Point scoring

Source: Guardian  Photograph: WPA Pool/Getty Images

Following on from the Church in Wales (CinW) Christmas farce which continues to run over the festive season, the Church of England has announced her system for fast tracking ethnic minority clergy to senior roles:

"The Church of England (CofE) is to fast-track black and ethnic minority clergy into senior positions amid accusations of institutional racism. A “talent pool” of specifically black, Asian and minority ethnic (Bame) [oops! read here - Ed.] potential leaders will be identified in 2016 for training and mentoring with the aim of increasing representation among bishops, deans and archdeacons.

The church selected its first talent pool this year, but fewer than 7% of those chosen were from ethnic minorities. A second round is currently being selected. The church is to devote a third group specifically to Bame clergy."

Surprisingly the CofE has not followed the US lead of using 'people of colour' or 'visible minorities' in place of the outdated 'Bame' in their discriminatory scheme since they have followed the sexual ethics of the US Episcopal Church with great enthusiasm. No doubt the CofE will catch up eventually as will the CinW who continues to pursue the notion that self promoting women deserve preferment over more suitable male candidates.

When it comes to visibility I was interested to read that "Britain's rail bosses have censored an image of a saint from a display of art inside a railway station, saying it was 'overtly Christian' and would offend 'multi-cultural values'. Network Rail – which is partly funded by the taxpayer – banned an image of St John the Evangelist from Rochester station in Kent, which has just reopened after a £26 million revamp. The image of the saint, one of the apostles of Christ, was to be placed at the station entrance with other iconography inspired by Rochester's ancient cathedral."

Perhaps Britain's rail bosses have not noticed the Islamic dress worn by Muslims who have sought refuge in this country. Like it or not, it is something we have had to become accustomed to regardless of whether it offends others.

Rochester of course had a splendid bishop in Michael Nazir-Ali. A 'Bame' with a helpful understanding of Islam, but his adherence to the traditional Apostolic faith of the Holy Catholic Church was seen as too much of a handicap for an institution immersed in political correctness.

Let us hope that in 2016 state and religious leaders will take a step back to consider what has happened to this country by submitting to people who have nothing to offer but their misguided political correctness. To update a phrase borrowed from the late lamented Llandaffchester Chronicles (if I remember correctly), in the current climate, if a one legged, arse kicking, Jewish transgendered lesbian convert of colour were available she would have to be fast tracked to Archbishop in a system which awards points to minorities, unless they also belong to the minority of Anglicans who continue to adhere to the Apostolic faith of our forefathers.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for 2016

The Adoration of the Shepherds. About 1640, Guido Reni, National Gallery

With very Best Wishes for a Happy and Peaceful Christmas and throughout 2016.

They still don't get

Memorizing Islamic texts which condemn other religions.                 Telegraph/Photo: REUTERS

"The Education Secretary, Nicky Morgan, has asked officials to review home schooling amid fears that thousand[s] of children are having their minds “filled with poison” by radicalised parents. Between 20,000 and 50,000 children are thought to be educated at home – but the Government has no idea of the exact number because parents are under no obligation to inform their local council.

Ms Morgan has already announced a crackdown on unregistered schools and “weekend madrassas” after some were found to be promoting extremist ideology. But senior government sources have revealed that home schooling is now “on the radar”.... The focus on home schooling highlights growing concern in government over the problem of children being radicalised by religious extremists abusing positions of trust to promote hardline doctrine." [My emphasis - Ed. Full report here.]

From the  Telegraph in 2011: "Several madrassas – religious schools often run by mosques – use “excessively strict approaches to discipline” to keep children in line, it was revealed. Researchers said the imposition of hard-line rules on behaviour instilled a sense of “spiritual fear” in young people, marking them out from mainstream schools.

The study, by the Institute for Public Policy Research, found a number of examples of madrassas actually employing corporal punishment. A ban on physical beatings, including the cane, was introduced in the 1980s. But the legislation does not cover “supplementary schools”, including many madrassas, where lessons are taught for fewer than 12.5 hours per week."

What is being studied? This is the Conclusion from "Peace or Jihad? Abrogation in Islam":

"The issue of abrogation in Islam is critical to understanding both jihad and da'wa, the propagation of Islam. Some Muslims may preach tolerance and argue that jihad refers only to an internal, peaceful struggle to better oneself. Western commentators can convince themselves that such teachings are correct. However, for learned Muslim scholars and populist leaders, such notions are or should be risible. They recognize that, in practice, there is compulsion in Islam. They take seriously the notion that the Qur'an teaches not just tolerance among religions, but tolerance among religions on the terms of Islam. To understand the challenge of the current Islamist revival, it is crucial for non-Muslims and moderate Muslims alike to recognize that interpretation of Islamic doctrine can have two faces, and that the Medinan face may very well continue to overshadow the Meccan face for a major portion, if not the majority, of contemporary Muslims."

Political and religious leaders need to understand that "...everything in the Qur'an about forgiveness and peace is abrogated by verse 9:5 which orders Muslims to fight the unbelievers and to establish God's kingdom on earth." Once that fact is grasped it is evident that the "Islamic extremist" horrors witnessed are carried out according to the texts being studied.

Children in Britain should be educated according to British standards in the British way of life if we are to achieve any sense of integration. There is nothing to be gained by allowing children to memorize that their host nation is inhabited by less worthy creatures (apes and pigs) who deserve to die if they do not convert to Islam.

In the entry, "Why there will be no Merry Christmas wishes from 'ordinary' Muslims", twelve months ago I included video of an Imam explaining that in Islam, wishing each other a "Merry Christmas!" is "worse than fornication, drinking alcohol or killing someone" because Christmas celebrates the Incarnation which is rejected by Muslims along with the Crucifixion.

One has to wonder therefore why the Archbishop of Canterbury welcomed Shia theologians to Lambeth Palace at the culmination of three days of dialogue with Christian theologians. Expressing his appreciation for this dialogue, Archbishop Justin Welby said: "At a time of increasing fear and division in the world, it is ever more important that people of faith, Christians and Muslims, come together to work towards the common good for the betterment of all." What delusion. His sentiments are sound but can not be genuinely reciprocated by Muslims because it is contrary to their beliefs. It would have made more sense if he had followed a predecessor's example and demanded an explanation of why other faiths are persecuted in states where Islam dominates.

As Islam expands and Christianity wanes there is an unsettling change in attitude which regards Islam as fact and Christianity as fiction when there is Incredible Proof for Why You Should Have Faith in the Bible: "There are 16 total historians apart from Scripture that reference Christ. Almost everything about Christ we can find without ever going to the New Testament" and "There's more evidence that Jesus lived than Julius Caesar, yet no one doubts Caesar existed." Islam claims to be authoritative but denies historical evidence.

Christians know that false prophets will test their faith but our faith leaders entertain representatives of a supremacist ideology on an equal level which accords legitimacy to beliefs that, certainly in Christian terms, must be wrong because there is "only one way to the Father". Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." There is no ambiguity.

What is needed is not an education system which permits children to memorize texts that demand all to convert or die but one in which faith can be challenged in the same way that Christianity has been challenged and proved to be true. Any faith which can not tolerate scrutiny must be suspect. Denying Muslims the truth is to deny them salvation.

This morning I read "Archbishop of Canterbury supports 'our Muslim brothers and sisters' ". Read The Logic of Islamic Intolerance for an explanation of why such trust is a perilous mistake.

Church in Wales Christmas farce

Photo: CinW

You could be forgiven for thinking this is a lineup of hopefuls demanding a part in a Church pantomime farce. In many ways it is.

Not to be outdone by their sister group, Women and the Church (WATCH), now more popularly known as Women in the Church (WITCH) having achieved their goal of feminizing the Church of England, this group is determined to do for the Church in Wales what WATCH has done in England but with nothing in return in the form of alternative Episcopal oversight as enjoyed in England. Indeed bishops of The Anglican Mission in England are not welcome in Wales. Bizarrely, homosexuality, same sex marriage and dialogue with Imams are all more acceptable to the liberal minded Church in Wales (CinW) episcopate.

Having achieved their aim, WATCH tried to unpick the agreement which enabled women priests to become bishops. Under that agreement everyone in the Church of England was to be given the opportunity to flourish. WATCH then tried to dictate the terms of the agreement until the ombudsman stepped in and sent them packing.

In the CinW pantomime the wicked WITCH, eagerly aided by the Archbishop of Wales, scuppered the chances of everyone being given the opportunity to flourish as soon as the goal of women bishops was achieved. Contrary to the wishes of the majority of CinW members, no provision was made for members who did not support the non-Biblical innovation of women bishops.

The pantomime plot is to convince everyone that "there is a long way to go before women – lay and ordained – achieve equality in the church", a prejudiced attitude that has no evidence to support it but with the Archgenie waiting in the wings to work his magic it is a claim that will no doubt gain support among the nodding majority. The aim is based on a process of positive discrimination so that even the most abysmal female candidate is preferred over outstanding male candidates, especially men who continue to follow the Apostolic teaching of the Holy Catholic Church.

The irony in the plot is that there is discrimination in the Church in Wales but it is not against women. They are the cause of the discrimination which is against cradle Anglicans whose faith has been sidelined to accommodate entrists using Anglicanism to promote their brand of feminism.

Note the comments of the Venerable Christine Hardman who "played an important role in getting the legislation to allow women to be Bishops passed by the Church of England". Her inauguration as the new Bishop of Newcastle took place on Saturday. From a report of the event:

Growing up on a London council estate, a young Christine Hardman admits she had nothing to do with religion. Church was so far removed from her life growing up, it was guarded behind a huge fence. “Church didn’t touch our lives on that council estate,” she said. “We weren’t a church going family and the only church on the estate had a big fence so I had nothing to do with it.”

"It was devastating, I felt so sad that the picture the outside world have of the Church of England was that message, that women can’t be Bishops I didn’t want people to see the church like that,” she said. Rev Hardman worried that the church would never be able to attract young people to worship and was alienating people with an idea which many found offensive".

Perhaps she had not noticed that the outside world could not care less about the Church except when applying their secular standards to a faith that has no interest for them until a convenient opportunity for advancement is spotted by some.

Similarly the Venerable Peggy Jackson had no religion before her husband deserted her. She said, "I was at a low in my life, I thought I would give the Church a go and I found the most wonderful welcome. I was feeling desperate and it was a lifeline at a very black time." Her thanksgiving is to punish cradle Anglicans who do not accept her interpretation of the Christian faith by seeking to exclude them.

So having "given the Church a go" the women of  WITCH, WATCH, MAECymru or whatever and their sidekicks remain as determined as ever to force their agenda at any cost, even the demise of Anglicanism in Great Britain.

What a farce!

Trumped!

I am not a supporter of Donald Trump but I defend his right to say what he thinks so long as he does not incite violence. What he called for in his controversial speech was a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States "until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on", possibly indicating that he is as puzzled as are many of us as to why the "religion of peace" figures so prominently in most acts of terrorism.  

In the following video the question raised is 'Why not hear about Islam from a woman who grew up as Muslim in the ME?' This analysis of Islam appeared recently in an Anglican Mainstream article '4 Insane Reasons Why Liberals Admire and Romanticize Islam'. It should help "representatives" in Trump's country, in Britain and elsewhere to figure out what is going on instead of simply repeating the mantra that Islam is a religion of peace. The fact that the majority of Muslims want to live in peace is irrelevant. Without a proper explanation Trumps critics are trumped.

Quartet

                                                                                                                        Source: BBC Films

Amongst the burgeoning diet of murder, violence and intimidation on TV, last evening saw the screening of the BBC's comedy drama, Quartet, a delightful film with a happy ending for a refreshing change. Some of the best comedy lines are repeated in a Review here.

Under the cover of senility the cast are allowed to say what they think without fear of PC dictatorship, a spirit which helped us get through difficult times when Nazism was our greatest threat.

What a shame we have lost the ability to laugh at ourselves. Free speech is constantly being challenged. In our Universities special interest groups seek to determine the agenda while on the national stage Donald Trump is in trouble for expressing his opinion. Parliament will now discuss whether he should be banned from UK after a petition gained enough signatures to force a debate while radicals continue to pour out their hate of what is left of our democracy.

One of the most effective antidotes to hate is ridicule but such humour along with free speech is being suppressed for political gain. That is the problem MPs need to consider.

Meanwhile, escape the gloom:

Learned but thick?

The King Khalid Foundation domestic abuse advert slogan simply reads: 'Some things can’t be
covered – fighting women’s abuse together'                                                        Source: Telegraph

From the Telegraph: A two-year commission, chaired by the former senior judge Baroness Butler-Sloss and involving leading religious leaders from all faiths, calls for public life in Britain to be systematically de-Christianised.

It has been suggested that because Britain has seen a "general decline" in its Christian affiliation the time has come for public life to take on a more "pluralist character". Major state occasions such as a coronation should be changed to be more inclusive while the number of bishops in the House of Lords should be cut to make way for leaders of other religions.

The composition of the Lords Spiritual is currently being diluted under the cloak of equality to accommodate Anglican feminism so male bishops are likely to get the elbow to be replaced by male Imams sitting alongside women Bishops! To wreck Anglicanism in favour of feminism and then replace the Christian faith with an alien ideology which treats women and Christians as inferior not only abroad but in Britain is madness.

Ten years after Muhammad entered the list of the top 20 most popular boy’s names, Muhammad with its variant spellings has become the most popular boy's name in Britain indicating the extent of immigration and post immigration expansion. While Christianity is reported as in decline, Islam is the fastest-growing religion in England and Wales. Clearly it needs no encouragement from those deemed to know better.

Delusions

Delusion 1

Reluctantly, the US authorities have had to conclude that the shooting of 14 civil servants at a Christmas party in California was not the act of a disgruntled employee but one inspired by Islamic fundamentalism: "The investigation so far has developed indications of radicalisation by the killers and of potential inspiration by foreign terrorists organisations".

Nervousness in recognising the facts is understandable. How many more silent potential killers lurk among us? Predictably ISIS have claimed credit but the sad fact is that even when ISIS and all other fundamental Islamist organisations are defeated, the ideology still comes from the book Muslims are required to study from their earliest years. The answer is in proper education, enabling Muslims to question a faith which in Christian terms must be misguided. So long as people are allowed to believe that they can gain a place in paradise by murdering innocent people there will be no change.

In Christianity the greatest of faith, hope and charity (love), is love. By contrast Islam rewards believers at the expense of unbelievers. The characteristics of love and forgiveness are embedded in Christian consciousness, even of nominal and lapsed Christians which leads them to welcome others who reject democracy and regard Christians as inferior. It is a delusion to think that Muslims would allow non-Muslims the same freedom that they demand in our midst yet to question their allegiance is condemned as Islamophobia. If believers cannot question their beliefs and come to their own conclusions they will be forever at the mercy of those who would control them, a devastating lesson learnt all too late by many Christians.

Delusion 2

The leader of the Labour Party was quick to take credit for Labour's victory in the Oldham by-election. Labour Deputy leader Tom Watson said "If this was a referendum on Jeremy Corbyn, then he has won. It was a decisive victory with our share of the vote going up. I hope our MPs look at this result." It was not a referendum. The local verdict was that the electorate simply had confidence in their local lad. It had nothing to do with Jeremy Corbyn's leadership.

The decision of Parliament to ignore the artificial border between Iraq and Syria was a difficult one for MPs. Mr Corbyn likes to base his authority on grass roots support but what is that worth when supporters resort to bullying tactics, sending threats and offensive material to MPs who voted according to conscience?

Delusion 3 

The Anglican Church in this country continues to grapple with the consequences of following the liberal lead of the US Episcopal Church. As attendance continues to decline in line with these liberal innovations the Church of England ("A Christian presence in every community") has even considered a Beeching style closure of churches, leaving a Christian presence in some communities.

The relentless pursuit of a liberal agenda in the Church in Wales where a policy of exclusion continues to operate has resulted in an exercise to keep the current episcopal elite and their supporters in the style to which they have become accustomed by substituting Ministry Areas for Parishes with lay people doing most of the work regardless of whether they are qualified to do so beyond a programme of rudimentary lay training.

Archbishop Morgan thinks it a wonderful idea (here, page 2): "So things are on the move and what has been fantastic about all this is how the parishes concerned have got excited about the prospect, embraced the vision and seen for themselves the advantages that accrue. That is much better than a centrally imposed plan that people do not own."

The question has been raised, "What hope for the Church in Wales?" -  When meetings do not address the problem of alienation there is something wrong with the organisation they exist to serve. Read the alternative view here.