The Church of England has been looking at allowing women to become bishops within its church. A previous change allowed women to join their male colleagues as priests and now, we suppose, women are looking at Bishops, or even Archbishops and saying I can do that too.
Theological arguments to one side, the churchs approach to this is puzzling. Its leadership obviously want women bishops but as a democratic institution the church held an election on this. The gist of the question was 'women priests yes or no'. The church voted no. The senior church was angry and have tried hard give the impression that a small number of misogynists are holding the church back from what it should be doing, David Cameron and other politicians are also assume this is a change that must happen and testily advise the church to get on with it and stop wasting everones time and the BBC .... oh dear .... talk about taking sides.
What hypocrites they all are! the church has spoken - they might not like the answer but that is democracy. If Robert Mugabe held an election and ignored results he did not like the BBC and the UK government would be up in arms, pointing fingers.tutting and shaking their collective heads.
Cork monkey thinks the real message behind these results was 'Hmmm maybe we can do this but why don't you tell us how you will deal with the problems'. This outcome does not, however, suit the supporters of women priests who want change now. They are now apparantly bent on manipulating the churches processes so that the 'will of the people' can be deliver the appropriate result regardless of the actual wishes of the people. If some feel distgruntled and leave on that account - 'so what' they say. 'We don't want them: we want what we want'.
But these people who will leave are part of the life the church, its defenders workers and footsoldiers. These are the people who put money in the collection plates and this foolish attitude will first split and then turn the Church into a minority religion. When those in favour of disestablishment attack again, those who used to defend it will be gone and when those who put their money in the collection plate have have left so you will get no funding that way either. The Church will have to sell its fine buildings because it cannot affford to maintain them and the church will decline.
The Church is being disengenous when it calls these people sexist, or fearful of change which appears to be the PR approved line to take when discussing this. But these people do (some of them anyway) have a position that is equally as valid as your own - and it has been around a lot longer than the quest for women priests and to dismiss it as wrong is simply ignorant, particularly in light of the fact that most people who hold these views would have been educated by....wait for it... the church!
If those opposed to women priests leave it will not necesarily be because they are sexist,misogynist or evil. It will not be because you have created women bishops, nor even because over time the church has confused everyone by accomplishing a 180 degree about turn on this issue. It will be because when you asked and they answered - you ignored the their answer.
This could be a dangerous precedent. Those left behind will not see the need to listen their superiors, to their peers or to the laity, the only policy that matters will be their own opinion and the team only important if it is going in a pleasing direction. However like armpits and elbows everybody has thier own opinions, some of these arise from vested interests, some from wrong thinking - and you will have destroyed the mechanism that manages these when thiey are held by the powerful.
...And perhaps one day - just because some people enjoy using iffy political practices to cook a snook at big institutions someone will use a process very like this one to recruit priests who do not believe in God but can legally demostrate they can do the job ..... and you will have nothing to stop them. One day the census details of the archbishop of canterbury will declare his or her religion to be Jedi Knight, God may be declared an outdated concept and Christmas will be cancelled at the request of other faiths.
CM
No comments:
Post a Comment