Time to dump the Lords Spiritual?

Source: Report of the All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group on Religion or Belief in Parliament

The recent Report of the All Party Parliamentary Humanist Group on Religion and Belief includes some interesting recommendations. In addition to dumping the Lords Spiritual there are recommendations on The Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons, Prayers in Parliament and Parliament's Role in Governing the Church of England.

In their Forward to the report the Group observe that:

"The UK is more diverse than ever before. In 1983 some 40 percent of British adults said they were Anglicans, 24 percent other Christians, 4 percent other religions, and 31 percent belonging to no religion. Nowadays 13 percent say they are Anglicans, 25 percent other Christians, 10 percent other religions, and 53 percent of no religion. These trends look set to continue – today just one percent of British adults aged 18-24 are Anglicans.

"...Parliament remains a Christian institution. 26 bishops of the Church of England receive automatic  places in the House of Lords. The speaker of the House of Commons has to appoint a Church of England chaplain. The Church of England opens proceedings each day by leading prayers. Parliament governs the Church – through its approval of Church measures, through the ecclesiastical committee, and through questions in the House of Commons."

Anglican Bishops and Archbishops sit in the House of Lords by virtue of the Bishoprics Act 1878. But bishops are not what they were. Mainly trendy lefties, the typical Anglican bishop today is wedded to the spirit of the age, conforming to the pattern of the world. As members of the House of Lords they are able to use a privileged position to lead even more people astray.

The situation has become more absurd following the Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 which allows  accelerating the appointment of women bishops to the House of Lords for no reason other than they are female bishops.

Assorted Lords Spiritual at the State Opening of Parliament  October 2019                Source: Twitter

What an insult to such formidable peers as Baroness Trumpington, Baroness Seear and Baroness (Shirley) Williams of Crosby to give just a few examples. 

Lightweight bishops sitting as Lords Spiritual is even more of a nonsense when the majority of Anglican bishops give the impression of having nothing spiritual about them.

They have become an anachronism and deserve to be dumped so long as the baby is not thrown out with the bathwater. 

Prince Charles has been quoted in the past as saying that on ascending the throne he would become Defender of the Faiths rather than the Faith. Even if he were not to inherit the title of Supreme Governor of the Church of England that would still turn his coronation into a charade. He has since denied the claim but still harbours Islamic leanings.

The Parliamentary Humanist Group drew attention to another charde, the appointment of the Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons. By custom the Speaker appoints a Church of England chaplain. In what was regarded as an act of political correctness, the then Speaker, John Bercow, of Jewish heritage but not religious, set aside convention and appointed his own choice, the Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin.

Hudson-Wilkin now bishop of Dover! 

State opening of Parliament, May 8, 2013.                Source: The Church of England in Parliament

Another female first, and another...

Rachel Treweek                                       Sorce: Christian Today

The bishop of Gloucester ('Journeying Together', although Dr Foster went there, never to return) is the first woman bishop to sit in the House of Lords. She chose to make her maiden speech in a debate on women's empowerment and representation in the UK. Speaking of equality rather than theology she concluded her message with "I hope that my words may have enabled us further to take note of the progress made in the UK in women’s representation and empowerment".

Such is her enthusiasm for representation and empowerment that according to her Parliamentary biography she has no 'member's focus' has not spoken since and has not asked or answered a written question in this parliamentary session, 2016-17. She is recorded as having voted once

Bishop Treweek is much more focused when it comes to LGBT issues. In another first the bishop of Gloucester is to preside at an LGBT Eucharist in January to "offer a safe space" to gay worshippers:

"The Rt Rev Rachel Treweek, Bishop of Gloucester, will celebrate the ceremony set up by Inclusive Church, a LGBT-affirming network of Anglicans, the group reports. It is thought to be the first time a senior diocesan bishop has led an LGBT communion and prompted concern from conservative Anglicans. A spokeswoman for the Gloucester Diocese confirmed Treweek would preside and said: 'As part of Bishop Rachel's ministry she celebrates the Eucharist in many churches across her diocese, to worship will fellow Christians who are all loved and valued by God'."

In her maiden speech the bishop of Gloucester said, "Over the years, I added my voice to the debate to enable the consecration of women to the episcopate, and my starting point was always the firm conviction that all people are created equal in the image of God and called to use their gifts to the glory of God and for the flourishing of all people.

The mind boggles at the opportunity for Eucharistic 'firsts' for all manner of persuasions allowing them to flourish.

In Wales, a film All one in Christ about the experiences of LGBT+ people in church is to be premiered at St Asaph Cathedral in December. The film was made in response to an invitation from the bishops of the Church in Wales for church groups to get involved with the Iris Prize Outreach scheme. The Bishop of St Asaph, Gregory Cameron, will be part of a panel discussion following the premiere.

The only people in Wales created equal in the image of God but not allowed to flourish are those who remain faithful to the teaching and tradition of the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. No appropriate sacramental and pastoral provision has been made for them.

Postscript [02.12.2016]

From the Guardian: "Film about nuns who fall in love to be shown in Welsh cathedral".

The archbishop, Dr Barry Morgan, said: “This film will not be easy watching for church members as it reminds us how people among us have been ostracised and mistreated because of their sexuality.

There are others who have been ostracised and mistreated because of their faith but that is no problem for Morgan and his bench sitters who have abandoned the faith for self-aggrandisement.

Head in the sand

Unfortunately it has taken the atrocities in Paris to concentrate the mind on the nature of Islam. In my entry last Saturday I posed the question 'Something to hide?' after the House of Lords rejected the idea of encouraging a national debate about the nature of Islam.

In September it was claimed that 1 in 50 Syrian refugees in Europe could be an Isis jihadist. Now it has been reported that a Syrian passport was found on attacker who sought asylum in Greece as a refugee.

Not all Muslims are terrorists but too many Muslims have a warped idea of salvation believing that they will be rewarded in paradise for killing Kafirs.

It matters little that most Muslims are 'nice people' if their ideology permits a handful of Muslims to create the carnage witnessed in Paris. There must be a debate.

Lords debate: Situation of Christians in the Middle East

An interesting debate took place in the House of Lords yesterday. Opened by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, he drew this tribute from Lord Mackay of Clashfern: "My Lords, I would like very warmly to thank the most reverend Primate for the opportunity of having this debate in your Lordships' House, and for the scholarly and profound speech with which the debate has been opened." Well deserved praise echoed by subsequent speakers, often in short supply outside the House.

Speaking in the debate (at 12.23) Lord Sacks' contribution was also praised by many speakers. He felt as a Jew in Christian Britain that he could not be silent. He quoted Martin Luther King saying, "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends". Lord Touhig quoted his late old friend Leo Abse who, on his retirement as an MP, gave only one piece of advice to his successor. He said, "Tolerate everyone, tolerate everything but never tolerate the intolerant". 

Replying, Lord Howell of Guildford said, "This has been a hugely enlightening debate, unlocking the vast stores of wisdom that are to be found in your Lordships' House on the issues that we are addressing, on the history behind them-the hinterland of knowledge-and on the prospects for the present and the future in a very turbulent world. We have had some excellent speeches." The speeches clear up many misunderstandings about Christians in the Middle East and are well worth the time reading or listening to them. I particularly liked this aside from the Archbishop of Canterbury: "A Palestinian Christian friend of mine was wont to say when asked by westerners, 'When did your family become Christians?'  'About 2,000 years ago' was the reply." 

In his contribution to the debate, Lord Ahmed of Wimbledon quoted his mother saying: "The Abrahamic faiths are that Judaism lays the foundations, Christianity builds the walls and Islam is the roof. We all have the same origin and the same destination. Together we build a single house of worship". The reality is different. Mosques are demanded while other places of worship are destroyed. The plight of Coptic Christians is well documented. One of their priests gives a clear insight into their problems here. Translating their situation to Great Britain, the "silence of our friends" is contributing to the demise of Christianity while Islam is in the ascendency. The suggestion that Islam is the roof is used to claim that Muhammad was the last in a line of Jewish prophets of which Jesus was just another, raising the prophet above the Son of God. That is unacceptable to Christians. Leo Abse's advice "never tolerate the intolerant" is particularly apt.

There is a video link to the debate here. Highly recommended.

Gay “Marriage” (2) – Wahee….!

The Independent reports that the amendment to the Equality Bill, which was tabled as a free vote by gay Muslim peer Waheed Alli, received overwhelming backing in the Lords, including from a number of prominent Anglican bishops. The report continued, “MPs are unlikely to oppose [the Bill] because the vote was so overwhelming in the Lords.”

In a previous Blog I predicted that civil partnership blessings would soon be turned into ‘weddings’. Within days pressure was building up to refer to these ceremonies as such and voices have grown ever stronger following the vote in the Lords. Some may regard that simply as semantics but more worrying from The Times, “Church of England clergy will be sued for discrimination if they refuse to “marry” homosexuals under a proposed law, a bishop has warned. Other religious leaders fear that churches that refuse to bless civil partnerships might be forced to close”.

Such a shame to close churches after all the hard work put in by our American friend with her WATCH campaign, supposedly revitalising the church despite its dwindling numbers. Who will put the next nail in the Church of England's coffin I wonder? But I thought this quote from our Muslim friend took the biscuit, “Religious freedom cannot begin and end with what one religion wants.” – Waheed. I shall have to remember that one.