NationStates Jolt Archive

Fellow Christians,

The Christian Faith, the one true faith once delivered unto the Saints plays an important role in everyday life both in our personal endeavours and in our governmental duties.

It is the purpose of this conference to spark a discussion among Evangelical (Protestant) nations of all extractions as to the proper relation between Church and State. We also seek to analyze the issues of Gay Marriage/Rights, Abortion, and Cloning and whether or not they should be allowed in any type of Christian society whatever the relation between Church and State.

The Conference will be hosted in the "La Grande Dame" Hotel in the heart of beautiful, historic Reichsburg, in the country of Reichskamphen which some have called the heart of the NS Evangelical/Protestant World.

Please RSVP.

Sincerely,

Rev. Dr. Alan Cairns
Head Pastor, Reichsburg Free Presbyterian Church
Religious advisor to His Majesty, Emperor Napoleon IV of Greater Prussia.
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OOC: Name the actual people you will be sending and give a short bio of them so we know what to expect. Following are the profiles of my Characters.

IC: Rev. Dr. Alan Cairns- Born in Northern Ireland. In his 60's. The Spiritual Child of Ian R.K. Paisley. When Paisley moved to Greater Prussia to tend to the Protestant flock there, he accompanied and is the most influential religious figure in the Empire besides Paisley himself. He is the head pastor of Reichsburg Free Pres, the largest Church in the Country.

Arch Duke Gerhardt Volcker- Appointed Arch Duke of Katrineburg by King Dietrich I of Reichsburg two months ago. He was the head of the Protestant Traditionalist Party in the Reichskamphian Parliament, the main opposition group to the Liberal Party before the entire Parliament was dissolved by the King. He is the political Representative for Reichskamphen.

Rev. George Whitcomb-Baptist Minister and probably the most influential Baptist in the Kingdom. Sides with Ian Paisley and Dr. Cairns on most issues aside from the doctrines of Calvinism.


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List of Those in Attendance:
______________________

Rev. Dr. Alan Cairns (Chair of the Conference)
[Reichskamphen]

Arch Duke Gerhardt Volcker, MP
[Reichskamphen]

Rev. George Whitcomb
[Reichskamphen]

Mr. and Mrs. Jason Conners
[Right Wing Conspirators]

Rev Joshua Tetley
[Presbyterian Yorkshire/The British Empire]

Price John Rekjyavich
[Derscon]

The Archbishop of Derscon
[Derscon]

Pastor Ulrich Zwingli
[Derscon]

Count Franz von Papen
[Derscon]

(written letter)

Dear Rev. Dr. Alan Cairns,

Greetings from Derscon! Sorry, but I cannot come myself, as my wedding is tomorrow, and afterwards I and my future Czarina will be off on our honeymoon. Instead, though, my older brother, Price John Rekjyavich, the Archbishop of Derscon, Pastor Ulrich Zwingli, the head pastor of the Free Pres. Church in Loire Valley, and Count Franz von Papen, the foreign minister, will be in attendence.

Good luck with the conference!

God Bless,

Czar Alexei Alexandrovich Andropov XIV

been busy...bump.

King Jason Conners and Wife will attend the conference.

Dear Dr Cairns,

With the blessing of the Home Secretary and Prime Minister I am here as the official representative of The British Empire.

I look forward to a constructive conference.

Yours in Christ,
Rev Joshua Tetley

Bio: Now in his mid-forties, Rev Tetley was a minister in the United Reformed Church until Yorkshire split from England, when he formed the Free Presbyterian Church of Yorkshire. As a conservative presbyterian he believes in abstinence, the exclusive ordination of men, the wearing of headress by female worshippers and the exclusive use of the Psalms. He now represents the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of The British Empire.

OOC: I think he will get along fine with us Prussian Protestants. We certainly share ALOT of common ground.

Dear Brother Cairns,

Greetings. Blessings upon you and your flock. I am honored to hear of this conference, and hope that new understandings and wisdoms may be delivered upon us by the Good Lord due to our attempts to understand his Teachings more deeply. Of course I shall attend. Until then.

Yours in Christ,
Pontiff Damius Maximus
Spiritual Leader of the Neo-Catholic Church of Nargopia

Bio: Pontiff Damius Maximus is in his mid-60s, but is in surprisingly good physical condition. He recently was elected Spiritual Leader of the Neo-Catholic Church by the Council of Bishops, and since then has continued to uphold the reforms set forth eighty years ago by the Pope Tyrael Hadriel. As a staunch Neo-Catholic, he upholds the Five Sacraments (Baptism, Holy Eucharist, Confirmation of Faith, Holy Matrimony, and Holy Ordination), the ordination of both men and women to the position of Priest, the recognition of the saints, abstinence until marriage, and alms-giving. He continues to fight against homosexual marriage, abortion, cloning, and euthanasia.

[OOC: I realize that Neo-Catholicism isn't really a RL faith, so if it turns out the Pontiff isn't welcome, I understand. I do think it would add an interesting dimension to the conference; none of the views are really much different from general Christian teachings. In any case, just let me know and I'll withdraw if need be.]

[OOC: There isn't a RL Free Presbyterian Church of Yorkshire either, or a General Assembly for The British Empire for that matter. Would you describe your Neo-Catholic Church as protestant though? I take it you have broken ties with Rome in order to ordinate women priests, for example.]

[OOC: Yes, I guess Neo-Catholicism could be described as protestant. The Order of Mass is very similar to that of a Catholic service, and many of the basic tenants are still taught. True Catholicism is a noticeable minority in Nargopia; about 40% of the population is Christian, and about 80% of Christians are Neo-Catholics. In a Neo-Catholic service, you'll still find teachings of purgatory, respect for Mary, and transmutation of the Eucharist. I would say that it is protestant, but about as close to Catholicism as you'll find.]

Like the Church of England then?

OOC: Hey, will, Prince John is the Archbishop of Derscon -- they're one in the same. :p

Like the Church of England then?

OOC: I think something a bit more Catholic than that. IN fact, I think it pretty much is Catholicism only without the honoring of the Roman Pope and without the ban of woman preachers.

I could be wrong, though.

OOC: I think something a bit more Catholic than that. IN fact, I think it pretty much is Catholicism only without the honoring of the Roman Pope and without the ban of woman preachers.

I could be wrong, though.
That's the same impression I had, only I view the Anglican Church in the same light: Catholicism, minus the Pope, plus women priests.

[OOC: To be honest, I'm not all too familiar with the Anglican faith. I've been a Catholic all my life, with exposure to Baptist and Episcopaelian faiths, but not Anglican. If that's how you can identify Neo-Catholicism, however, then be my guest.]

OOC: Allright, though he's pushing the line, I will let him in since hes essentially Anglican.

Yorkshire, I hold the same views on the Anglican Church.

Just to make a general announcement, the Anglican Church and the Catholic Church just signed papers uniting on the Doctrine of Mary. They already are united on the Mass and the only remaining thing is the authority of the Pope as infallible. They already agreed back in the 80's to recognize the Pope as the head of the Church when the two Churches merged. I wonder what the Queen will do when they try to do that. Probably nothing. Even the monarchs are ignorant of the traditions of their home and the reason that the whole shebang was outlawed in the first place.

bump

Tell your friends about the conference. (bump)

bumparoni

Well, I guess we might as well start tommorrow and maybe someone else will come along.

OOC: I'm ready.

bumpity bumpity bump bump

super-dooper-one-of-a-kind-never-seen-before bump

OOC: Honey bunches of bumps...

IC: The nation of Flocarga and Delmarva will be having some people going over to your conference. That includes delegations from some of the largest and most important churches in the country, although some pastors at small town churches might be expected.

Who we know to be heading there...

- Pastor John Cartier, head of Fairlawn Baptist Church in Concord, North Carolina. His services air weekly on cable and satellite TV throughout the country. His congregation is arguably the largest in the Charlotte area and one of the 5 largest in the Carolinas.

- Pastor Taj Williams, head of Peachland Church in Atlanta. Another regular to the television scene. About 1500 people, 90% black, appear in the church ... recently moved to a new and massive service hall west of downtown. Some of his revivals have sold out the Georgia Dome.

- Pastor Alejandro Machado, head of La Iglesia del Cruz in Miami. Arguably the most influential Latino pastors in the country. He is the head pastor of the church which hosts services in both Spanish and English. Christmas and Easter services for the past few years have been held in the American Airlines Arena.

- Pastor Richard Cutler, associate pastor at 8th Street Church in Richmond, Virginia. He is one of the more well traveled pastors in the country, leading revivals at football stadiums across the country and around North America.

Sorry all, my internet has been down for a couple days. I will kick this off for real tommorrow if anyone is still around. If not, ok.

Reverend Rainley was busy unjamming his fax machine when Archbishop Jacob walked in and threw something at him. The Reverend stopped what he was doing and caught the object. It was a rolled up invitation to some Protestant conference. Rainley opened it and read it.

"Say Jacob, how did this end in your postbox?" he asked the Catholic Archbishop. "For some stupid reason, anything with Conference and Religion ends up with me. I can't go, so it's yours." Jacob replied.

Reverend George appeared "Conference? You can't go Rainley. Those cursed builders only listen to you". Rainley nodded "Well, I'm still building a Cathedral so me and George can't go. Heck, who do we sent?".

Jacob said "What about that Lightfoot character? That complete nuisance.". Rainley said "Good idea, that will get rid of him for while." and rang up Reverend Lightfoot. After a while, he hung up the phone and "He's going now. I said some important Prussian leaders will be there, and that hooked him"

Jacob unjammed the fax machine in 5 seconds and Rainley exclaimed "How did you do that?". Jacob said "From being my uncle's secretary for the last years". Rainley typed out a letter and faxed it.

...

FAX to Reichskamphen

RE: Attendance for Protestant Conference

Reverend Lightfoot of the Beersheba Baptist Society Church will be represent Jeruselem. Due to construction work on the Jeruselem Baptist Cathedral, I cannot attend to keep things running. This will be first official government duty so any assistance rendered to him will be appreciated.

signed
Reverend Rainley
Spokeman for Jeruselem Protestants

OOC: K, everyone. Let's suppose its starting. You're already there.


*La Grande Dame Hotel, Reichsburg*

The Grande Dame Hotel had been a fort for the Garison of Reichskamphen pre-1920. At that point, it was abandoned since the city had expanded far beyond it and its purpose was outlived. The King sold it to a local businessman who set to work remodeling the fort with the traditional Reichskamphian flair that so many had come to recognize...a unique combination between French and German schools of Architecture. Sculpturework and decorative columns etc. were added to the outside and a grande entrance constructed. The inside, with a few exceptions, was gutted and turned into an almost palatial setting, the parade ground at the centre of the fort serving as an elaborate garden. Since its opening in 1927, it had been a landmark and a favourite destination for tourists of all kinds.

The invitations had long since gone out and all the dignitaries were checking into "The Dame". Two smartly uniformed Imperial Guardsmen with plumed shakos stood outside, opening the doors for the dignitaries, the gold braid of their uniforms glinting in the sun. As the guests walked in, they were offered a complimentary glass of the finest Champagne. In the lobby, as it was 3 in the afternoon, silver trays, stacked three high on presentation holders carried finger sandwiches, scones, petit-fours, pastries, honey, clotted cream, and all sorts of delicacies. Silver tea services were set out and waiters, white jacket and all with traditional Reichskamphian polish, were taking the orders of the guests who had sat down.

Dr. Alan Cairns sat in the centre of the room, sipping on a cup of Earl Grey, a scone with clotted cream on his plate. Seeing more delegates come in, he waved them over telling them, "The Bell Hops will take your bags, come have some tea!"

Reverend Lightfoot and his son looked around. Compared to what he normally had for accomodation, this was luxurious. After checking in, they approached Dr. Alan Cairns.

Lightfoot was not the expert diplomat like the Archbishop Jacob and was tentative. "Dr. Alan Cairns, nice to meet to you. I'm Reverend Lightfoot from Jeruselem. Reverend Rainley sent me and this is my son"

John Rekjyavich, Prince and Archbishop of Derscon, Pastor Ulrich Zwingli, and Foreign Minister Count Franz von Papen all walked into the hotel, accompanied by four Honor Guards -- the seven foot tall shiny armored-clad aliens (OOC: Elite Honor Guards from HALO 2) with the big staves -- along with five regular members of the Praesillei Dei, with their battle armor and XM30B's. The five "regular" soldiers took the bags up to the rooms, while the Honor Guards stayed behind the party as the Dersconis sat down at Cairn's table. Papen spoke first.

"Sorry about the guards -- it's Dersconi policy. After all, we invented paranoia." Papen smirked as he picked up a cup of tea. John sworled his tea around a bit before drinking. It's not vodka, but what the hell.

John Rekjyavich, Prince and Archbishop of Derscon, Pastor Ulrich Zwingli, and Foreign Minister Count Franz von Papen all walked into the hotel, accompanied by four Honor Guards -- the seven foot tall shiny armored-clad aliens (OOC: Elite Honor Guards from HALO 2) with the big staves -- along with five regular members of the Praesillei Dei, with their battle armor and XM30B's. The five "regular" soldiers took the bags up to the rooms, while the Honor Guards stayed behind the party as the Dersconis sat down at Cairn's table. Papen spoke first.

"Sorry about the guards -- it's Dersconi policy. After all, we invented paranoia." Papen smirked as he picked up a cup of tea. John sworled his tea around a bit before drinking. It's not vodka, but what the hell.

Reverend Lightfoot felt rather small in the company that just arrived. The top Protestants from Derscon, while he was really only the 4th most important Protestant in Jeruselem, and then Rainley himself had no real authority himself compared to the what the Catholic Church could do.

His son was excited at being in the presence of such important people.

The reverend Tetley is unimpressed by the show of strength by other delegates. Although he has put that part of his life behind him, he knows that with his training and experiences from his time in the SAS Regiment and Secret Intelligence Service he could see the guards off in seconds, despite being unarmed at present. A wry smile appears on his face as he sees them strutting around, but the mental rehearsal of how he would go about disarming and disabling the soldiers is cast to the back of his mind as he becomes conscious he has more spiritual matters to attend to.

He's also becoming painfully aware that he is running up a huge expenses bill for Her Majesty's Imperial Government without getting any conferencing done...

The Prince looked around the room, trying to identify certian members of other nations' organizations, and see how they felt and their position by how they dressed. Count Franz von Papen was dressed in the normal formal attire, cape and black uniform, and even Ulrich Zwingli was dressed in a nice suit, him being the chairman of Derscon's largest stock trading corporation, the Trinity Corporation. The Prince, on the other hand, instead of wearing his bright white uniform of the Prince, wore a non-descript black cloak, and he had his hood up, hiding his face from everyone. He looked like a Sith Lord, which was ironic, in it's own little way.

As his eyes made it to Tetley, he noticed that the Reverend was also scanning the crowd, and by the way Tetley presented himself, guessed that he was ex-military. Probably their special forces, the Prince guessed.

OOC: Here's the character I'm sending, hope its OK

Name: Reverend Jessop Nevis
Occupation: Pastor (obviously)
Age: 29
Hometown: Nitanranga, Gran Cienaga
Denomination: Baptist

Reverend Nevis currently heads the Sea of Galilee Baptist Church, a church in the city of Avalon, arguably the most important city (culturally and economically) in Gran Cienaga next to the capital (Penhalington). He is known to be doctrinally conservative while socially and economically libertarian in principle. He essentially embodies the spirit of the Najan people: freedom-loving, rugged and pious.

Hope that's good enough

OOC: Here's the character I'm sending, hope its OK

Name: Reverend Jessop Nevis
Occupation: Pastor (obviously)
Age: 29
Hometown: Nitanranga, Gran Cienaga
Denomination: Baptist

Reverend Nevis currently heads the Sea of Galilee Baptist Church, a church in the city of Avalon, arguably the most important city (culturally and economically) in Gran Cienaga next to the capital (Penhalington). He is known to be doctrinally conservative while socially and economically libertarian in principle. He essentially embodies the spirit of the Najan people: freedom-loving, rugged and pious.

Hope that's good enough

OOC: You can come, sure, but Will seems to be non-existant at the moment, so this RP is currently at a standstill.

Again. :(

Reverend Jessop Nevis held the door open while he brought in his bags from the outside. Dressed in a beige suit with a satin white collarshirt underneath, he seemed rather modestly dressed given the decor of the hotel. He surveyed his surroundings slowly with his piercing brown eyes, taking in the stunning, palatial architecture of the lobby. Finally, he stepped into the lobby and let the door shut slowly behind him. Reverend Nevis apparently travelled alone to the event since no security followed in after him.

He slowly ambled over to the check-in desk, a bag in each hand, ready to reserve a room.

Rev Tetley becomes conscious of watching eyes and briefly makes eye contact with the Prince, before looking to the floor. He notices that unlike the guardsmen the Prince is not dressed in full ceremonial, nor strutting. The reverend considers his own image: in his simple black shirt, dog collar and twead jacket he expected to be the grey man amongst protestant ministers, but he is feeling quite underdressed. He is also aware that he needs to join a group and make conversation to lower his profile. He takes one of complimentary orange juices and heads over to Rev Nevis.

"Reverend Nevis I presume?"

Nevis swiveled around from his position at the clerk's desk and faced Tetley. Grinning, he exclaimed with his deep, deliberate voice and drawling accent "And you must be the Reverend Tetley?" After gripping the man's hand for a few seconds, he let go and adjusted his own tie quickly. While Nevis certainly wasn't a vain man, he knew that first impressions were everything and he did not intend to give anyone a bad perception of his image before the conference even started.

"So what brings you to the conference today?"

The Prince chuckled to himself behind the hood of his cloak. He's not just special forces. Must have worked with their intelligence services. He saw the two other ministers meet with each other and stood up to the local bar. He wasn't a baptist, but he didn't get an alchoholic drink, which shocked the bartender. Prince John was known for his talents in mixing drinks and his...well...drinking ability. However, he stuck with a root beer and made his way to Nevis and Tetley, the only talkative people amongst the group.

"I hope you don't mind if I join you," the Prince said in a low voice, still with the hood up, hiding his face. "However, it seems that Cairns doesn't know how to throw a decent party."

"Of course not, Your Royal Highness, it's what we're all here for isn't it?" says Tetley, hoping this suffices as an answer to Rev Nevis also.

Nevis slowly nodded in agreement, smiling at the Prince. "Mind? Not at all." He held his hand out waiting for the Prince to reciprocate the gesture. He looked up and down at the Prince's attire, surprised by the dark, hooded cloak he donned. The reverend was determined to keep his guard up around the Prince until he got to know more about him.

The Prince could sence the tenseness in Nevis' voice and posture, and took his hand firmly but warmly and nodded.

"So, what denomination are you two? I was not fully breifed on who was coming. I enjoy surprises."

"Sir, I'm a Free Presbyterian, but I'm here on behalf of all Presbyterians in The British Empire. Reverend Nevis here is a Baptist." explains Tetley, "I see you're sporting an episcopal title [archbishop] in addition to your Royal one [prince], so I take it you're some kind of Anglican, sir?"

Tetley is used to mixing with the likes of senior politicians, military head sheds and royalty, from his previous career.

"Sir, I'm a Free Presbyterian, but I'm here on behalf of all Presbyterians in The British Empire. Reverend Nevis here is a Baptist." explains Tetley, "I see you're sporting an episcopal title [archbishop] in addition to your Royal one [prince], so I take it you're some kind of Anglican, sir?"

Tetley is used to mixing with the likes of senior politicians, military head sheds and royalty, from his previous career.

John smiled under his cloak. "Actually, no, I am a United Methodist. The Archbishop title really means nothing of church organization, per se. As in: I am not the head of all the liberal Protestant churches in Derscon. It simply means that I carry out all of Derscon's formal ceremonies that require a preacher. Zwingli over there is a Free Presbyterian, while Papen is a Lutheran. No one is quite sure what my brother, the Czar of Derscon and Arch-Chancellor of the Greater Prussian Empire, is, however, except that he's a semi-conservative protestant."

Nevis relaxed slightly once the Prince shook his hand, smiling all the while. He added on to Tetley's response.

"That's right, I'm a Baptist but unlike my friend here I'm not here on behalf the state, the Cienagan constitution restricts the government from meddling in religious affairs."

He noted the Prince's comment about his brother being a "semi-conservative Protestant."

"So tell me gentleman, where do you fellows stand politically? Personally I'm a libertarian but I know that's not exactly a mainstream view with Christians."

"We're all imperialists where I come from, but I stand in a fairly lonely position to the left of many of my countrymen. I believe social welfare and redistribution of wealth are the policies Jesus would encourage us to follow, making me a social democrat."

"Ah. Well, I wouldn't go so far as to call myself libertarian, but compared to the majority of people in Derscon, as well as the government, you could say I am. However, there has never been a restricted market or personal freedoms galore Czar in our two thousand year history of the monarchy.

"But I also am not here on behalf of the government. That's what Papen, the foreign minister, is here for."

"Likewise, I was speaking relatively in the context of The British Empire. Most people see me as a 'right-winger' because of my outspoken puritannical religious views, support of the government and anti-Catholic stance."

"Likewise, I was speaking relatively in the context of The British Empire. Most people see me as a "right-winger" because of my outspoken puritannical religious views, support of the government and anti-Catholic stance."

"I didn't realize the world was so left-leaning. I find it hard to believe anyone who supports wealth redistribution to be considered a right-winger."

Nevis nodded in agreement with the Prince, leaning his elbow onto the clerk's desk and facing in their direction.

"I have to agree with the Prince here, Tetley. Back in the homeland, you'd be really far left compared to the rest of the population."

Joshua becomes visibly uncomfortable with the subject matter: after all he joined the clergy to get away from politics, after experiencing it's sharp end for longer than he would care to remember.

"You misunderstand me, gentlemen. In the traditional one-dimensional spectrum my 'Christian do-gooder' views are clearly 'left-wing'. However, I was referring to the public perception of me, based on my patriotic, pro-government, imperialist and anti-catholic sermons," he goes on, "clearly these views have nothing to do with economics, on which most would accept the left/right system is based, but there is a certain public perception that these are 'right-wing' or 'fascist' ideas."

Joshua becomes visibly uncomfortable with the subject matter: after all he joined the clergy to get away from politics, after experiencing it's sharp end for longer than he would care to remember.

"You misunderstand me, gentlemen. In the traditional one-dimensional spectrum my 'Christian do-gooder' views are clearly 'left-wing'. However, I was referring to the public perception of me, based on my patriotic, pro-government, imperialist and anti-catholic sermons," he goes on, "clearly these views have nothing to do with economics, on which most would accept the left/right system is based, but there is a certain public perception that these are 'right-wing' or 'fascist' ideas."

"Don't start interchanging right wing with facist," the Prince scolded. "I do not tolerate such ignorance. However, I myself am not a large fan of the "left-right" comparison, unless, of course, you were talking about economic politics. However, let us move the topic -- politics bore me."

Nevis silently cursed himself for bringing up the topic in the first place, and was noticeably uncomfortable with the way things had turned out.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen, let's not argue over such petty things anyway. In the end our job is to be doing God's work, not arguing over something as worldly as politics. I was wondering if one of you could explain what we're trying to accomplish at this conference in the long-run, I was invited at the last minute and didn't have enough time to be briefed on the nature of the debate here."

Nevis silently cursed himself for bringing up the topic in the first place, and was noticeably uncomfortable with the way things had turned out.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen, let's not argue over such petty things anyway. In the end our job is to be doing God's work, not arguing over something as worldly as politics. I was wondering if one of you could explain what we're trying to accomplish at this conference in the long-run, I was invited at the last minute and didn't have enough time to be briefed on the nature of the debate here."

The Prince shruged. "I have no idea. It seems Cairns has fallen asleep. This may never start."

Happy 12th of July everyone.

This is truly a day to be celebrated by all free people. The defeat of James II, an Absolutist monarch rejected by England, by a tolerant ruler subject to the rule of Parliament was a milestone. This milestone is of worldwide significance as it marks an important step in the deliverance of mankind from the clutches of the Medieval Absolutist Tyranny.

KING BILLY'S ON THE WALL!

*flutes begin playing "The Sash My Father Wore"*

Sorry, will begin Rping here again now.

Thank God for your return to the land of the living Dr Cairns. I'm Joshua Tetley from The Presbyterian Church of The British Empire. I believe you've met Prince John, the Archbishop of Derscon and this is Reverend Jessop Nevis from the Gran Cienaga Baptist Church. What's on the agenda?

It has been sobering this past week watching some of my "woollier" colleagues (in Vicki Woods's self-designation) gradually awake to the realisation that the real suicide bomb is "multiculturalism". Its remorseless tick-tock, suddenly louder than the ethnic drumming at an anti-globalisation demo, drove poor old Boris Johnson into rampaging around this page last Thursday like some demented late-night karaoke one-man Fiddler on the Roof, stamping his feet and bellowing, "Tradition! Tradition!" Boris's plea for more Britishness was heartfelt and valiant, but I'm not sure I'd bet on it. The London bombers were, to the naked eye, assimilated - they ate fish 'n' chips, played cricket, sported appalling leisurewear. They'd adopted so many trees we couldn't see they lacked the big overarching forest - the essence of identity, of allegiance. As I've said before, you can't assimilate with a nullity - which is what multiculturalism is.

So, if Islamist extremism is the genie you're trying to put back in the bottle, it doesn't help to have smashed the bottle. As the death of the Eurofanatic Ted Heath reminds us, in modern Britain even a "conservative" prime minister thinks nothing of obliterating ancient counties and imposing on the populace fantasy jurisdictions - "Avon", "Clwyd" and (my personal favourite in its evocative neo-Stalinism) "Central Region" - and an alien regulatory regime imported from the failed polities of Europe. The 7/7 murderers are described as "Yorkshiremen", but, of course, there is no Yorkshire: Ted abolished that, too.

Sir Edward's successor, Mr Blair, said on the day of the bombing that terrorists would not be allowed to "change our country or our way of life". Of course not. That's his job - from hunting to Europeanisation. Could you reliably say what aspects of "our way of life" Britain's ruling class, whether pseudo-Labour like Mr Blair or pseudo-Conservative like Sir Ted, wish to preserve? The Notting Hill Carnival? Not enough, alas.

Consider the Bishop of Lichfield, who at Evensong, on the night of the bombings, was at pains to assure his congregants: "Just as the IRA has nothing to do with Christianity, so this kind of terror has nothing to do with any of the world faiths." It's not so much the explicit fatuousness of the assertion so much as the broader message it conveys: we're the defeatist wimps; bomb us and we'll apologise to you. That's why in Britain the Anglican Church is in a death-spiral and Islam is the fastest-growing religion. There's no market for a faith that has no faith in itself. And as the Church goes so goes the state: why introduce identity cards for a nation with no identity?

It was the Prime Minister's wife, you'll recall, who last year won a famous court victory for Shabina Begum, as a result of which schools across the land must now permit students to wear the full "jilbab" - ie, Muslim garb that covers the entire body except the eyes and hands. Ms Booth hailed this as "a victory for all Muslims who wish to preserve their identity and values despite prejudice and bigotry". It seems almost too banal to observe that such an extreme preservation of Miss Begum's Muslim identity must perforce be at the expense of any British identity. Nor, incidentally, is Miss Begum "preserving" any identity: she's of Bangladeshi origin, and her adolescent adoption of the jilbab is a symbol of the Arabisation of South Asian (and African and European) Islam that's at the root of so many problems. It's no more part of her inherited identity than my five-year- old dressing up in his head-to-toe Darth Vader costume, to which at a casual glance it's not dissimilar.

Is it "bigoted" to argue that the jilbab is a barrier to acquiring the common culture necessary to any functioning society? Is it "prejudiced" to suggest that in Britain a Muslim woman ought to reach the same sartorial compromise as, say, a female doctor in Bahrain? Apparently so, according to Cherie Booth.

One of the striking features of the post-9/11 world is the minimal degree of separation between the so-called "extremists" and the establishment: Princess Haifa, wife of the Saudi ambassador to Washington, gives $130,000 to accomplices of the 9/11 terrorists; the head of the group that certifies Muslim chaplains for the US military turns out to be a bagman for terrorists; one of the London bombers gets given a tour of the House of Commons by a Labour MP. The Guardian hires as a "trainee journalist" a member of Hizb ut Tahir, "Britain's most radical Islamic group" (as his own newspaper described them) and in his first column post-7/7 he mocks the idea that anyone could be "shocked" at a group of Yorkshiremen blowing up London: "Second- and third-generation Muslims are without the don't-rock-the-boat attitude that restricted our forefathers. We're much sassier with our opinions, not caring if the boat rocks" - or the bus blows, or the Tube vaporises. Fellow Guardian employee David Foulkes, who was killed in the Edgware Road blast, would no doubt be heartened to know he'd died for the cause of Muslim "sassiness".

But among all these many examples of the multiculti mainstream ushering the extremists from the dark fringe to the centre of western life, there is surely no more emblematic example than that of Shabina Begum, whose victory over the school dress code was achieved with the professional support of both the wife of the Prime Minister who pledges to defend "our way of life" and of Hizb ut Tahir, a group which (according to the German Interior Minister) "supports violence as a means to realise political goals" such as a worldwide caliphate and (according to the BBC) "urges Muslims to kill Jewish people". What does an "extremist" have to do to be too extreme for Cherie Booth or the Guardian?

Oh, well. Back to business as usual. In yesterday's Independent, Dave Brown had a cartoon showing Bush and Blair as terrorists boarding the Tube to Baghdad. Ha-ha. The other day in Thailand, where 800 folks have been killed by Islamists since the start of the year, two Laotian farm workers were beheaded. I suppose that's Bush and Blair's fault, too.

I'd like to think my "woolly liberal" colleague Vicki Woods and the woolly sorta-conservative Boris Johnson represent the majority. If they do, you've got a sporting chance. But in the end Cherie Booth and Dave Brown and the Bishop of Lichfield will get you killed. Best of British, old thing.

Very well written...was that yours?

Ian Paisley for Prime Minister I say! That would be the salvation of Great Britain!

Presbyterian Yorkshire, we need your kind in Greater Prussia!

No, it was posted by a fellow protestant in The British Empire called The Fiefdom of Covenantors. It's since been attributed to Mark Steyn, a right wing Canadian columnist.

Presbyterian Yorkshire, we need your kind in Greater Prussia!
With you permission I would like to send one of our leading General Assembly members - Reverend Joseph Rowntree, of the Yorkshire Loyalist movement - to Greater Prussia. He is currently on a mission to the Federal Commonwealth Society.

Yorkshire Day is celebrated on August 1st and is the anniversary of the Battle of Minden which was in 1759. It is also a celebration of Lammas a harvest festival when the first bread was made from the new corn.

Yorkshire Day was revived in 1975 by the Yorkshire Ridings Society.

Following the government's re-organisation of county boundaries during 1974, a number of county groups were set up by concerned people to lobby for the return of their traditional heritage. One of these groups was the Yorkshire Ridings Society.

A meeting of their members in the East Riding village of Market Weighton led to the idea of Yorkshire Day. This was to be a celebration of all things Yorkshire and was designed to make people more aware of our county's proud history and heritage. The date chosen for Yorkshire Day was August 1st and the first one took place in 1975.

August 1st held a special place in Yorkshire's history for, on this day in 1759, soldiers from Yorkshire regiments who had fought in the battle of Minden, in Germany, picked white roses from bushes near to the battlefields has a tribute to their fallen comrades.

Since then a number of Yorkshire regiments wear white roses on August 1st to commemorate the events of that day and heroic deeds of their Yorkshire ancestors.

The Yorkshire Ridings Society and others throughout the County continue to celebrate Yorkshire's identity and heritage.

Yorkshire has over 5 million people - more than many European countries including Scotland, Denmark, and twice as many people as in Wales.

http://www.greatbritishkitchen.co.uk/images/yorkshire_map.gif

Yorkshire's so big that King Halfdan I had to split it into 3 Ridings. The word is a corruption of the Old Norse þriðing (thridhing or thrithing) meaning a third part. The West Riding alone is bigger than the second largest county, Lincolnshire.