Pope Francis evicts "enemy" Cardinal Burke

The rumours have been confirmed. Pope Francis evicts his US critic, Cardinal Raymond Burke, from the Vatican. 

A useful commentary of events leading to the eviction of the pope's "enemy" is provided at the beginning of the above podcast video.

Pope Francis has attracted much criticism from commentators. Traditionalist Anglicans have looked on in bemusement as he appears to be guiding the Catholic Church along the path to ruin, the path already trod by the Episcopal Church in the US, the Church of England and the Church in Wales, among others.

Having sown the seeds of hope for change among revisionists, the Vatican is trying to draw a line on women’s ordination and homosexuality in new letter to German bishops.

That will not stop revisionists from pecking away as they seek to make the Church conform to the pattern of this world rather than be transformed as the Anglican Church in the West has witnessed 

What hope can there be for a Church when Christians who practice their faith by obedience to the word rather than apostates are regarded as the enemy?

Alun Turing £50 note

Bank of England £50 note                                                                                      Source: BBC News

The design of the Bank of England's new £50 note features the mathematician, codebreaker and computer pioneer Alan Turing. It enters circulation on what would have been his birthday, 23 June.

 Alan Turing was given a posthumous royal pardon in 2013 following his 1952 conviction for gross indecency. He was arrested after having an affair with a 19-year-old Manchester man and chemically castrated.

In 2017 around 49,000 gay and bisexual men were pardoned for past convictions under the so-called Turing law.

Remorse over the death of Alan Turing and changing attitudes to homosexuality have been used by pressure groups to demand equality for just about any preference. Alleged 'victims' have become oppressors demanding conformity to their ideas. 

Credit: Elinor Carucci for TIME

'Rights' are demanded however bizarre the circumstances may appear.

Gender has become so confused that trans-sexual 'men' having babies can be classified as male gender. 

In 2019 the first three-parent baby was born.

Mice have already been created using cells from same sex parents. 

Channel 4 is currently running a series 'Strangers Making Babies' which follows a group of "single, would-be parents looking for a platonic partner to have a baby with".

 

These are not isolated individuals. There are 70,000 people signed up to co-parenting sites looking for platonic partners to have children 'without love'. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is was love!

The Church has become complicit by giving in to demands for blessing same sex unions and church weddings. 

Campaigners will rejoice at Alan Turing's well deserved recognition but it comes at a price.

Fasting with friends

Preparing for ordination to the Deaconate by fasting with Muslims         CinW

Tomorrow, Church in Wales ordinand Sara Roberts will spend the day at Bangor Islamic Centre, before joining with the Iftar, the meal which Muslims share to break/end their day time fast during Ramadan, according to a Diocesan press release from Bangor.

If her face looks familiar she previously appeared on this blog as a member of the Diocese of Bangor’s new LGBT+ Chaplaincy Team. You have to wonder what the local Imam makes of that given Islam's absolute rejection of homosexuality.

Presumably the bishop of Bangor is content with this arrangement which makes it all the more worrying. Perhaps the Dean of Bangor facilitated the visit given her Muslim links. But the Iftar is not a first. Archbishop Justin Welby has already been 'honoured' in joining Muslims breaking their daily Ramadan fast.

As the church embraces Islam I am reminded of an earlier departure from accepted norms when a deacon down South proudly described herself as "Reiki Master, Feng Shui practitioner, Crystal Healer and Deacon".

No doubt these people have the best of intentions but for the Church? I am sure Ms Roberts means well but one has to wonder about the selection process for ordination in the Church on Wales. Islam and Christianity are at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to beliefs. 

Ms Roberts said, “There are many reasons why I am doing this: to show solidarity to our Muslim neighbours, to share in this powerful testament to faith, to contemplate my approaching ordination and what it means and to explore more deeply the relationship between food, prayer and connection to the Divine." What testament to faith? Islam or Christianity?

The problem is that Islam denies Christ died on the cross. Under Sharia Christians are given the options of convert to Islam, pay the dhimmi jizya tax or die. As pleasant as her Muslim neighbours may be, that is what they are taught. As they grow in numbers their demands increase. If the diocese of Bangor needs any proof they should just look beyond our borders at Islamic states abroad.

One hopes that Ms Roberts will feel able to preach the Gospel without fear of offending her Muslim friends. Christ died on the cross. He is the only way to the Father

The Host

St Augustine's church Rumney, Cardiff                                                                                                                               Source: Twitter @CATACymru . Jul 17

There was a time in the Church in Wales when the the Host had nothing to to do with advancing secular causes. Male and female, gay and straight went to church as the Body of Christ even if in many parts.

Today the Church in Wales 'hosts' secular minority causes such as feminism and homosexuality from St Asaph in the North to Rumney in the South. The latest group to have their cause taken up by the secular elite known in Wales as the bench of bishops is Changing Attitude Trawsnewid Agwedd Cymru. Their goal, "full inclusion & equality of opportunity for LGBTQIA people in the Church in Wales & the Anglican Communion".

Given the prominence of gays in the church, 'inclusion & equality' has to be taken to mean dominance since their very presence at all levels proves that they are anything but excluded. The Archbishop of Wales is so keen on advancing the homosexual cause that he hoped that he would be able to consecrate a gay bishop before consecrating a woman bishop.

So absurd has this campaign become that while cancer sufferers have to beg for treatment which costs 43 pence, the Government chooses to offer gay men a daily pill costing £400 a month to support their life style.

As a gay recipient put it, "I've seen the panic on the face of previous boyfriends when they are awaiting their [HIV test] results - it's a huge fear and it affects everything you do. To be able to have sex without having that fear hanging over you all the time is huge."

"Changing history in the church!"                                                  Source: Twitter @FlintshirePride 

Welcome to the gay church of Wales - unless you are in the minority struggling to keep the faith. 

There is no 'inclusion & equality' for you.

Postscript [11.12.2016]

Readers clicking on the 'hosts' link in paragraph 2 will note that viewing the Iris Prize documentary All One in Christ is now confined to a private audience. An extract can be seen in a BBC clip here.

Given the purpose of the film was to educate people about the way gay people have been "ostracised and mistreated because of their sexuality" the exercise seems to have lost its point. As Dr Morgan put it, "I hope this powerful film will bring home to all the scale of the damage done and ultimately help change attitudes within the church." This farce indicates that his starting point should be with the Bench.

Victims!

The bishop-elect of St Davids receiving Holy Communion from the Chaplain to the LGBT community in the Diocese of St Asaph.                     Source: BBC

"By far the most popular homophile tactic is the claim to victim status, which is a very powerful, almost paralyzing, weapon that gives them a distinct advantage in the public square." 

The six ways homosexual activists manipulate public opinion

A BBC report headed 'Church in Wales premieres sexuality acceptance film' includes a video clip showing the bishop-elect of St Davids receiving Holy Communion from the Chaplain to the LGBT community in the diocese of St Asaph, illustrating an inclusive church in which homosexual people are portrayed as victims.

In the Guardian report St Asaph Cathedral will host the screening of All One in Christ on 6 December. The 12-minute documentary is "critical" of the church’s approach to homosexuality. It tells the story of two former nuns who fell in love only to be ostracised by the church after their relationship was exposed.

That was forty years ago. Today, gay and lesbian clergy are very much in evidence from deacons to deans. There has yet to be an openly gay bishop but there have been plenty of rumours surrounding some of the bench sitters over the years so why such absurd claims?

If homosexuality is accepted on a par with heterosexuality there would be no need for people to come out. With two wives and two husbands raising children as 'family' units, acceptance as normal families is demanded. But it is not normal. It is part of the same sex marriage agenda which members of the Church in Wales rejected by a margin of 4:1 in St Davids diocese. 'Changing Attitude' explains the Archbishop's claim that Canon Penberthy is 'the best person to be a bishop'. Someone to carry on his mission after Dr Morgan retires in January 2017.

The claims are false. The real victims in the Church in Wales are those who have been ostracised for keeping the faith against the tide of secularism advanced by Barry and the bench sitters. That Canon Penberthy has been made bishop-elect of St Davids in such circumstances is a travesty from which the Church in Wales is unlikely to recover.

Now hear this

Why the simultaneous rise of homosexuality and Islam? 

An interview with Peter Kreeft. (HT Anglican Mainstream)

Speaking about the simultaneous rise of homosexuality and Islam the Philosopher Peter Kreeft says “They’re the only two movements in Western civilization that will fight and die for their beliefs.”  

Politicians, church leaders and other misguided liberals including Channel 4: hear, mark, learn and inwardly digest.

Minority madness

Oscar Wilde was imprisoned for it and died penniless in exile. Alan Turing killed himself after providing our nation with unparalleled service in our greatest need. Just two tragedies illustrating that prejudice against homosexuality does humanity no credit. But is there a line to be drawn? Estimates suggest that just 1% of the population consider themselves gay or lesbian, only some of whom would like the opportunity to be 'married' rather than to be bound by a civil partnership. This is seen as a step too far, particularly in a religious context. The debate about same-sex marriage appears to be out of all proportion to the numbers involved but an injustice is still an injustice if it is legitimate. But what of justice for whom marriage is a sacrament which joins man and woman together for the procreation of children in biological and spiritual union as expressed in the Book of Common Prayer:

At the day and time appointed for solemnization of Matrimony, the persons to be married shall come into the body of the Church with their friends and neighbours: and there standing together, the Man on the right hand, and the Woman on the left, the Priest shall say,

   DEARLY beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of this congregation, to join together this Man and this Woman in holy Matrimony; which is an honourable estate, instituted of God in the time of man's innocency, signifying unto us the mystical union that is betwixt Christ and his Church; which holy estate Christ adorned and beautified with his presence, and first miracle that he wrought, in Cana of Galilee; and is commended of Saint Paul to be honourable among all men: and therefore is not by any to be enterprised, nor taken in hand, unadvisedly, lightly, or wantonly, to satisfy men's carnal lusts and appetites, like brute beasts that have no understanding; but reverently, discreetly, advisedly, soberly, and in the fear of God; duly considering the causes for which Matrimony was ordained.
      First, It was ordained for the procreation of children, to be brought up in the fear and nurture of the Lord, and to the praise of his holy Name.
      Secondly, It was ordained for a remedy against sin, and to avoid fornication; that such persons as have not the gift of continency might marry, and keep themselves undefiled members of Christ's body.
      Thirdly, It was ordained for the mutual society, help, and comfort, that the one ought to have of the other, both in prosperity and adversity. Into which holy estate these two persons present come now to be joined. Therefore if any man can shew any just cause, why they may not lawfully be joined together, let him now speak, or else hereafter for ever hold his peace.


Government assertions that churches will not be forced into conducting same-sex unions have already been dismissed. There is a cautionary warning from Canada here.


The Rt Rev Tim Stevens, Bishop of Leicester, summed up the position in this piece in the Guardian: the CofE had been supportive of civil partnerships when the legislation was introduced eight years ago. But he added: "I think the difficulty we have here is the substitution of equality for uniformity, that is to say that there can be no distinction at all between men and women. The government is seeking to meet what it perceives to be the needs of the gay community. I would say that the Church of England is sympathetic to those needs, we want to see a society in which gay people are fully included and their needs are fully provided for.""But this does not amount to a basis for introducing a complete redefinition of the concept of marriage based on a consultation process which is at the very least rapid
"From a standing start within three months to arrive at a fully considered, weighed and articulated redefinition of a fundamental social institution which has been thought about in one particular way for centuries and which is broadly accepted as a social institution in the same way internationally - to change all that on the basis of a consultation like this seems to be at the very least unwise and ill considered."



What I find remarkable about this debate (which seems to have arrived from nowhere and has become such a divisive issue when there has been no mandate for change) is the supposed drive for justice for a tiny minority view which confuses equality with uniformity. Why is it that those in the Church of England who now see themselves in the majority do not have the same regard for those of us who, through synodical procedure, find ourselves in a minority as we seek to uphold our traditional belief in the priesthood in common with the wider Apostolic church?  The Church of England at last sees the writing on the wall with the threat of exclusion. Many of us already know what that means!  

Our 'multi-cultural' society

I missed the Channel 4 programme, Make Bradford British, but since it has been referred to so many times and debated on the BBC's Question Time I caught up with it on 4OD. There is a Telegraph review here. Reading the review, I see I was not alone in thinking that Rashid, a Muslim former Rugby League player made the biggest impact. The reason being that out of eight people from various backgrounds brought together in an integration experiment he was the least co-operative, not out of malice, but because his religion came first which was clearly disappointing for the others in the house. What put a different complexion on the proceedings was not that Rashid insisted on praying five times a day but that he had to go to the mosque to pray, delaying the dinner he had offered to cook (he eventually went to a take-away) and disrupting the experiment in the process. The reason? In his own words because he would get a lot more blessings and rewards, the reward being '27 to 25 times more' if he prayed in a congregation rather than at home.

For most Christians, buying one's way to paradise is an alien concept, a concept explained here in 'Gather Blessings in the Mosques'. This article stresses that 'praying in the mosque and being attached to the mosque is a very pious and rewardable action gathering rewards and good deeds for the hereafter. God loves and rewards those who find repose and comfort in the mosques. Whoever builds a mosque seeking the pleasure of God, God builds a similar one for him in paradise'.The following paragraph helps to explain the thinking of Muslims and to understand the pressure for more mosques to be built: 'There are six places in which a person is guaranteed the safekeeping of God, the Most High, as long as he is in one of them. In a congregational mosque, with a sick person, at a funeral, in his house, with a just ruler whom he supports and treats with respect, or at a place where people are fighting jihad! [my emphasis - Ed]. 


With almost daily stories of Christian churches being burned to the ground in Islamic states and worshippers murdered or driven out of their homeland it is illuminating to read "Britain is among the safest places for people to worship freely and in peace, an Islamic leader has said at the opening of a new £900,000 mosque in Feltham, west London" despite the constant reports of supposed Islamophobia. There is an interesting juxtaposition between the 'Gather Blessings in the Mosques' article referred to above and an article in the Left Foot Forward Blog  under the headline 'Warsi’s call for the dominance of Christianity ignores that it’s Islam under threat'. In defence of mosque building, towards the end of the article there is a complaint about a statement in the Telegraph back in 2006: 
   "the most prominent religious building in the camera shot will not be one of the city’s iconic churches that have shaped the nation’s history, such as St Paul’s Cathedral or Westminster Abbey, but the mega mosque. Its arrival in London will be a significant coup for Islam and a major event for the country as a whole’. However, there was no complaint or even a mention about the introduction to the article where 'Abu Izzadeen, the firebrand Islamist militant, berated John Reid last week for "daring" to visit a Muslim area." This a concept that is spreading, a problem which was referred to in the CH4 programme where Bradford City centre was said to be now 95% Asian.


But these double standards are something to which we have become so accustomed that we hardly turn a hair. It was no surprise then that the head of the BBC, Mark Thompson, admitted that 'We’ll mock Jesus but not Mohammed'. Of course if anyone dared to offend Muslims there would be demonstrations and death threats from those who say they are British but Muslim first. They believe that 'Mosques are special places filled with blessings and rewards, however, God has conferred a special blessing upon the nation of Muslims, the whole earth has been declared a mosque, so when the time for prayer comes and a believer is unable to pray in congregation in a building he may pray wherever he may be.' Hence the use of surrounding streets to justify more and bigger buildings. 


We are surrounded by Islamic symbols be it mosque or Islamic dress and threatened with retribution against perceived threats while Christians are denied the opportunity to express their religion other than in their churches. The authorities pussyfoot around making endless excuses about unrepresentative extremists in apparent ignorance of fundamental Islamic teaching which regards non-Muslims as underdogs in a world that belongs to Allah. In the Question Time programme I referred to above, most speakers uttered the usual bland platitudes about living together apparently unconcerned about David Starkey's complaint that he was the one who would be arrested if he criticised the Quran because it prescribed the death sentence for his homosexuality, one of many Islamic 'sins' attracting the death penalty such as apostasy and blasphemy, often used to oppress Christians, particularly in Pakistan. 


Unusual for the BBC, today's Breakfast News reported on the 'divided loyalties' of one million Pakistanis living in Great Britain out of 3.7 million expatriates who are to be given the vote in Pakistan in recognition that 5% of Pakistan's GDP had been sent back by overseas Pakistanis showing “solidarity and integrity of our motherland” despite their country's failure to protect minorities, something they insist on in Great Britain. On top of this comes the revelation that British war graves on the outskirts of Benghazi have been desecrated by Islamist militants and the symbol of Christ's redeeming love, the Cross, attacked with sledge hammers. This after Libyans had pleaded with the West to assist them in their struggle for freedom and the outrage expressed after burning some copies of the Quran. 


No doubt the CH4 experiment will show that multiculturalism can work in a house of eight people designed for the purpose but in the real world, Christianity is suppressed and only Islam is shown any respect, something that our children now pick up in school adding to the impression that in our multi-cultural society, Islam is holy when all the evidence is to the contrary. Apologists for a political ideology that seeks our demise should get their heads out of the sand, look around them and listen to someone with experience.

Alan Turing's stamp of approval and petition for a pardon.

Alan Turing (1912 - 1954)

One of the greatest tragedies of all time is the avoidable death and consequent early loss to civilization of Alan Turing, the master codebreaker and visionary responsible for the computing technology we have today. The most gifted man of his generation, regarded by some amongst the most gifted in the history of the world, he committed suicide after being punished by the state for his homosexuality despite everything he had done to help win WW2, saving millions of lives in the process and giving birth to the computer age.

In November last year, Channel 4 broadcast a moving TV documentary drama which I hope will be repeated for the benefit of anyone who missed it. Today the Guardian has details of stamps to be issued by the Royal Mail in February illustrating ten prominent people in their 'Britons of Distinction' series. Alan Turing is among them.

In 2009 Gordon Brown issued an unequivocal apology to Alan Turing, saying the country owed him a huge debt but that is not enough. He deserves a pardon. An e-petition has been been raised with a closing date of 23/11/2012. You can sign it here - but only because Alan Turing made it possible!

UK Gay Men Want Church Weddings

An interesting statistic from care2 crossed my desk this morning: "A survey of gay men in the UK has found two fifths want a church wedding". Looking at the results, the study also reveals that "almost two thirds (60%) of gay men feel the Government should enforce the lifting of the ban with the Church who, despite the change in legislation, is refusing to bless gay couples wishing to marry in church".

These are remarkable statistics given that research in 2007 suggests that only 15% go to a church 'once a month' - now the measure of 'regular'! So are gays more spiritual than non-gays? Apparently yes but the feeling that the Government should enforce the lifting of the ban on gay couples wishing to marry in church has nothing to do with religion; it has more to do with human rights without regard to the sensitivities of religion. 

As ever some of the comments in response to the care2 article are as interesting as the subject matter with complaints of anti-gay sentiments levelled at anyone daring to disagree. Homosexuality is a fact of life which, in my experience, is accepted without prejudice. In Christian terms marriage is also a fact of life with the joining together of a man and and a woman for the procreation of children. A partnership is what it says, simply a legal joining together free of sexual connotation. The Church of England web site sets out its position clearly: 

"You’re welcome to marry in the Church of England whatever your beliefs, whether or not you are christened and regardless of whether you go to church or not. It’s your church, and we welcome you!" 

That welcome is to be married on the church's terms. It is not something to be imposed from outside. The LGBT community does itself a disservice in wishing to see religious freedom restricted in the church while demanding every freedom for themselves.