bit? I do not quite see the connection.

[Svartalf]

Basically, any government structure ends up being influenced by non official power networks. Wanting to end the latter means having to do away with the former.

[Ronja]

Non-official power networks, yes, of course. But "which base their claims about society on no evidence at all" - ? I don't quite think so.

Juurikkala has made claims, as has the catholic leader of the True Finns, Timo Soini, about the "proper" (i.e. ultraconservative) way to relate to homosexuals, marriage, women's position, and Soini has repeatedly refused to answer whether he thinks abortion should be allowed even in case of rape or incest (we have fairly liberal abortion laws - for now). Juurikkala recently gave an interview (regrettably only reported in Finnish) where he said, among other things:

"Piikkivyön käyttöä en halua kommentoida. Ihmisille syntyy niin helposti väärinkäsityksiä ja vääriä mielikuvia siitä. Piikkivyötä ei toki käytetä koko aikaa "

"I do not want to comment on the use of the metal cilice *. People so easily misunderstand and get the wrong idea. The cilice is of course not worn constantly."

If a person in a public position of trust was suspected of active self-harm for any other motivation than religious, they would be locked up in a psychiatric hospital, where they belong. That religion somehow gives a special status for what otherwise would be called insanity is alarming, to put it very mildly.



* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cilice

[Seth]

Oskari Juurikkala is the economic adviser of the party True Finns, which won most in the last parliamentary election in Finland. It has just become public that he is also a Numerary of Opus Dei. Most links about him and the possible influence of Opus Dei on e.g. the recent motion of no confidence, which the True Finns presented, are of course in Finnish, but I managed to find some in English, too. Search for "Oskari" on the pages which have multiple articles.

http://www.opusdei.org.uk/art.php?p=13816

http://larrywillmore.net/blog/2009/10/0 ... -pensions/

http://opusdeitoday.org/page/22/

http://inspiredtolove.org/screenplay

.

I do NOT want people who are steered by secretive organizations, which base their claims about society on no evidence at all, to influence my government! Definitely not!

Evidently, a majority of other people do, however. Welcome to democracy!

[Seth]

Non-official power networks, yes, of course. But "which base their claims about society on no evidence at all" - ? I don't quite think so.

Juurikkala has made claims, as has the catholic leader of the True Finns, Timo Soini, about the "proper" (i.e. ultraconservative) way to relate to homosexuals, marriage, women's position, and Soini has repeatedly refused to answer whether he thinks abortion should be allowed even in case of rape or incest (we have fairly liberal abortion laws - for now). Juurikkala recently gave an interview (regrettably only reported in Finnish) where he said, among other things:

"Piikkivyön käyttöä en halua kommentoida. Ihmisille syntyy niin helposti väärinkäsityksiä ja vääriä mielikuvia siitä. Piikkivyötä ei toki käytetä koko aikaa "

"I do not want to comment on the use of the metal cilice *. People so easily misunderstand and get the wrong idea. The cilice is of course not worn constantly."

If a person in a public position of trust was suspected of active self-harm for any other motivation than religious, they would be locked up in a psychiatric hospital, where they belong. That religion somehow gives a special status for what otherwise would be called insanity is alarming, to put it very mildly.

It's not "self harm," it's discomfort, and it's intended to humble the person and remind them of the suffering of Christ, which is intended to make them more penitent and sympathetic to the suffering of others.

By your metric, the lady in the "Fucking Ow" thread should be involuntarily committed, because her motivation is pleasure.

[Audley Strange]

Then you are calling for an end to Government essentially. Good for you!

Would you elaborate on that a bit? I do not quite see the connection.

Svartalf was close. All political ideologies are essentially myth propositions, they assume that everyone wishes things like everyone playing fair for the benefit of all, or the inherent goodness of the individual or the weakness of the individual and the inherent goodness of community. Therefore most claims they make about society are not evidential. Given that most political parties have such beliefs and given that prior to being "government" they are often secretive outside their P.R. campaigns. Not to mention the influence all manner of questionable think tanks, pressure groups and lobbiests have on them, and what backroom negotiations are made to fund them by often suspicious organisations and characters, that you cannot really separate them cleanly.