Discrimination and violence against women

 

An ideology that permits the behaviour described above has no place in civilised society yet its adherents are courted by politicians to gain their support. Even supposedly Christian leaders fall into the same trap.

The goal of Islam is to take over the entire world because they believe that Muslims have a right given by their God, Allah, to "take over the lands of the inferior non-Muslim nations where infidels do not believe in Islam and refuse to worship Allah."

The fate of the West in Muslim eyes has already been made clear. 

How can anyone who enjoys their freedom vote for supporters of such an ideology?

Postscript  08.07.2024

The Islamist threat to the West explained by a Palestinian ex-militant.

It's such a laugh being a bench sitter

The bishop of St Asaph, an ecstatic Archbishop of Wales, the bishop of Monmouth and the bishop of Swansea and Brecon with Joanna Penberthy,
a monoglot in the conservative, bilingual diocese of St Davids but claimed by the Archbishop to be "the best person to be a bishop"! 

Archbishop Barry Morgan is seen in the above BBC clip preparing for his crowning glory, his consecration of the first woman bishop in the Church in Wales. Not that her election had anything to do with her being a woman he insists, something believed only by his fawning functionaries. The blanket coverage of the event confirmed that it has everything to do with the 129th bishop of St Davids being a woman putting politics before religion.

Making his place in history regardless of the consequences has been Morgan's mission. After the ceremony he admitted that the occasion had been "a particular honour for him as he ends his ministry". It was "the icing on the cake".

Reminiscent of the absurd claim by the Ass Bishop of Llandaff that 'the ordination of women will rid the world of homophobia, misogyny, brutalisation of women in all situations including those in war zones', in this video Dr Morgan links violence against women with Crossing the Threshold, the St Deiniol’s Group campaign for promoting women bishops.

Ironically it is these same women who have caused so much misery to a far greater number of women and men who have been trampled on by them while claiming to be called by God. They have called themselves. If God were going to call women, Jesus Christ would have done so 2,000 years ago. No matter how they twist scripture to make it appear more relevant to society, He didn't. The cost to Christian unity has been immense but that is irrelevant to them.

The Church in Wales is a tiny little Province in the Anglican Communion which makes its own rules yet supporters of the ordination of women claim that 'the church' has accepted it. The vast majority of Anglicans and the wider Apostolic Church have rejected the innovation. Dr Morgan suggests picking biblical texts selectively to support his view that the decision empowers women. At the same time he disregards all those women who have been cast aside because they have not succumbed to his political point scoring.

An embrace for the woman bishop.  Source: ITV

It is odd that the antics of the Church in Wales receive so much attention in the media given that churchgoing has become so depleted under Archbishop Barry Morgan's administration. His ministry has been dominated by embracing the ordination of women and LGBT issues. It has not encouraged the growth suggested. Instead, people have simply left in droves. Currently around 0.8% of the population regularly attend Sunday services. Decline continues at a staggering 5% a year. But the bench appears unconcerned in their cosy little cocoon. 

In the run up to the consecration the BBC dutifully turned up "at the church's training college" to record the proceedings for posterity. Formerly Wales' own St Michael's Theological College it was forced to close on Barry Morgan's watch as have many churches.

The BBC headline was History will be made tomorrow. A woman will be made a bishop in the Church in Wales for the first time. Unfortunately the iPlayer recording is not currently available but here are the recorded comments of the bishop-elect of St Davids with Barry and the bench sitters showing their true intentions, particularly with regard to the Code of Practice which the bench deliberately put in place to deprive traditional Anglicans of acceptable sacramental oversight as provided in the Church of England.

Asked how she responds to people who still can't accept women bishops the bishop-elect said: 
It's strange that people find it so difficult to see the full humanity in women as well as in men and why men are seen as the person that God calls and women are sort of slightly on the side. People are entitled to their consciences but I think the time for rehashing the argument is over.
It is understandable that she thinks that rehashing the argument is over because on further investigation the duplicity of the bench would be exposed.

I thought the bishop-elect's choice of words was rather odd given the circumstances the Church in Wales find herself in.
Humanity = The quality of being humane; benevolence.
Humane = showing kindness, care, and sympathy towards others, especially those who are suffering.
But who cares? The bench doesn't.

Note also the change of tone having joined the bench. Previously the bishop-elect claimed:
"As someone who in the early years was at the receiving end of prejudice and discrimination, I have absolutely no intention of dishing that out so I think it's important that everybody feels free to be honest about their opinions and about their misgivings."
Asked by Ed Stourton about the nature of the alleged 'discrimination' she had suffered it amounted to no more than "blank incomprehension" that she would want to exercise her own ministry rather than help her husband. If disagreement amounts to discrimination, Barry and his bench sitters have been exercising discrimination against fellow members of their church for years.

Asked how the bishop-elect would manage opposition to women bishops in practical terms she said:
The genius of Anglicanism has been the way we have held people of all sorts and different opinions so there is a code of practice that enables us to make place for people who don't wish to receive my sacramental ministry.
No mention of course that the Code of Practice was written to be inclusive only on terms acceptable to the bench.

An ecstatic Dr Barry Morgan said: She's a woman and women always change things, for the better usually.
Is changing her mind to that of the bench an example of what he had in mind?

The bishop of Swansea and Brecon wryly observed:
It may change the way in which the rest of us behave at bench meetings because we can be quite robust.

Referring to 'Bishop Jo' in her new role, Bishop Dick of Monmouth said:
"The Church in Wales still hasn't got many senior posts with women in and I think 'Bishop Jo' coming along now will be a very clear signal", contrary to the Archbishop's claim that the appointment had nothing to do with Joanna Penberthy being a woman.

Oblivious to any fundamental conscientious objection to the ordination of women, the bishop of Bangor added:
As people see that she will do a wonderful job they will be won over.

But it was the bishop of St Asaph who rather candidly let the cat out of the bag when he said:
The Church needs to be the sort of place which says, this is how to disagree well. The real problem I think is that those who can't accept women bishops want more than we feel able to give.

With that revelation Dr Morgan concluded the gathering by engaging in some light-hearted banter directed towards bishop Jo. He said:
To the Archbishop they say Your Grace if they want to be terribly formal, to bishops they say my Lord, and I was just saying to John, she could be like the Queen, Ma'am. 

It's all such a laugh for bench sitters.

The bishops of St Davids and Gloucester share a laugh.  Source Wales Online     

Bishops in the Church in Wales have their own way of seeing things. Dr Morgan expressed his delight that out of the nine consecrations he has performed, that of Joanna Penberthy was the most applauded. It was reported that more than 500 people attended the bilingual service. The empty seats in the nave shown in ITV News coverage suggests that most must have been stood around the West door! Dr Morgan paid tribute to the Church’s women clergy for “daring to trust and hope” during what had been a “long and hard journey” to ordination, ignoring others left with no hope.

Dr Morgan said he could not think of a nicer way to end his ministry - "it is fantastic" he said. Now he looks forward to further elections when women will be included 'equally' with men (ie, preferentially). Llandaff next while more people leave the church?

Empty seats visible at the Consecration service                                                                                                                                                            Source: ITV

The Church in Northern Nigeria - crushed but not defeated - as in Great Britain, for now

The impact of persistent violence on the Church in Northern Nigeria has been highlighted in a report by Open Doors. You can read the Report here.

The research shows that decades of targeted religious violence has had an even larger impact on the Church in Northern Nigeria than previously expected. The violence against Christians in the region has resulted in thousands of people killed, including between 9,000 to 11,500 Christians – a conservative estimation according to this report. A large number of Christian properties have been destroyed, including 13,000 churches that have either been destroyed or closed down.

According to the report, over a million Christians in Northern Nigeria have become internally displaced or have settled in other areas of Nigeria in search of safety and security.

"More Anglicans die at the hands of Boko Haram than all Christians in Middle East" says the Rt. Rev. Jacob Kwashi, Bishop of Zonkwa, in northern Nigeria in a Virtue Online interview.

Also in the interview, "GAFCON Primates say they will not accept gifts from TEC [The Episcopal Church] or TWS [Trinity Wall Street] to be turned on [the] Gay Issue. In three years, Welby will be forced to take a stand, or watch as [the] Communion splits".

There are more than 20 million Nigerian Anglicans. Meanwhile the comparatively small Anglican Church in the West faces defeat from within as the chipping away of faith and tradition continues and the secular agenda intensifies.

How ironic that the centre of Anglicanism has become the source of its own destruction. 

The road to hell...

... is not always paved with good intentions.

‘Koran invites people to violence’ – Queen’s chaplain                Photo: Reuters / Luke MacGregor

A recurring theme among some employees was the pressure they felt they were under to keep their religion hidden at work and feeling discriminated against when it came to wearing religious symbols or expressing their beliefs.  This was particularly felt by Christians. - Creating a fairer Britain

Misplaced secularism dressed up as religion in some quarters and political correctness have resulted in Jews and Christians being afraid to express their faith in their own country today while Muslims, many of them immigrants who came to our shores to enjoy the benefits of a free society, not only parade their faith on our streets with impunity but aim to use democracy against us to advance the cause of Islam. If that were not bad enough they have been aided by the Anglican Church. 

Despite all the advantages they demand for their own religion Muslims continue to complain about the way they are treated, treated being the operative word: "Yesterday, more than 60 imams and leaders of Muslim groups signed an open letter to the Government accusing it of criminalising Islam". Why? Because one of the Queen’s chaplains,the Reverend Canon Gavin Ashenden expressed concern that around 100 passages in the Muslim holy book incite followers to violence, including 'striking off heads'.

How can they complain? Because they can. They regard it as a religious duty to do so, diverting any criticism away from Islam. In their open letter to the government, the imams and Muslim group leaders claimed that the ‘terror threat’ was being exploited for political capital ahead of the election as ‘the big parties inevitably try to outdo each other in their nastiness’. They have criticised the ‘demonisation of Muslims in Britain ... despite their disavowal of violence and never having supported terrorist acts’.

By inference they must accept that what Canon Ashdenden said is true but they do not approve of him expressing his concern that Islam gives rise to violent jihad, presumably on the grounds that cultural jihad is peaceful by comparison as they attempt to convert Britain and every other free nation to Islam under the rule of Sharia.   

Despite all the evidence to the contrary, denial is constant: Imam says Islam not to blame for “deplorable acts” of sex grooming gangs. It was “not credible to blame a whole community”. He added: “Some groups are exploiting the cases of sexual grooming and are linking the depraved actions of the perpetrators to Islam. The 'whole community' is not being blamed, neither are Muslims in general but it is undeniable that the common factor in the violence abroad and the wretched child abuse dominating the media at home is Islam.

It should be obvious even to the casual observer that Islam is at war worldwide, as it has been since its formation, overtly with armed jihad in Iraq, Syria and Africa and covertly with the more sinister cultural jihad in the West. Muslims constantly defend Islam insisting that right is on their side because their prophet said so. That is merely a justification of his own position on his own terms without critical assessment, something that is banned in Islam. By comparison the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the witnessed, fulfillment of Biblical prophecies. There cannot be another prophet other than a false prophet.

Replying to Thomas (the doubter) when Christ was asked, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him."

The Bible could not be clearer. Jesus fulfills the many biblical prophecies with the warning: "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. You will know them by their fruits". Two short, sound, simple proofs that Muhammad was a false prophet from Deuteronomy deductions illustrate the point.

Eternal life is offered unconditionally without the suffering demanded in the Koran which is based on fear and retribution based on the claims of a single person who claimed to hear the word of God. Today that would be regarded as delusion.

So why, on 6 March, was a service of Muslim prayers held in St John’s Waterloo, an Anglican church, a short walk from the South Bank opposite the Houses of Parliament? Probably the best answer is that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, something that the Bishop of Southwark has responded to in the following terms: “The Bishop of Southwark takes very seriously his responsibility to uphold the teaching of the Church and to work within its framework of legislation and guidance. It is quite clear that Islamic prayer should not take place in a consecrated building.  This is why he has asked the Bishop of Kingston to investigate fully what happened. It is inappropriate to seek to make further public comments on this matter until this has happened.”

As Fr Alexander Lucie-Smith, a Catholic priest and doctor of moral theology wrote: "Once a place has been used for Muslim worship it is ipso facto a mosque". Quite so. Re-consecration is in order.

Andrew Symes wrote on Anglican Mainstream: "The purpose of the event was presumably to symbolically bring the Church and Islam together by uniting Christians and Muslims in prayer. It was also to show how a modernised Islam can successfully incorporate some key Western values – the group of worshippers consisted of men and women standing, kneeling and prostrating together; the prayers were led by men and women, and the sermon was delivered by a female Imam, hence 'Inclusive Mosque'." 

So there we have it. The inclusive church, the inclusive mosque, Gathering; call it what you will. Note that the Gathering's "Ecumenical Communion" service begins with a passage of scripture which has been used  to justify just about every liberal departure from the historic Christian faith, in particular the ordination of women: "In Christ Jesus we are all children of God through faith. There is no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female.

That will music to the ears of the Vicar of St John's Waterloo who said: St John's recently hosted an "Inclusive Jummah" in partnership with the Inclusive Mosque Initiative. Led by Dr Amina Wadud, it was timed for the run up to International Women's Day last weekend. Dr Wadud is a long-time campaigner for gender justice in Islam. - St John's also offers thanksgivings and dedications to couples after civil marriages, including same-sex marriages, although so far no one has requested such a service! - In turn music to Dr Morgan's ears.

The same recipe that has put secularism before faith, marginalising devout Christians in the process. Not only the Bishop of Southwark but the whole liberal ascendancy should be beating their chests for what they have done and asking God, not Allah for forgiveness while explaining the truth to Muslims so that they too may be saved.

This is urgent because, sadly, despite all the obvious violet extremism, FGM (not based on the Koran but recommended!), shared husbands, honour killings and even burial alive in the name of honour, 'around 5,000 British people convert to Islam every year – and most of them are women'. Many of these will have been disillusioned by the liberal 'advances' pressed by people who profess to call themselves Christian but in reality have sought personal advancement to the detriment of others.

We owe it not only to converts but to all Muslims to set the record straight if they are to avoid descent into hell.

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, Love your neighbour as yourself."

Reverend Gavin Ashenden said around 100 passages in the Muslim holy book
incite followers to violence, including 'striking off heads' 

Yesterday's Women and The Church

"In the West, we live in a half changed world. There are now very few areas of public life not open to women – except those protected by organised religion." - The Rev Lucy Winkett in her keynote address to WATCH in 2007. 

Looking at TV today, the number of women presenting, reporting and interviewed often outnumber men making it more obvious now than when WATCH Vice-President, Lucy Winkett, delivered that speech. She said then: "...in the 21st century, in the West, women have more freedom and choice than at any time in our history. There are very few areas of public life that are technically closed to women; we are airline pilots, politicians, astronauts,lawyers, mechanics, builders, football club owners. The only areas of public life still closed to women are those protected by organised religion." 

Despite this acknowledged success, the Rev Dr Threlfall-Holmes still made the outrageous claim in pursuit of the campaign for women bishops at any cost: "One of the reasons women's ordination is important is because women's current exclusion from the church hierarchy justifies and entrenches sexist attitudes which have very serious consequences for women around the world. 'Rape, sexual abuse, violence against women and women's political and economic subjugation are repeatedly justified on the basis that it is 'natural' and 'God-given' that women should be below men on some divine hierarchy'."

"Rape, sexual abuse, violence against women and women's political and economic subjugation" are a stain on mankind but women clergy sitting comfortably in their churches and universities do little to change that. If WATCH and their supporters want to make a difference around the world, instead of sermonising they should take the fight directly to where it is needed. Those who really want to make a difference are already doing so, tackling forced marriages, child brides and FGM which still exists in this country twenty years after women were first ordained. In fact, overall women's rights have gone backwards following the introduction of Sharia law in England.

Women have become extremely successful in all walks of life but that does not deter feminists from continuing to target the church. And for what? The office of bishop is not what it was. Merit is no qualification for high office if the right boxes have not been ticked. The House of Bishops has shown that they are incapable of managing church affairs equitably, even appointing biased women to advise them. Women who have done everything possible to suppress traditionalist Anglicans while claiming that they have made every concession to accommodate them. An untruth unworthy of anyone let alone clergy.

The Episcopal Church (TEC) is a sad example of the results of women power in the United States while Finland offers a good example of how the church has become an agency for social workers in vestments: While the role of the Church [in Finland] as an institution has weakened, its social role has grown. This becomes apparent in the reinforcement and expansion of diaconical work. For instance, the Church represents one of the most important providers of family counselling, and plays a central role in professional crisis work. 

Unless producers are guilty of deliberately attempting to suppress male visibility in television programmes, TV coverage fully illustrates that women do not lack opportunities for success, almost to the point of male exclusion in some areas such as primary education where male influence is sadly lacking. A recent study shows increasing instances of "masculinity in crisis" where men are unable to come to terms with different and developing notions of the institution of the family, where women increasingly play a much more dynamic role than they had in the past, a reversal of the alleged "One of the reasons women's ordination is important is because women's current exclusion from the church hierarchy justifies and entrenches sexist attitudes...." but don't hold your breath waiting for WATCH to backtrack, masculinity will be dismissed as an irrelevance in the same way that traditionalists are now dismissed as irrelevant to the Church of England.

The feminist crusade has attacked the wrong target. Standing at the Altar is not just another job in public life and the damage to the church is plain for all to see, not only to the cause of unity, but with church attendances continuing to fall with a few significant exceptions. Not satisfied with the hurt they have caused, their self-interest continues. From the WATCH web site: Southwark Cathedral Feminist Theology Group is hosting an event entitled, “A Woman’s Place is in the Re-Imagining of the Church". That will be in their own image of course. In an open letter "Reimagining a Woman’s Role in the Church" blogger and author Frank Viola writes:

"Dear Sister,

Thank you for your gracious letter. You’ve asked an excellent question. What is my view on a woman’s role in the church and how do I understand the “limiting passages” that seem to restrict their ministry?
To be honest, I’m monumentally disinterested in adding more noise to the ill-fated gender brawl that rages in some Christian circles. It is for this reason that I’ve been loath to write on the subject. Yet I keep meeting women who have been spiritually straight-jacketed by what I find to be a wooden interpretation of certain Biblical texts."

Then, based on conjecture, he proceeds to re-interpret our understanding of priestly ministry ignoring the basic facts to present his own interpretation of the mind of Christ. As F.F. Bruce puts it in the introduction:

"Unwarranted assumptions have sometimes been drawn from the fact that all twelve of the original apostles were men. But in fact our Lord’s male disciples cut a sorry figure alongside his female disciples, especially in his last hours; and it was to women that he first entrusted the privilege of carrying the news of his resurrection."

'Reimagining Church' has been described as Frank Viola’s reconstructive sequel to the 'challenging, deconstructive' critique of modern church practices in his book 'Pagan Christianity' reviewed here. One has only to look at the state of The Episcopal Church of the United States under their Presiding Bishop to see the dire effects of women-power in the church. The subject of much criticism she has been anathematized by a Southern Africa bishop for heresy: The Rt. Rev. Alan Kenyon-Hoare, Bishop Ordinary of the Missionary Diocese of Southern African, said Jefferts Schori's statements made from the pulpit on Whitsunday whilst on a visit to Curacao in the Episcopal Diocese of Venezuela were heretical and that his pronouncement of anathema is irreversible. He accused the Episcopal Presiding Bishop of saying that "all the writings of St. Paul are satanically inspired".

The feminist agenda has nothing to do with Christianity. It simply provides a comfortable vehicle for political ambition. Having successfully seen the Church of England identified as their church they are set on change purely for their own satisfaction. The majority of Christians in churches throughout the world believe that God created us in His image, women and men complementing each other, not women below men on some divine hierarchy as has been suggested. It is time to drop yesterday's battle based on such falsehoods and strive for unity.

The suggestion that  "Our Lord’s male disciples cut a sorry figure alongside his female disciples has been used in stories typified here which claims: 'Christians 'airbrushed women out of history'. On the contrary, the Church honours Mary, the Mother of God, who did not complain when used as God's vessel to bring Christ into the world. Neither did Mary Magdalene protest at not being appointed by Christ to be one of his Apostles after being first to witness the resurrection. They were content with God's plan. Women And The Church should be too.