Friday 10 April 2009

Wholly Weak

This fellow may look like a furry Cambrian druid. But he is in fact the leader of a congregation that used to be referred to as "the Tory Party at prayer". If such a thing ever had the ring of truth about it, it was several decades ago. One might more accurately describe the Church of England nowadays as the moral conscience of Socialism.
As a cheerful atheist who has no hang ups about belting out hymns in the fine architecture of our parish churches and the glorious caverns of our great cathedrals, I am in no position to argue the finer points of Christian morality.
But I will say this: if Dr Williams cannot muster up the courage to mount a robust defence of the established church in Britain, then he should not be surprised that it has become a laughing stock. As the Church of England becomes less serious and more liberal with each passing year, so the pews empty and the roof timbers rot. The beef-and-claret parsons of my youth have been replaced by earnest do-gooders who do not recognise the old certainties of individual responsibility and accountability.
Perhaps the church has always been political. But I doubt it has ever been so cringing in its attitudes to some other faiths. Rod Liddle, as ever calling a spade a bloody shovel, deals with it here. This is one of his conclusions:
It is a little like the BBC, in a way, the Church of England. We all knew why it was brought into being and we all signed up to the necessity for its existence, back then. And we might still have an affection for both institutions, based upon nostalgia and wishful thinking. And yet now, with every year that passes, one wonders why they both still exist, what the purpose is, exactly, for having them.

8 comments:

Electro-Kevin said...

I've stopped going.

To be fair the vicars in my parish are conservative. But I've had a gut full of bearded lefties in the CofE.

"Wholly Weak" Brilliant ! You should get a job on the tabloids.

idle said...

e-k, you have spotted that I only wrote this post as a vehicle for my rather good pun.

I had another decent one earlier this week. The Croydonian did a post about our Prime Minister's inability to tie a tie. I referred to it as the Gordian Knot.

Nick Drew said...

by way of a similar conceit I once wrote a magazine article about governmental depredations against the landed gentry entitled County Class Destroyer

and when Maggie's Willie was at the Northern Ireland office, on the occasion of some Protestant aggro i did one headed WhiteLaw and Orange Order

how they all laughed

so where's yer new limerick compo, then, eh ?

idle said...

Very good, Nick. I particularly liked County Class Destroyer. I will tell Commander Idle this weekend, which will amuse the old salt horse.

Limerick compo next week, but I'm not going to give you the theme until then.

Electro-Kevin said...

Of Easter we were playing Trivial Persuits. The question for a pink cheese ?

What was John Wayne's line as a soldier at the base of the cross in the film about Jesus ?

[This truly was the Son of Man]

My answer:

"Get off your cross and drink your milk."

Did not go down well with the devout Catholic Mother Superior at the table - my grandmother.

Bearly Concious said...

Excellent punning stuff....

But which was the year when the BBC and the CoE became so left wing and limp wristed?

And as Jesus apparently said: " Don't nick my easter eggs, I'll be back on Monday".

Bearly Concious said...

Excellent punning stuff....

But which was the year when the BBC and the CoE became so left wing and limp wristed?

And as Jesus apparently said: " Don't nick my easter eggs, I'll be back on Monday".

Tuscan Tony said...

Excellent post, idle.