The answer to the above poser by the Lord (Luke 18:8) seems, increasingly, to be in the negative, at least in the UK. Not only are worldviews such as atheism, humanism, and paganism, gaining ascendancy in the country, the disintegrations in the official Church of England is continuing, seemingly unabated.
An example of the first situation is the recent elevation of Druidry to the level of an officially recognized religion in the country. By the concurrence of the Charity Commission that druids' worship of natural spirits could be seen as religious activity, the Druid Network now qualifies for a charitable status, entitled to tax breaks; and probably may soon be clamouring for public holidays – as witches and wiccans are already demanding in the United States.
The BBC explains that “Druidry's followers are not restricted to one god or creator, but worship the spirit they believe inhabits the earth and forces of nature such as thunder. Druids also worship the spirits of places, such as mountains and rivers, with rituals focused particularly on the turning of the seasons.” It further observed that “with concern for the environment growing and the influence of mainstream faiths waning, druidry is flourishing more now than at any time since the arrival of Christianity.” http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11457795.
As for the rest of the Church of England in the Church, disagreements over the issue of female Bishops is driving multitudes into Roman Catholicism, where the Pope has introduced a special structure, the Ordinariate to absorb defecting Anglican clergy. As reported by the London Daily Telegraph, (Nov 18, 2010) fifty Anglican clergy, including 5 Bishops, are to be formally received into Catholicism, early 2011. The Times religious affairs correspondent Ruth Gledhill told the BBC the announcement
could prompt "hundreds, possibly thousands" of lay ministers to follow the bishops' example. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11709148 .
Already, an Anglican parish in Southeast England, St Peter’s at Folkestone, has decided to leave en masse, the church of England and become Roman catholic. [http://www.pres-outlook.com/news-and-analysis/1/10570.html]
It is believed that the majority of “Anglo-Catholics” are waiting until 2012 to see whether or not the church will conclusively pass the legislation which will allow women to be consecrated. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/8131063/Catholic-Church-to-welcome-50-Anglican-clergy.html. A group of such “Anglo-Catholics” Forward in Faith, currently claims to have
at least 800 priests among its members [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11709148]
In the meantime, for the first time ever, representatives of secularist, atheist and masonic organisations in Europe had discussions with the leaders of the European Union's three main institutions on Friday 15th October, 2010. The summit with the "philosophical non-confessional organisations" was seen as a necessary secular counterpart to the summits the three institutions are now obliged by the Lisbon Treaty to regularly have with religious leaders. http://euobserver.com/843/31066
No comments:
Post a Comment