I've never had much use for George Carey, even when he was Archbishop of Canterbury. On the death of his predecessor, Lord Runcie, I remarked that there were now no living former Archbishops of Canterbury and hoped that the shortfall would soon be remedied. George Carey allowed the 1998 Lambeth Conference to be hijacked by hate. While still in office, he did all in his power to advance the re-ordering of the Anglican Communion according to the alien ecclesiology of the Amero-African right.
Ever since being replaced as Primate of All England by the backbone deficient Rowan Williams, Carey has taken every opportunity to undermine his successor and stir the pot. I don't recall Robert Runcie ever behaving such an ass, nor Michael Ramsey. Geoffrey Fisher was apparently addicicted to inappropriate public attacks on his successor, so perhaps it's only the evangelical ex-Cantuars who feel the need to behave like prats.
In any event, the most recent bilge emerging from Lord Carey of Clifton should be sufficient proof that the man hasn't got the sense God gave a squirrel, nor the integrity God gave a stoat.
Sane people will have trouble believing what he said. In fact, he makes the average American teabagger sound the very exemplar of moderation and common sense.
According to George. Christians are being persecuted in the United Kingdom.
No, he seriously said that.
Really.
In a state where Christian churches are the official religion in the two largest of the four subsidiary countries; in a state where the head of state must, by law, be a member of one of those churches; in a state where 26 goombahs with silly hats are automatically accorded standing in a national legislative body on account of their seniority in their religious denomination; in a state where retiring bishops and retiring senior clergy from other Christian denominations are routinely appointed to the same legislative body; in a state where the national broadcaster is required by law to cover religious affairs; in a state where the national government makes significant financial contributions to the upkeep of several historic places of worship still used for that purpose; in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Christians are "persecuted."
Too rich, really. This is beyond satire.
Perhaps George would like to go to certain parts off the world where Christians are actually persecuted. Last week, dozens of Christians, including small children, were murdered in Jos, Nigeria. Not so long ago, Christian places of worship in Pakistan have been attacked. Likewise Christian neighbourhoods in Cairo have been attacked.
Then, perhaps George could just shut his festering gob and stop talking nonsense.
George, you are an embarrassment to the Church.
I can't figure out how to embed the video, but here is Times of London religion correspondent Ruth Gledhill saying much the same thing, albeit without quite so much contempt for George's foolishness.
Andrew Brown in The Guardian.
Stephen Bates in The Guardian.
Here's Ruth's video:
5 comments:
While I doubt I have more time for Lord Carey than you do, I do think it's too easy for us in North America, where being a Christian is still socially respectable, to dismiss the complaints of British Christians, who are increasingly a byword among their compatriots. I certainly don't think that establishment is necessarily evidence that the church is thriving and that any suggestion that it's not quite so privileged as one might think must therefore be false.
I don't doubt that the Church of England faces many challenges - most of which are actively exacerbated by the foolishness of establishment.
But Lord Carey didn't say that Christianity was facing challenges. He's nattering on about persecution - and that is simply false.
Frankly, the the whiny-sucky-baby act from the Christian right, so upset that the secular world won't just do as they demand that plays a significant role in making the Church seem like an irrelevance to so very many people.
Geoff,
most British Christians do not agree with Lord Carey and wish he shut up.
Erika: so do I! Nevertheless most of the British news I've followed paints a fairly grim picture of church-state relations: Labour seems to regard the CoE as a bit of an embarrassment, à la Thatcher.
So long as the public pronouncements of the CofE are marked by the bizarre ravings of Nazir-Ali, the frightened whitterings of Carey and the incomprehensible tentativeness of Williams, the Church of England IS an embarrassment.
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