Anglican Church, tearing itself apart over gay stuff.

[Abdul Alhazred]

Total disclosure: Non-Anglican and totally gay myself.

So what do you Brits think of your established church?

[Dappadee]

Is this related to something in the media Abs or are just you thinking out loud??

Personally I think the church over here is a lot quieter than the States and if they do come out with something stupid to say there is usually a lot of people ready to bitch slap them. As for their views on gays well check out this recent story and you'll get the idea:

Link

[Abdul Alhazred]

Admittedly, if it weren't for the media sizzle, I'd know nothing about it.

>>I think the church over here is a lot quieter than the States...

A function of having an established church, I think.

[Peter Jones]

So what do you Brits think of your established church?

I only attend at weddings and funerals. So really I do not give a toss. If they should start interfering with our education and insisting like in parts of the US that creationism should be given priority over evolution and that all natural history school books should have stickers on them stating that "Evolution is only a theory" . Then I would have a concern.

[Layla]

The C of E is a spent force, thank god (hmmmmm, is that an oxymoron :) ).

Very few of us Brits attend church and membership falls off every year. Personally I think our lack of church going is instrumental in our comparatively tolerant society.

[Peter Jones]

Very few of us Brits attend church and membership falls off every year.

What I find interesting is that the old churches are being renovated and used as places of worship by other non Christian religions. Sadly it seems the quantity of religion remains, but of a different type. In Bradford one has been converted into an Indian restaurant, good meal it was too. Wonder what God thinks of it? I mean the Churches not the Curry.

[Dappadee]

The sad fact is that in Britain although organised religion appears to be going the way of the Dodo, in it's place we have bunch of woo woo, new age, vague feelings of some kind of energy bollocks instead. It would be much nicer if people were really starting to think skeptically but it doesn’t appear to be the case.

[asthmatic camel]

A fair percentage of the Anglican clergy are gay and always have been. The organisation as a whole is extremely tolerant with some priests openly doubting the validity of much of the bible at one end of the scale, and hard-line traditionalists at the other.

The brouhaha over the ordination of women priests rumbled on for years, but it was eventually accepted. I expect that attitudes towards homosexuality within the church will change similarly but slowly.

On the whole, the Church of England is pretty harmless and tries to be all things to all men. Perhaps that's the reason for falling attendances; nobody really knows what the church stands for.

[Layla]

The sad fact is that in Britain although organised religion appears to be going the way of the Dodo, in it's place we have bunch of woo woo, new age, vague feelings of some kind of energy bollocks instead. It would be much nicer if people were really starting to think skeptically but it doesn’t appear to be the case.

How true. But people seem to need some higher power to 'hang' their lives on. I personally have no problem in taking responsibilites for my actions and having the currents of life shape me but to some people it's easier to have some kind of perceived power over them.

I personally think atheism should be taught in schools as an alternative. I am lucky that back when dinosaurs roamed the earth I did A level religious studies and we didn't even touch any religions, we studied philisophy of religion (taught by a bitter ex catholic priest). Every child should have the chance to learn this, it's set me in good stead all these years. I can both prove and disprove the existence of god :)

[Abdul Alhazred]

The C of E is a spent force, thank god (hmmmmm, is that an oxymoron :) ).

Very few of us Brits attend church and membership falls off every year. Personally I think our lack of church going is instrumental in our comparatively tolerant society.

But when "comparatively tolerant" folks are hankering for "spirituality" what do they turn to?

If it's crystals and high colonics like the royal family no problem, but it could be the screwier version of Islam.

Not good.

[asthmatic camel]

Abdul, younger Brits in particular are turning to "chemical enlightenment". Alcohol usage increases year by year, as does illegal drug use. The average Brit tends to find Islam and most religion incomprehensible, if not downright silly. I shouldn't worry about a mass conversion to Islam if I were you.

[Abdul Alhazred]

Abdul, younger Brits in particular are turning to "chemical enlightenment". Alcohol usage increases year by year, as does illegal drug use. The average Brit tends to find Islam and most religion incomprehensible, if not downright silly. I shouldn't worry about a mass conversion to Islam if I were you.

First of all, thanks for bringing back the nun, albeit in another form.

Secondly, what you describe is less of a danger to the world, but not very good for Britain.

[Dappadee]

Abdul, younger Brits in particular are turning to "chemical enlightenment". Alcohol usage increases year by year, as does illegal drug use. The average Brit tends to find Islam and most religion incomprehensible, if not downright silly. I shouldn't worry about a mass conversion to Islam if I were you.

First of all, thanks for bringing back the nun, albeit in another form.

Secondly, what you describe is less of a danger to the world, but not very good for Britain.

I have to disagree. I am very much a danger to the world when I'm drunk.

[asthmatic camel]

I'm never too sure about the dangers of drugs and alcohol; whether they're exaggerated or not. I've certainly seen people come to grief with substance abuse, but I also know many more who haven't.

Certainly, in the building trade, cannabis use is rife. Not surprising really..."Here's a spade, go and dig a hole for eight hours." Hardly stimulating, is it? A little chemical assistance can make digging holes really rather interesting.

Sure, this is different from the severely dependent heroin addict or alcoholic who is no use to anyone, least of all themselves (with some notable exceptions.)

Personally, I'd rather see a nation of drug addicts and alcoholics than a nation of suicide bombers.

[EQ]

For one it is not my church. Two I don't care for religion sticking its unwanted sanctimonious nose into people's lives.