Guiding Synod

The General Synod yesterday approved a private members motion on a new promise introduced by Girl Guides UK in September 2013. Guiders, ex-guiders, lay and ordained queued to speak, mainly in favour of the motion. One woman priest went so far as to claim that she owed her ministry to her membership of the Girl Guides when she developed a liking for parading up the church aisle in uniform. Despite procedural manoeuvres including a call to proceed to next business, the motion had strong support although a male priest protested that Synod had no business meddling in the affairs of the Guide movement. At one stage unwholesome tittering erupted around the chamber after the mover confessed that she didn't like young girls very much; she preferred older women. In the sexually charged atmosphere created by the items on the agenda the mover was forced to clarify what she meant which tended to confirm a claim that the Church of England has become obsessed with sex and the ordination of women.

For reasons previously explained (here) I found it particularly ironic that the now secularised Church of England was complaining that the Guide movement was following the same path. The background paper [GS 1943A] compared the new "To be true to myself and to develop my beliefs" with the previous "To love my God". Better still would be the original "To do my duty to God and to the Queen". If that is not acceptable, then join an organisation or form one which accords with one's own beliefs. But that is not how it works today as traditionalist Anglicans have found to their cost. Feminist entrists in the Church of England have been so successful in appealing to a godless general public to promote their secular ideals that the spirit of the age is now more important than the Gospel giving rise to statements such as 'others would see the Church as increasingly “irrelevant” and promoting attitudes “akin to racism” over its response...to hold special services honouring same-sex relationships' - Justin Welby (here). 

Being true to oneself and to develop one's beliefs are fine principles in themselves as Buddhists would no doubt agree. 'To love my God' would probably have more appeal to Muslim recruits. For Christians there is only one way to the Father and that is through Jesus Christ. That is what the Church of England should proclaim.

The Scouts retain their promise "To do my duty to God and to the Queen" but unlike the (girls only) Guides, the Scouts have had to become gender neutral. How long before they are forced by a potential girl Scout to force another change. 

Synod,  'Physician heal thyself'.

Priestesses and fertility rites to save the Church of England?

Photo: Tradition in Action 

"The Church of England is trying to recruit pagans and spiritual believers as part of a drive to retain congregation numbers". So says an article in the Telegraph under the headline "Church of England creating 'pagan church' to recruit members." As bizarre as this may seem it is not without precedent. There are examples here and an explanation here. 

The Church of England is following the medical and teaching professions in becoming increasingly feminised so the notion of parity has become a contradiction. Perhaps female dominance will result again in celebrating the 'ess' of womanhood with the return of the priestess. However, it is important to retain a sense of proportion. Calls for more women to be involved in every sphere of public life simply for being women are nonsensical as Melanie Phillips reminded Tessa Jowell on Question Time after her sweeping generalisation that women have a moderating influence. Tessa Jowell was contradicted by Melanie Phillips who cited the female dominated Care Quality Commission debacle as a topical example. 

In pagan times the Christian church stood apart from sexual license and fertility rites dominated by temple priestesses but that is being overturned with demands for diversity to be celebrated in the church. In a speech in the Lords the Archbishop of York posed the question: "What do you do with people in same-sex relationships that are committed, loving and Christian? Would you rather bless a sheep and a tree, and not them?" The difference is, Your grace, that sheep and trees and the birds and the bees do what comes naturally!

There is something radically wrong when the basis of our institutions can be changed to mean what was never intended at the outset. In the Telegraph article Andrea Campenale, of the Church Mission Society, said: “Nowadays people, they want to feel something; they want to have some sense of experience". Some of us used to!

Postscript

How about a mid-service disco too? Andrew Brown thinks this vicar's disco dance gives hope to the Church of England.

Another promise goes down the pan

The Promise

Adults, Senior Section members and Guides work towards making, or reaffirm, the following Promise:

I promise that I will do my best:

To love my God,

To serve the Queen and my country,

To help other people

and

To keep the Guide Law.

A report in the Telegraph shows that a consultation is under way which could result in the Girl Guides organisation dropping God and Queen from its oath. Previously it was  reported that the organisation was considering dropping God. But is there any point in making a promise in Britain today? The Anglican Church doesn't feel honour bound to retain promises made to orthodox Anglicans so if they are redundant in the church they must be utterly pointless in the “the ultimate feminist organisation”, as the Chief Executive and former Head of the Family Planning Association described the Guides - Feminism is about equal rights, that is, letting girls join the Scouts while keeping the Guides exclusively for girls in the name of equality. 

According to the report, 'the review follows complaints from two families with no religious faith who wanted their children to become Guides but objected to the oath'. So it is back to minorities. Rather than look for an atheist organisation or form their own, they prefer to destroy what is good for their own satisfaction. The church has led the charge with everything from the ordination of women leading to the controversies over gay bishops. Everything is being turned upside down for those who do not conform, except for traditionalists in the church whose wishes are simply ignored. How long before the Affirmations of Faith are dropped from Holy Baptism for the benefit of those who have a problem with the basic tenets of Christianity?