For all the saints...

Wake up call

This tiny, carefully constructed island which the warbler calls home has been occupied by a fellow creature which she feeds and cares for as her own. Her inbred instincts of kindness and generosity overwhelm her, completely unaware that the cuckoo in her nest has a wholly different agenda.

The Christian faith which shaped much of our heritage is on the wane but unwittingly its principles still motivate the lives of most people in the British Isles; love thy neighbour, do unto others as you wish to be done by, etc. Familiar Christian landmarks like the vast Cathedral churches struggle on aided by tourism. Smaller churches which were built with their Norman towers in sight of others to warn of invasion still dot the landscape while town and city churches and chapels close, many to become Mosques. And why shouldn’t they people ask? Muslims need somewhere to pray! They ask as though the Muslim call to prayer is simply an expression of a faith which many Christians and other religions have now lost, unaware that it is a completely different religious ideology. They hear talk of peace - but at what price?

Islam is alien to our culture. The Koran is not the same as the Bible. When Muslims talk of peace they mean peace under Islam and Sharia law, not as we know it. Biblical-type argument in which one verse is pitched against another does not exist. In the Koran earlier verses are abrogated by later verses permitting dissemblance and are regarded as commandments. To this aim deception (taqiyya) is not only permitted but encouraged. In religious Islam the objective is clear for those who want to see it. Political Islam is less clear. How much is deception?

There have been warnings in the press of political infiltration but much is ignored in the guise of democratic rights and political correctness. That is a huge mistake. The democratic rights they demand under British law would be denied us under Islam. To allow the spread of a system that seeks to suppress all others is political and religious suicide. If it were a virus there would be health warnings. The fact that it is a religion is worse because people are intimidated against questioning it through fear of being accused of racism yet in Muslim countries Christians are persecuted and driven out. Couldn't happen here? Lebanon used to be a Christian country; it is no longer.

Israel's response to Vatican pleas

Pope Benedict XVI has held a mass at Saint Peter's Basilica to mark the close of the two-week special synod of bishops on the Middle East. In his homily he said that conflicts, wars, violence and terrorism have gone on for too long in the Middle East and one must never resign oneself to the lack of peace. Peace is possible, it is urgent and it is the indispensable condition for a life worthy of the human person and of society. Israel's initial response to pleas to "put an end to the occupation of Palestinian territories" have not been encouraging.

Pope Benedict called on Islamic countries in the Middle East to guarantee freedom of worship to non-Muslims and said peace in the region was the best remedy for a worrying exodus of Christians.

Postscript

Now read this.

Farewell thou good and faithful servants!

While looking over reports of the final documents released at the closure of the Vatican Synod I missed another closure, that of The Llandaffchester Chronicles. When I noticed the new entry in my Blog List I looked forward to being cheered by a good dose of church satire as a welcome interlude. To my dismay it was not another hoot but the story of an 'insidious' closure.

There has been much concern at the Vatican Synod about the decline of Christianity in the Middle East and freedom of conscience in religion. Closer to home, a group of clerics in Wales has been equally worried about the decline of orthodox Christianity, falling numbers and the poor leadership in their now disestablished Church in Wales. One of the attributes of the British people has been the ability to laugh at ourselves, now all but killed-off by political correctness. In its short life of around six months, the amazingly popular 'Chronicles' provided an oasis in that barren world becoming the talk of vestries inside Wales and out judging by the many published comments, many of which were as revealing as the stories themselves. The attraction was the ability of readers to identify like characters with those used as illustrations of the points being made. So much so that according to friends on the ground, many were so spot-on they believed that there must be a mole in the Cathedral.

Built around a Barchester Chronicles theme the antics of Llandaffchester Cathedral's Dean and Chapter proved to be fertile ground but other dioceses did not escape, notably the Bishops of St Asaph and Swansea & Brecon. The main target though was the leader of the 'Bench sitters', AB "Bazzer" himself who was portrayed as ruling a personal fiefdom using his 'yes' men as supporters of his 'relevant to society' regime, not that 99% of society gave a toss for him or his religion. Those in the know suggested that the AB is interested only in his own opinion so any criticism implied or direct would be wasted on him. Others better qualified must judge that for themselves but one concern links him to the subject discussed at the Vatican Synod. That was the lampooning story of "Bazzer" dining out with Muslims in an inter-faith event organised with the Welsh Assembly. The joke was the AB's bid for greater status in Wales as the result of ever declining numbers in the CinW under his leadership. The lampooning raised serious points. The inter-faith story has since achieved greater prominence in other contexts, particularly in the Vatican where Middle East bishops were called to Synod.

No doubt the inter-faith idea of dining out was good intentioned using the Christian ideal of brotherly love, also quoted by the Anglican Bishop of Liverpool when he agreed to became patron of a large Mosque development there. One has to wonder whether these church leaders are aware of the difference between the Koran and Bible. Muslims regard Christians as inferior and are encouraged to use deception in favour of Islam. Receptive to criticism or not "Bazzer" should realize that engaging with his fellow Christians would be far more productive.

To The Chronicles team, well done thou good and faithful servants. Regardless of the merits of the site, I shall miss your humourous approach to the real problems in the church today. It is to be hoped that those happy to see your demise will live in fear of its resurrection. That may be enough for them to think again, but I doubt it. Perhaps instead we should watch this space.

Vatican Synod for the Middle East: The key?

CNN reports that Roman Catholic bishops for the Middle East have concluded their two-week conference with a call for the international community, especially the United Nations, to work "to put an end to the occupation" of Palestinian territories.

Canadian Press gives a useful summary of problems in the region while Vatican Radio has the full text of the Synod's Message to the People of God.

Christian - Muslim dialogue

Jerusalem, Jerusalem

Two reports today from the Synod of Bishops for the Middle East. The first from the Catholic News Service in which two bishops at synod question the effectiveness of dialogue with Muslims. The second from the Catholic News Agency which focuses on political Islam with its "increasing pressure throughout the region from extremist groups who want to “to impose an Islamic way of life on all citizens, sometimes by violence".”

Encouraging sounds

From a Rome Reports video: "Middle East patriarchs fight for peace".