Queen speaks of Church of England duty to all faiths

Clash of colours as Queen meets Archbishop

Today the Queen spoke to a multi-faith gathering where she told them of her belief that the Church of England has "a duty to protect the free practice of all faiths" in the UK. She argued the Church's role was not to "defend Anglicanism to the exclusion of other religions". That sounds good to me, although I don't hold that Anglicanism is a religion but an expression of a religion, namely Christianity. Seeing as there are catholics and others within the broad canopy of the Church of England, it is nice to hear that the monarch is committed to "active co-operation" and "building a better society".

However, such sentiments will be lost if certain elements in the Church of England can act with an uncharitable approach to those who, in clear conscience, cannot subscribe to radical alteration of the sacraments. This being all in the name of modernity and keeping pace with the whims of the world.

The Daily Telegraph reported a female cleric as saying that those who do not acquiesce to the new doctrines can leave. Charity in full flow, active co-operation? Hardly! Just a triumphalism of a tiny minority of worldwide Christianity. Lucy Winkett, one of the BBC's prized clerics for Thought For The Day, was suggesting the other day that of the 2 billion Christians in the world, hardly any had witnessed the workings a female cleric. She implied that they were being denied something. But her unilateral approach to changing the Faith is without universal agreement. It cannot be catholic by its nature.

Active co-operation is to be applauded, but total imposition of minority beliefs on others is to be decried.

Posted in: church doctrine,Church of England,multi-faith society,The Queen