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What do the Anglican Bishop of Buckingham, the Bishop of Oxford and the RC Bishop of Lancaster all have in common? If you followed the links, you will have the answer by now: the first has called the respected and orthodox ‘Cranmer’ a ‘troll’, prompting the latter to a period of ‘silence’; the second has called for compulsory Christian assembly in schools to be scrapped to ‘make time for “spiritual reflection” containing elements of Christianity and the other major religions’; and Bishop Campbell is not, he tells us, responsible for telling Deacon Nick Donnelly that he should shut down his blog, although he may have been responsible for giving the impression that was what he wanted; what a good job he does not keep a retinue of knights, they too might have ‘misunderstood’ him. These chaps are all paid (not a bad whack either) to be shepherds of the faithful and to be successors of the Apostles. They all seem to be successors of Judas Iscariot; perhaps they didn’t read how his attempt to appease the secular Establishment of the day ended? Perhaps they don’t care?
‘Cranmer’s’ offence was to criticise a Canon who thought those who supported the policy of her own church on ‘assisted dying’ (murder to you and me) were uncharitable and nasty. Now you might suppose a Bishop would be in favour of the policy of his own church, but of course, he’s an Anglican Bishop, which means that he possibly doesn’t know his church has a policy, and, as head of the clergy union, he’s sticking up for his members; so what that the Canon contradicts the policy and insults those who support it, she’s a clergyman and therefore right; others should shut up. How dare anyone point out the utterly gutless nature of the Church of England’s establishment? How dare anyone stick up for orthodox Christianity? For these folk, WWJD? means ‘What would Judas do?’
The Bishop of Oxford, pictured simpering inanely with a more intelligent species behind him (in the DT link) thinks it is all very 1940s to have compulsory assembly. How can folk who have no idea about Christianity want it? He does not appear to have asked himself what he and his wealthy but utterly useless church has been doing since the 1940s that the situation should be as he describes? He utters the usual claptrap about ‘compulsion’ not helping anyone. I give up. As any school-master will tell you, trying to teach languages, maths, or indeed almost anything without compulsion doesn’t work. The lazy little so-and-sos will do anything other than work at something ‘hard’, so you make it interesting, and you make them do it. Judas forbid that any C of E Bishop should think it a good idea to make Christian education interesting, or want to teach the Truth. And to think the fellow gets paid!
As for the Bish of Lancaster, well enough ink, some of it here, has been spent on this. Obviously no self-respecting modernist cleric wants to be associated with Christianity until the work of detoxifying it has been complete, but they might be a bit more tactful – someone might notice that the Vichy regime occupies the benches in the Lords and at Ecclestone Square.
Literally, thank God for the large number of Anglican and Catholic clergy who get on with the Lord’s work. They deserve better than this bunch of Vichyite jellyfish. I never did know what Bishops were for – but to adapt the words of the song: ‘Bishops, what are they good for? Absolutely nothing!’ Ecraser l’infame.
Servus Fidelis said:
Sounds like a rewriting of Scripture:
“. . . do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my wolves.” . . . or perhaps, “eat my sheep?”
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Geoffrey RS Sales said:
I am sure that they are good vegetarians and would not eat the sheep; they might, however, euthanase them and abort them to ensure there were fewer sheep so that Gaia was happy 🙂
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Servus Fidelis said:
It is much easier to be a shepherd when there are no sheep to watch, isn’t it? 🙂
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Geoffrey RS Sales said:
Aye – perhaps they can make money by sending them to the slaughter house?
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Servus Fidelis said:
Money for banners to be used at the Gay Pride Parade, perhaps?
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Geoffrey RS Sales said:
Quite probably. I don’t mean to attack your church, it is simply that if these chaps are paid to be shepherds, what on earth are the heirlings like?
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Servus Fidelis said:
The one’s you’re looking at would be them. There are, of course, many who are fighting the good fight as well, though one might not know it by the ones who get all the publicity.
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Geoffrey RS Sales said:
Yes, alas. It is the eedjits who get all the press.
Follow the link to the Archbishop piece – and weep …
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Servus Fidelis said:
I see no link to an Archbishop, my friend, but I did look quickly at the links you provided in the piece.
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Geoffrey RS Sales said:
You are right – it is in the next one – read and weep 🙂
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Servus Fidelis said:
Will do. 🙂
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Geoffrey RS Sales said:
The next one has more fun from the fun-farm that is the C of E 🙂
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faithinourfamilies said:
I had a go at the Bishops recently… http://faithinourfamilies.com/2014/07/07/90-of-catholic-parents-cannot-recite-the-our-father/
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Geoffrey RS Sales said:
I do like your blog – excellent – and what a very good piece – what is wrong with these men?
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faithinourfamilies said:
Thank you!
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Geoffrey RS Sales said:
My pleasure 🙂
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Servus Fidelis said:
It is much the same in the US. It seems the Bishops do not know what their priests are doing and that most of the priests when interacting with their Bishops are merely trying to appear as yes men to the head of their diocese. My wife is in charge of religious education and she laments that neither the children or the parents are ready for the sacraments: yet there is pressure from the priests and Bishops to go ahead with the sacraments – unprepared or not.
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Geoffrey RS Sales said:
This is dreadful. Here, we will not let anyone into membership who has not been thoroughly prepared. We have meetings every Wednesday night to do Bible study, and we have an annual ‘away day’ at which we have guest speakers and education sessions; we also have a Friday breakfast meeting for the elders with the Pastor.
I sometimes think these folk think of Christianity as a hobby.
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Servus Fidelis said:
Well it differs by parish and the residing priest. Usually adults who come into the Church are more prepared that they children. There is no incentive for the Children as the lack of discipline in the secular school plus a callous disregard for their elders which is rampant leaves them to goof off, pay no attention and not to take there training seriously. Why should the care: they are going to receive the sacraments anyway and they know next to nothing what it means or the effects it has on our spiritual development; as that makes a difference to these kids anymore or their parents. Three or four generations was all it has taken to fall into utter chaos and render our laity the most ignorant laity the Church has seen since perhaps the days before most people could read or write.
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Geoffrey RS Sales said:
I fear that is right. It is one reason we don’t do infant baptism. I often feel qualms about it, especially as I get older, but when I see how so many do not prepare children properly, I see some wisdom in our approach.
By the time anyone gets to the point of applying for membership, they are thoroughly prepared and know what they are taking on.
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Servus Fidelis said:
I would agree if were not for the risk one takes of a child dying before being given the sacrament of Baptism. One would hope, since commanded by Christ, that there is some efficacious outcome to this practice even if it lies dormant for many years. I and Jess both professed once before that we credit our Baptisms to our return to the faith. The Holy Spirit moved our heart and souls in order that it finally spilled over into our conscious minds and led us to The Way; a path to follow in this world that leads us to real Life that we could not have come to simply by rational acceptance.
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Geoffrey RS Sales said:
I agree, and that aspect has always worried me, although I am happy to be able to think that the Lord takes to him whomsoever he will.
But I see the point when I read about yourself and Jess.
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Servus Fidelis said:
One merely has a sense of it but it is impossible to prove to those who want some material or scientific proof.
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Geoffrey RS Sales said:
Aye, well they have heads thick as stones 🙂
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Servus Fidelis said:
Mostly. 🙂
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Geoffrey RS Sales said:
And hearts to match, some of ’em.
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Servus Fidelis said:
Yes, in their trousers, is my guess.
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Geoffrey RS Sales said:
Yes, around the pocket area I think 🙂
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Servus Fidelis said:
Indeed. 🙂
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St Bosco said:
Hahahahahah. C of E aint got nothing on that snake pit the CC. hahahahahahah. That’s what you get for being in a religion. hahahahahah
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Geoffrey RS Sales said:
Thinking of taking up snake-handling Bosco?
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newenglandsun said:
Hahahahahah! That CC ain’t got nothing on good ol’ Boscow!
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bruvvereccles said:
O Bosco dere, they’re thinking of appointing some bishops in the Calumny Chappel, just as soon as they can find anyone who’s read the Bibble..
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St Bosco said:
Cant you two dummykaumphs find anything else to do, beside pester me?
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newenglandsun said:
Boscow asks Eccles and I:
“Cant you two dummykaumphs find anything else to do, beside pester me?”
I ask Boscow:
“Cant the dummykaumph find anything else to do, beside pester us?”
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St Bosco said:
Its called witnessing my son. One day you will understand.
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newenglandsun said:
“Its called witnessing my son” (echoes Boscow in a nasally voice)
No. It’s called chasing people AWAY from God. Scaring the hebeeby jeebies out of people with a Troll who happens to share the same name as the Christian Messiah.
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Carl D'Agostino said:
Bishops are good for working with queen for early checkmate.
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St Bosco said:
Only if your opponent is a rank beginner.
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Jack Curtis said:
Perhaps it would make a useful meditation to consider how the military in peacetime invariably seems to acquire political generals who give actual soldiers the pip?
And then in real war after enough people have died foolishly, the real fighting generals somehow appear to deal with it.
It’s imaginable that a similar cycle should function in the Church, for similar reasons, given that both institutions serve and depend upon the same species, is it not? And if so, we should expect political bishops full of inanities while the Church is comfortable and hope for better when the screws tighten.
Those screws are pretty tight now where there are a lot of Moslems and most of the Western governments seem to be shrinking their spaces for churches, Add that we seem headed back to antisemitism as well. Perhaps that will improve the shepherds … After enough deaths, of course.
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