Not-That-Bright
Andrew Quah
The Church in Britain has a bloody and monstrous history, as do Churches all over the world. When this is pointed out to people, a common rebuttal is "Yes, but that was so long ago. We've learned from our mistakes and it could never happen again. You can't compare the Church today with the Church of the seventeenth century." I can't help thinking that the only reason it still is not happening is that the Church simply doesn't have the power and authority to persecute the population any more, not because the religion has magically changed from brutal and intolerant to gentle and caring. The Church, based on the Bible and the teachings of Jesus Christ, has slaughtered countless numbers of people across the world. What parts of the Bible or the teachings of Jesus have changed in the last couple of centuries? As the attitudes of people drift away from the extremes of religion, so the religion loses its authority over the lives of the people. Many people who describe themselves as Christians do not actually agree with much that the Churches teach, and the Churches slowly adapt themselves to this changing belief (so that they may still claim the allegiance of the people). The flock seems to be leading the shepherd...
As the population grows indifferent to the Church, the power that the Church holds over the country becomes less and less. Even so, the Church Of England is still the Established Church, and the potential for it to regain some of its former power remains. They are still a Monarchy, although the Queen has remarkably little power nowadays. In theory, she has the power to dissolve Parliament should she so desire, but that is unlikely to ever happen. The Royal family makes a living as Good-Will Ambassadors to other countries, a useful tourist attraction, and provides employment for tabloid gossip columnists, but that's about it. No other religion is entangled with the State in the way the that Church of England is. If the Church saw an opportunity to regain its former position, do you think it would pass up the chance lightly?
As the population grows indifferent to the Church, the power that the Church holds over the country becomes less and less. Even so, the Church Of England is still the Established Church, and the potential for it to regain some of its former power remains. They are still a Monarchy, although the Queen has remarkably little power nowadays. In theory, she has the power to dissolve Parliament should she so desire, but that is unlikely to ever happen. The Royal family makes a living as Good-Will Ambassadors to other countries, a useful tourist attraction, and provides employment for tabloid gossip columnists, but that's about it. No other religion is entangled with the State in the way the that Church of England is. If the Church saw an opportunity to regain its former position, do you think it would pass up the chance lightly?
Which is probably why joujou thinks that it is 'tough' being a christian.... i hear this often, about how 'brave' you have to be to take up the challenge and be a christian. lolReligion thrives on persecution. Not the persecution of heretics this time, but the persecution of itself. If a Church perceives itself as being under attack, this gives it strength. People who were drifting away are encouraged to come back, rallying under the banner of their particular deity. Not only are they fighting for their local church, they are fighting for their GOD, and for all the other followers of that God. In Britain, the Church is not under attack, but is slowly eroding with the passing of time. The Clergymen cannot claim to be persecuted by people who don't give a hoot about whatever they have to say. They cannot say they are under attack from the Government when they are the Established Religion of the country. They can make noises about the rise of secularism, and the supposed decline in morality and virtue, but the simple truth is that people would rather watch telly, dig the garden or just stay in bed on Sunday than sit in a cold Church only to be told how sinful they are.