Latest news with #Holloway
The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- General
- The Herald Scotland
'We are f****d up creatures' How famous Scottish Bishop gave up on God
RICHARD Holloway is furious at the thought of heaven. The mere notion of an afterlife disgusts him, confounds him, terrorises him. When Holloway dies, he wants the blank quietude of nothingness. No gods, no angels, no life everlasting. It's a rather surprising position for the former head – or primus – of the Scottish Episcopal Church, one of the leading clerical positions in the land. But then everything about Holloway is contradictory. He embraces the messiness of human life. That's why he abandoned his faith and the church, after all. Today, he's preparing for death, armed not with the surety of religion and the comfort of faith, but alone as a man of 91 who knows there's not much time left. He faces the inevitable with remarkable equanimity. While many lifelong non-believers turn fearfully to God as death approaches, Holloway has gone in the opposite direction. Ever the contrarian, you suspect that if God does exist and Holloway reluctantly finds himself among the heavenly choir, he'll spend eternity disputing with the supreme being. At his home, near Edinburgh's aptly-named Holy Corner, Holloway is explaining that once his new book is published next month, he'll lay down his pen. It's called, fittingly, Last Words. 'I've written many books,' he says. 'I'm an old man. I can't have much longer. 'But I'm still intrigued by the universe, why we're here, where we came from. I spent my life wrestling with these questions – usually from a religious angle – but I've reached a stage in life where I'm no longer convinced by any of that.' The memoir charts Holloway's life from his impoverished childhood to becoming one of Britain's best-known clergymen. In the 1990s, he stirred controversy in conservative circles with his defence of minorities, and liberal views on drugs. Holloway once said he'd tried cannabis. He would eventually feel compelled to leave the church, as he wrestled with his faith. Holloway even faced a heresy trial. Today, he calls himself an 'agnostic'. His publisher calls him 'Scotland's original turbulent priest'. It's a fair comment when it comes to his life as one of Scotland's few public intellectuals, but in private he's a pussycat – bookish and prone to giggling, a loving husband, devoted dad and besotted grandad. In an age of superficiality, which values ignorance above knowledge, Holloway runs wonderfully against the grain. He launches into philosophical debate within moments of meeting you, and is ruthlessly honest about his own failings. He is, above all, kind. He may no longer believe that Jesus is the son of God, but there are few who try as hard as Holloway to live by the teachings of Christ. With the world in a constant state of hate, and cruelty seemingly everywhere, Holloway's refrain is simply: 'Love thy neighbour.' He's a man of God, who lost his faith, yet still adheres to the philosophy of Jesus. How perfectly – messily – human. (Image: Getty Images) Existence ONE of Holloway's great themes – he's written 20 books – is the question, famously posed by the philosopher Gottfried Leibniz: 'Why is there something, rather than nothing?' It's his starting point when asked about his journey from faith to loss of faith. 'We humans, unlike animals who accept their existence, developed questioning intellects. With our life comes the question: where did it come from? So we invented answers.' That's where it all goes wrong, he believes. The answers that religions offer clash with each other, 'provoking disagreements and sometimes violence – because one of the characteristics of religion is that they keep falling out with the each other. 'Looking back, I just don't know the answer – except that while you're here be decent and reasonable, care for your neighbour, love one another, then say goodbye. That's where I'm at.' He pauses, and adds: 'But something else happened to me. One characteristic of most religions is that they tell us very confidently that when we die something of us goes on forever. The thought of that actually appalls me now. 'If I wake up on the other side after I die and I'm ushered into some form of eternal lie, I'm going to be very unhappy. The thought of going on and on – even if I meet all my dead relatives and dear friends – makes me seriously fed up. 'When it's over, I want it over. I don't want to go on forever. That would be eternal boredom. After a lifetime of religion, that's the position I've reached. I hope I've the grace to die well, but I'm going to be seriously pissed off if I wake up on the other side. Here I am, facing the end. I'll be sad to leave, but I want an ending. I believe in endings. I've had a long, interesting life, I've done some good, some bad but, please, don't make me start all over again.' Holloway remains horrified at humanity's capacity for cruelty. The 'invention of hell' is, he feels, the great symbol of our appetite for sadism. 'The unending torment,' he says, talking of the burning and boiling set aside for sinners. 'Where does that poison come from?' He sees belief in hell as a 'terrible disease'. Although much of Holloway's life runs contrary to the spirit of these times, his spiritual journey very much accords with recent social changes. 'One of the things that's happened in my life,' he says, 'is the fading of religion. It's melting away like snow on a hot day in Scotland. The same is true in Europe. 'It still prospers in America, but not happily. The invention of religion, while it brought some good into the world, brought an awful lot of evil as well.' The problem is that religion is 'intrinsically competitive'. Churches teach their followers that 'ours is the right religion, therefore yours must be wrong'. He sighs: 'Looking back, it's all a lot of nonsense.' Rather than seeking dogmatic certainty, Holloway believes we should ask ourselves: 'Why are we here? Where did it all come from? What can I do while I'm here?' Conflict INSTEAD, religions turn people against each other. 'Look at the Middle East. Much of what's happening is due to rival religions knocking hell out of each other. I'm grateful for much of what religion has brought us – art and music – but it brought lethal competitiveness into human existence and I mourn that in my old age. I've had enough of the conflict and the beating up. 'I just wish we could say to one another 'this is how I see it? How do you see it? Oh, that's interesting, well let's be kind to each other while we're here'. It should be as simple as that. You're not here forever. While you are, love your neighbour as yourself. What else do you need?' Holloway deploys the Latin phrase 'odium theologicum' – 'theological hatred' – to explain what he thinks ails religion. 'Religions which at heart express compassion, all end up hating each other as they think they're right. If we loved our neighbour, that would be enough – wouldn't it?' He insists that he didn't reject religion. 'It left me.' Why? 'Because humans are questioning creatures. If you ask where the universe came from, and the answer is 'God created it', then the next question must be 'where did God come from?'. 'In theology, they say 'God just is that which is'. But to that I still have to ask the question, 'if God is the uncreated, infallible, omnipotent one, then why did he come up with such a shitty universe? Why did it make such a messy job of the universe?' After all these years, Holloway is now what he calls 'a compassionate agnostic'. Just to add to the complexity of the man, though, he still sometimes attends church as he enjoys the sense of community. 'I just don't like over-confident sermons telling me what the universe is up to.' Christianity, he says, 'still holds many lessons for me'. He separates the teachings of Jesus from the 'doctrinal system that it evolved'. He compares religious doctrine to political ideology. Born in 1933 – 'when Hitler became Chancellor' – Holloway lived through the Second World War, and saw what competing ideologies could do. He wants to 'milk what's best' from religion – the love and charity – and leave the extremism behind. 'Religion brought a lot of evil and strife into the world,' he says. Holloway prefers 'living with questions, rather than answers'. Given he clearly lives by the teachings of Jesus, how does he view Christ? As a philosopher rather than supernatural figure? 'As a spiritual artist,' Holloway replies. Jesus was a man with 'imaginative insights into the nature of the universe'. Says Holloway: 'He was a storyteller, he taught in parables, he didn't teach doctrine. His most profound parable was the Good Samaritan.' The story isn't just about helping strangers in need. In Jesus's time, Samaritans weren't popular. So the parable warns against factionalism. It depicts the outsider as kind and decent. Imagine a movie today in which an immigrant who crosses the Channel in a small boat is portrayed as heroic. 'The essence of Jesus's parables is: beware what religion can do to your compassion for fellow humans,' says Holloway. 'It can lead you to persecute them, to believe it gives you the right to kill those who disagree with you.' Heretic WHEN Holloway was a vicar in Oxford, outside his church stood Martyrs' Memorial commemorating the execution of Protestant 'heretics'. 'Imagine the insecure hatred that would lead you to put people on piles of wood and burn them to death. The insecurity which prompts that kind of hatred is what I dislike about religion. It prompts you to hate your neighbour unless they bow to the gods you've invented.' Jesus, however, taught only 'radical compassion'. Christ wanted others to be 'lovers not haters of mankind. That's what Jesus brought into the world. His stories are about the confusion of the human intellect. The resolution always lies in accepting your neighbour even though your neighbour disagrees with you. It's a simple yet radical message. But we're such flawed creatures we find loving simplicity hard to live with'. Atheism, for Holloway, is just another form of ideological control. 'The warning is in the last three letters 'I, S, M'. Isms always seem intrinsically totalitarian. I've explained the universe and that's it, and if you disagree with me then I'll either ex-communicate you, bump you off, or burn you in a fire. 'The more confident your religious position, the more likely it'll give you permission to persecute those who disagree with you. I'd rather have loving puzzlement than absolute belief. Beliefs kill each other.' There is, Holloway says, 'a fundamental insecurity about humans, because in us the universe has started thinking about itself. My wee cat doesn't think about 'catness', but in us something happened: we ask questions about the universe.' He adds: 'Humans are thrown into this universe, unsure where we came from, and we seek explanations, we invent isms. Isms fall out with each other. I've reached the stage where I suspect all isms.' The only 'ism' he'd like to see is 'one that laughs and loves. The things that destroyed humanity in my lifetime were all isms. I'm wary of isms, especially religious isms'. It was hatred of minorities which was the final straw for Holloway when it came to breaking with the church. In 1998, as primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, he attended what's known as the Lambeth Conference. It sees all Anglican bishops – the Episcopal Church is part of the Anglican Communion – gather every 10 years to debate church matters. The 1998 event, says Holloway, 'ended up a hate-fest against gay people'. That year, bishops voted that 'homosexual practice' was 'incompatible with scripture'. Holloway drove back to Scotland and spent time wandering the Pentland hills in religious turmoil. 'I realised I couldn't cope with this kind of organised religion any more as it was telling me that gay men would burn in hell. Some of the people who taught me most about compassionate Christianity were gay – very often frightened because their religion told them they'd be punished eternally. The uncertainty and danger they lived with made them compassionate.' Roaming the Scottish hills helped him come up with what would be his most famous – or in some eyes notorious – book: Godless Morality, subtitled Keeping Religion Out Of Ethics. 'I argued that if you bring religion into morality it becomes hateful. Religion is a human construct.' Holloway says of those who hate others: 'I will oppose you even unto death.' (Image: Richard at his ordination as Bishop of Edinburgh) Sadness
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, July 21: Two top five moves follow UFC, PFL events
Check out the latest rankings update following UFC 317 in Las Vegas. Two big events last week prompted changes in this week's rankings update. First, the PFL Champions Series Africa in Cape Town, South Africa, saw a shocking conclusion to its main event middleweight title fight. Johnny Eblen, the incoming champion, was up on the scorecards heading into the fifth round. However, Costello Van Steenis pulled off a last-second rear-naked choke to snatch the title away. Also on the card, Dakota Ditcheva turned in a dominant performance against Sumiko Inaba, bringing her into the top 5 in the women's flyweight division and No. 13 in the women's pound-for-pound rankings. Then, in New Orleans at UFC 318, Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway turned in a captivating trilogy bout for the BMF title. In what was Poirier's retirement fight, Holloway managed to earn the judges' decision after going the full 25 minutes. Holloway successfully defended the BMF title, and now that he's a full-time lightweight, settles in the No. 5 spot. Poirier, who hangs up the gloves, also gives up his spot in the rankings. Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Max Holloway Sends a Clear Message to Ilia Topuria After His UFC 318 Victory
Max Holloway Sends a Clear Message to Ilia Topuria After His UFC 318 Victory originally appeared on Athlon Sports. A dominant win at UFC 318 sets the stage for a potential high-stakes rematch. It was an emotional night at UFC 318, as fans witnessed the farewell fight of a true legend. Dustin Poirier closed out his storied career in front of a roaring hometown crowd in New Orleans, but the night belonged to Max Holloway. In their trilogy bout, Holloway avenged his loss from UFC 236 in emphatic fashion, silencing the crowd and reminding everyone that his story is far from over. But even in a night filled with history, Holloway's post-fight comments hinted that the chapter ahead could be just as compelling. In a post-fight interview with Carlos Contreras Legaspi, captured by Championship Rounds, Holloway was asked point-blank about running it back with Ilia Topuria. His response was raw: 'For doing what he did to me. The first man to [knock me out]. Of course I want revenge.' Those words quickly ignited speculation about what's next for the former champion. Interestingly, Holloway wasn't shy about Topuria during fight week either. While acknowledging the Spaniard's recent success, he also downplayed the streak: 'He has names and he beat the names — you can't deny that,' Holloway said. 'It just sucks with everything that was going on with that Volk fight… people are just looking at the name and not the record. Charles was on a 1-fight win streak. At the end of the day, they're just names. UFC is lining them up and he's just knocking them down.' With a decisive win over Poirier and a move toward the lightweight mix, a Holloway-Topuria rematch is definitely an option. It's personal, it's marketable, and it could settle one of the most shocking results in recent UFC history. If the UFC wants a fight fans will rally behind, this is the one. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Crowd will be behind retiring Dustin Poirier vs. Max Holloway at UFC 318
UFC 318 will culminate with the trilogy fight between Max Holloway and the retiring Dustin Poirier for Holloway's 'BMF' title on Saturday in New Orleans. Holloway (26-8 MMA) and Poirier (30-9, 1 NC) previously fought in 2012 and 2019, with Poirier winning both fights. The most recent meeting saw Poirier win a unanimous decision for the UFC interim lightweight championship in one of the promotion's most talked-about fights. Shifting to the trilogy fight, it's Poirier's final UFC fight, and the Smoothie King Center will play host to the festivities. It is Poirier's first fight in his home state in a decade, which means a great deal to the 36-year-old. 'If you chase your dreams, anything is possible,' Poirier said. Poirier confirmed rapper and New Orleans icon Lil Wayne will be part of his entrance for the fight, revealing that with a win, he wants Wayne to be part of the belt presentation ceremony. Holloway, despite being from Hawaii, wants the same treatment. Holloway showed mutual respect toward his rival but said he is embracing the role of fighting in enemy territory. 'It's gonna be a fun one, man,' Holloway said. 'It's gonna be a fun one. It's his last dance ... Bring out more of the boos, please. That's what I like to hear.' Holloway has held the symbolic 'BMF' title since UFC 300, when he knocked out Justin Gaethje. Neither fighter offered an exact prediction for the fight, but did say that they hope to put on one of the best fights in recent memory, similar to their April 2019 encounter. Nevertheless, Holloway-Poirier 3 tops a 14-fight card with main card festivities getting underway on ESPN+ pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. Main card (Start time 10 p.m. ET, ESPN+ PPV) --Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier, lightweight -- Holloway's 'BMF' title --Paulo Costa vs. Roman Kopylov, middleweight --Kevin Holland vs. Daniel Rodriguez, welterweight --Dan Ige vs. Patricio Pitbull, featherweight --Michael Johnson vs. Daniel Zellhuber, lightweight Field Level Media 2025 - All Rights Reserved
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Ilia Topuria fires back at Max Holloway's BMF title criticism: 'I put you to sleep'
Ilia Topuria is unbothered by Max Holloway's verbal jabs over his continuous flaunting of an inauthentic BMF title. Holloway (27-8 MMA, 23-8 UFC) captured the BMF strap at UFC 300 in April 2024 when he scored a last-second knockout of Justin Gaethje. His next fight came against Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) at UFC 308 in October, but the BMF belt was not on the line, and therefor Holloway technically kept it despite being stopped by strikes. It was back up for grabs this past weekend when Holloway defeated Dustin Poirier by unanimous decision in the UFC 318 main event, and afterward "Blessed" dissed for Topuria to keep trotting around the non-legitimate version of the silver title. That doesn't bother Topuria one bit, he said, because even if Holloway or the UFC doesn't recognize it as official, he's certain that the only BMF around is himself. "That's not my problem," Topuria told the Nelk Boys. "I just knocked him out. How can you still be the BMF if I knocked you out? I pointed to the ground in the first 10 seconds. You ran away. Then I caught you anyways and I put you to sleep. And you're still the BMF? How's that?" Holloway has made it clear he wants revenge on now-lightweight champion Topuria in the form of a rematch. UFC CEO Dana White expressed interest in possibly running it back with the BMF officially at stake, but he did not commit to Holloway being next. Topuria said he does not have any confirmation about his next opponent, but Holloway, Justin Gaethje, Arman Tsarukyan and Paddy Pimblett have all made the argument to having a case. "I think they are going to try to push for Justin," Topuria said. "That's what I think. Or maybe Paddy. There's not even a conversation about Arman. ... He needs to fight."
