Categories: uncategorized
Date: 10 June 2008 12:51:13
Readers of my witterings may realise that I am somewhat obssessed with politics. I also have an unhealthy, in some minds, obessession with religion. However many will tell you that you have to keep the 2 things separate.
Why? I don't know.
To me religion is just as an important a part of every day life as politics is and you cannot, however much you try, divorce the two things. I know that the present government want religious organisations to take part in providing social care and services to the wider population but they aren't too keen on funding charities that they see as proselytising religion in the process.
Many Christian charities will tell you that government funds are coming with ever increasing strings attached. In addition other sources of funding are refusing to support overtly religious charities. Therefore the good work that they do, and are recognised for, is being undermined by the people who want them to do more of it.
So if the government don't want to supply the funds needed for them to work, and other funding streams dry up, how will the work be done? The Church is battling to maintain its relevance in modern society. Most churches are finding it hard to attract young people through its doors and, when it does, hold onto those it has.
The present government wants us to pick up the slack that it has forced onto society by countinually cutting social care budgets. Is it any wonder that our social services are pilloried every time a child dies because they "haven't done their job"? Yet everyone forgets that you can't service a growing list of "clients" if you are constantly having your budget cut.
The Church of England is right to highlight the government's increasing attempts at isolating and vilifying the Christian body. They want to try to reduce religious fundamentalism but forget that by targeting one faith they help to increase fundamentalism even further. They are just lucky that Christian fundamentalists don't respond by blowing themselves up on our transport system.
The Church has a significant role to play in reaching out to other faiths and can do so in a far more reassuring way than the government can. If you don't have a faith then you will never be able to understand how "people of faith" think and act. If you constantly isolate them then you are helping to destroy the work that you need them to do.
History Today:
I forgot to mention that yesterday was the birthday of one of Hollywood's greatest actors - that's right, it was Donald Duck's Birthday.
1190 : Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa drowns crossing a river while travelling to take part in a crusade in the Holy Land. This delivered a significant blow to the Christian forces. His name was later used as the code name for Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union.
1692 : The first of the 14 women and 5 men are hanged after the Salem witch-hunt trial.
1942 : In retaliation for the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich the Czech town of Lidice is "liquidated" by the SS. The men are shot, the women are sent to concentration camps and many children are given to German families for adoption.
1944 : The SS "Das Reich" battalion massacre hundreds of French villagers in Oradour-sur-Glane, in retaliation for resistance attacks on their convoy heading for Normandy.
1999 : NATO suspends its 11 week air campaign in Kosovo as Serb troops withdraw. This campaign will be remembered for NATOs ability to destroy many Serbian tanks that are later found to have been cardboard, and wooden, dummies.