eChurch Blog

There’s a BBC article on their website entitled: “Church steps up gay marriage attack”.

Here’s a snippet:

The Archbishop of Glasgow, Mario Conti, has written to every parish in Scotland, urging all Catholics to oppose the planned legislation.

Gosh I didn’t know this was “planned legislation” but thought it was planned for consultation. Am I wrong? Does the BBC know something we don’t?

Anyway, I digress.

Interestingly, this article began life with a different headline:

Did you notice the difference? Originally the article was entitled: “Church steps up gay rights attack”. Isn’t that revealing? Not only is ‘gay marriage’ planned legislation; but was originally already considered a ‘gay right’ by the BBC.

It’s all in the phrasing isn’t it. This could have been entitled: “Church set to defend the sanctity of marriage”, or some such; but no, the Church is on the “attack”.

Good ol’ BBC. Anyone would think they have an agenda…..

Archbishop Cranmer has an excellent post on the UK tour of William Lane Craig and Richard Dawkins refusal to debate with him on Oct 25th at the Sheldonian Theatre.

This really made me laugh:

Yep, there’s buses driving around Oxford with these signs.

Classic.

Quite coincidentally, I came across a proposed film documentary on Richard Dawkins website, with a working title of: ‘Coming Out in America’. It’s going to chart atheist experiences of ‘coming out’ as non-believers.

I can’t believe atheists adopting LGBT terminology to further their cause.

It’s quite clever really, as the term ‘coming out’ is being used to conjure the image of an enfeebled, persecuted, bullied, scared, minority group, taking a courageous and bold step, in the face of religious tyranny.

Militant atheists, what would we do without them…..

Jaroslav Pelikan said that if Christ is not risen, then nothing else matters; and that if Christ is risen – then nothing else matters. But Christ is risen. Christ reigns. Nothing can separate us from his love. That’s why we needn’t and shouldn’t be afraid. Keep the faith!

SOURCE

British Religion in Numbers (BRIN) have an interesting post looking at a survey that asked whether folk had ever consulted a psychic or medium. Surprisingly – at least to me – 75% had consulted a psychic or medium. Of course, there’s a plethora of reasons why someone might consult a psychic, including: ‘just for fun’. And the folk that believe psychics have a genuine ability is very low at 14%.

However, of greater interest to me were the stats looking at how spiritual folk judged themselves; with three-fifths saying they were not at all spiritual.

Does anyone else find this surprisingly low?

I suppose it all depends on how folk define ‘spirituality’, but in the face of the recent ONS poll that found 69% of folk claim to be Christian; this seems contradictory.

Do folk imagine that they can be Christian and yet not spiritual?

Perhaps folk are thinking that as they’re not religious, they’re not spiritual.

It really does surprise me though. We’re always being told of the rise of New Ageism and Eastern spirituality within our culture and yet so many are non-spiritual. Even watching TV and films they seem to be infused with aspects of spirituality; unless of course I’m seeing this when in fact it’s not there.

I don’t know, I’ve got no answers. Any explanations welcome.

I want to add my congratulations to the appointment of Caroline Farrow – Blondpidge – to Catholic Voices. I think her expertise in matters of abortion will be of great benefit.

The following is a cross-post written by David Lyndsay who to be honest – if you spend time following his blog – strikes me as a polymath. On top of that he has the ability to wax lyrical on topics he chooses in a manner that makes me quite jealous.

Anyway, here’s a recent blog post of his that I reproduce here in full, with kind permission:

Like Rod Dreher, I stand outside the conservative mainstream, and can therefore see more clearly the things that matter. That “modern conservatism has become too focused on money, power, and the accumulation of stuff, and insufficiently concerned with the content of our individual and social character”. That “big business deserves as much scepticism as big government”, to say the very least. That “culture is more important than politics and economics”. That “a conservatism that does not practice restraint, humility, and good stewardship – especially of the natural world – is not fundamentally conservative”. That “Small, Local, Old, and Particular are almost always better than Big, Global, New, and Abstract”. That “beauty is more important than efficiency”. That “the relentlessness of media-driven pop culture deadens our senses to authentic truth, beauty, and wisdom”. That “politics and economics won’t save us; if our culture is to be saved at all, it will be by faithfully living by the Permanent Things, conserving these ancient moral truths in the choices we make in our everyday lives”. And that, with Russell Kirk, “the institution most essential to conserve is the family”.

Ah, yes, Russell Kirk. The transcendent order, based in tradition, divine revelation, and natural law. Joy in the “variety and mystery” of human existence, including “natural distinctions”, with property and freedom closely linked. And faith in custom, convention and prescription, recognising that innovation must be tied to existing traditions and customs, out of respect for the political value of prudence. With Taki, I prefer “peace with honour to proxy wars, Western civilisation to multicultural barbarism, Christendom to the European Union, and Russell Kirk to Leon Trotsky”.

So I believe in national self-government, the only basis for international co-operation, and including the United Kingdom as greater than the sum of its parts. In local variation, and historical consciousness. In family life founded on the marital union of one man and one woman. In the whole Biblical and Classical patrimony of the West. In agriculture, manufacturing, and small business. In close-knit communities, law and order, and civil liberties. In academic standards, and all forms of art. In mass political participation within a constitutional framework. In the absolute sanctity of each individual human life from the point of fertilisation to the point of natural death. In the constitutional and other ties among the Realms and Territories having the British monarch as Head of State. In the status of the English language, and the rights of its speakers both throughout the United Kingdom and elsewhere. And in the rights of British-descended communities throughout the world.

Economics is about means to those ends, and to define politics in terms of economics is not to be a conservative, but to be a Marxist. I am therefore opposed to the “free” market, which, as the great anti-Communist Whittaker Chambers pointed out, corrodes all conservative things to nought. And I am therefore opposed to the neoconservative war agenda. Instead, I fight for the universal and comprehensive Welfare State. For the strong statutory and other, including trade union, protection of workers, consumers, communities and the environment. For fair taxation. For full employment. For the partnership between a strong Parliament and strong local government. For co-operatives, credit unions, mutual guarantee societies, mutual building societies and similar bodies. And for every household to enjoy a base of real property from which to resist both over-mighty commercial interests and an over-mighty State.

If “there is no such thing as society” (and yes, Margaret Thatcher really did say that), then there can be no such thing as the society that is the family, or the society that is the nation. There cannot be a “free” market generally but not in drugs, prostitution or pornography. There cannot be unrestricted global movement of goods, services or capital but not of labour. American domination is no more acceptable that European federalism. The economic decadence of the 1980s is no more acceptable that the social decadence of the 1960s. The principle of the planned economy came down to the Attlee Government, via the Liberal Keynes and via Franklin Delano Roosevelt, from an ultraconservative Catholic, Colbert (nothing to do with The Colbert Report, for the benefit of “Break Dancing Jesus” who once left a comment assuming that to be the case). The principle of the Welfare State came down to the Attlee Government, via the Liberals Lloyd George and Beveridge, and via the Conservative Governments of the Inter-War years, from an ultraconservative Protestant, Bismarck.

The book is at the publishers. The next one will include a review of Crunchy Cons.

Your voice is as silver; but silence is golden….

I think my anti-Catholic Internet nemesis might be showing the faintest glimmer of a breakthrough. Here’s his comment from today:

What i can’t get my mind round is that Jesus would lead you into  church which, to me, is not Christian – and it genuinely concerns me – and perplexes me – and to a degree that utterly confuses me.

It sets up a conflict in me which I cannot reconcile – that you, being earnest seekers of God, should be led by Christ into a religious institution which so reviles me.

I do not set myself against Romanism out of human desire – the repulsion seems to be at a far deeper, dare I say spiritual level.

It would seem that I am possessed by an identity that is in serious, diametric opposition to Romanism – which can only mean that I am possessed by the Devil and Romanism is of God – or my identity is in Christ and Romanism is possessed of that great ‘imitator’ – the father of lies – the devil………….

There is no middle ground for me ………………

Here’s my response:

I think that’s the most self-perceptive thing I’ve ever read from you; except for the fact that the Catholic church does not revile you, it’s the other way around.

It is indeed a spiritual issue.

To which he responded:

Stuart – I’m not sure I understand your response – it’s a bit muddled

Still, that’s the gentlest response ever. Am I getting my hopes up too much?

I’ve just received an interesting comment from someone called edgware1, that I thought was worth picking up on and fleshing out a little.

It was in response to my blog post entitled: Catholicity of Catholic Schools Some Statistics; here it is:

Well, you needn’t worry Stuart – by the time your lad gets to the sixth form you’ll probably have left the RC fold, as seems to be your wont… It is interesting, looking through your blog, that you can already detect the first hints of dabbling with Orthodoxy… which just might be your next port of call once you tire of the RCs (as you have done with several other denominations…). Gyrovague is I think what Benedict terms such behaviour. I suspect Islam might be your destination…

You can see the Wiki definition of Gyrovague here.

The first thing to say is that I love the Orthodox Church; which I view as the second lung of the true church. My sincere hope is that one day we will witness the reversal of the Great Schism, and these two great churches will once again be in full communion with one another.

I will go further and say that my years of dabbling in Orthodox teaching and history, was one of the very reasons I originally became interested in Catholicism.

In view of this, I will certainly support the Orthodox Church here on this blog, and have done so just recently, with the first ever Russian Orthodox church service held in Gloucestershire.

Originally I was an avowed atheist, until the Jehovah Witnesses banged on my door and I spent a year with them; a fact I have never hidden on this blog.

I then became an Anglican and remained so for many years until I moved to Spain and there were no Anglican churches for me to be a part of. During my period in Spain I enjoyed being part of an independent English speaking Evangelical Church. On my return to the UK I sought out a similar church.

Upon moving once again, my wife attended the local city’s Anglican Cathedral, and as I don’t believe my wife and I should attend separate churches, I joined her. We also attended a local midweek service at our village CofE Church.

Through different mechanisms: not least my wife’s influence, blogging, the Pope’s visit, reading – especially Diarmaid MacCulloch’s seminal work, ‘A History of Christianity.’ – the troubles bedevilling the Anglican Church; God by his amazing grace drew me to the Catholic Church.

I held all of the Evangelical negative beliefs regarding Catholicism, and this could literally only be overcome by a work of God in me. In fact, it was only recently that I overcame my ‘Mary problem‘.

And so here I am waiting patiently to be received in to the Catholic Church; I say patiently, as it has now been over a year and I have been without the sacraments for that long, which is not easy.

Given all this, I don’t see myself as a flighty believer. I remained loyal to the one denomination I have been a part of, namely, the Anglican church, for many years. I had a brief excursion into non-denominational churches, and have finally been drawn to Catholicism.

As for becoming Islamic, I’m not even going there.

After weeks of propagating the myth that the BBC had issued an edict that the terms ‘AD’ and ‘BC’ would be replaced with ‘CE’ and ‘BCE’, so as not to offend non-Christians; the Daily Mail has launched its own unprecedented horrific attack upon our Christian heritage.

This article in the Daily Mail about a supernova originally said:

The same object that dazzled skygazers in 1054 C.E. continues to fascinate astronomers today by pumping out radiation at higher energies than anyone expected.

Here’s the proof:

It was then erroneously changed to ‘BC’ in their frantic rush to cover up their blunder and now reads as ‘AD’.

The Daily Mail is continuing it’s tireless BCE/CE witch-hunt.

I hope that all other Christians will join me in my moral outrage and righteous indignation, as this swiftly covered up Daily Mail incident represents the thin end of the wedge, and reveals one of the single greatest threats to Christians in the UK at this time.

There is no doubt in my mind that this is all part of a deeply sinister: Marxist, Islamic, Atheistic, superplot, to destroy Christianity in this country.

Hat-tip: Angry Mob + Richard Bartholomew