Which is still a good reason for leaving
Submitted by Forgiven on September 28 2000 18:16:03
In reply to flat is flat submitted by Rex Infinity on September 28 2000 17:50:31
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I come from a background that perceives most of the liberal movement within the church of England to be the biggest mistake we made since Cromwell. We have articles of faith, and a thoeretical commitment to the 'Ecumenical' councils of the church (before 1000AD), but in practice we have abandoned any serious expectation that our ministers will believe anything in particular - except of course that God is Love, a view for which they can offer no rational foundation. We face a situation where if the pattern of the other side of the Atlantic is any indication, and it usually is, a further item of belief will be added - that it is possible to have women as priests and bishops. Not that I'm clear on the issue - let's resist the temptation to debate that one - but I do believe that the promise to respect private conscience on this should be respected. The failure to do so is a breach of trust - which is the first prerequisite to love and relationship. The word ABUSE springs to mind - something which many of us have rather too much experience of. Of course such a breach of their word is not confined to the Church of England. The Presbyterian church is founded on the Westminster confession - which all minister still sign. Embarrassingly for ecumenism, this includes an unambiguous statement that the Pope is the anti Christ. Again, I don't care strongly about the issue - it is that they are signing up to what they do not believe that I find unacceptable (they've passed a motion saying that it is not a primary belief. At least the Labour Party has been honest enough to remove Clause 4 on nationalisation of the means of production from their constitution.) But the heart of the matter is the reality of faith - does the person actually know God, or is it just a lightly baptised form of the prevailing world's view. That liberals hold beliefs that are so close to the consensus of the world is to me a strong suggestion that there is a problem...... In practice I have no doubt that there is real faith in some liberals, and total deception in some conservatives - but the issue is a serious one if we are to take Jesus seriously in his entirety, rather than just the bits we like. You've hit a raw nerve here, not helped by just having watched 'The Crucible' - which ends with the focus on signing bits of paper and telling the truth. |
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