NationStates Jolt Archive

Ok, so I was listening to the BBC Radio 4 news this morning and it said that the Church of England was re-introducing Heresy trials. I went on the BBC website and this was the most recent article on it I could find- it's 5 years old, but still pretty relevant I think. Does this scare anyone? I get a little bit angry when ministers come in to my school and do an assembly making people feel guilty for not attending church when they are blatantly still in the middle ages....


Church brings back heresy trials

Clergy have been able to believe what they like

Heresy trials are to be brought back by the Church of England.
After a gap of 150 years tribunals are to be reintroduced for clergy accused of not believing in God.

The last heresy trial was in 1847, when the Bishop of Exeter accused the Rev A Gorham of being unsound on the doctrine of "baptismal regeneration". The Rev Gorham did not agree that a person was cleansed of original sin at baptism and born again into Christ.



The Rt Rev David Jenkins said he did not believe in the Resurrection
Since then clergy and bishops have been able to deviate from doctrine without punishment. The former Bishop of Durham, the Rt Rev David Jenkins, caused a scandal in the 1980s when he said that he did not believe in the Church's doctrine on the Resurrection.

The new discipline procedure for clergy will include offences against "doctrine, ritual and ceremonial" matters after the General Synod meeting in York agreed legislation prepared by bishops.

The code of practice says clergy who profess atheism or deny the doctrine of the Trinity or the Incarnation should be disciplined.

The new legislation will create tribunals to be held in private although the judgements will be made public.

The tribunals, said to be based on the industrial model, will be cheaper and quicker than the Church's consistory courts.

'Powerful devil let loose'

But the Ven Robert Reiss, the Archdeacon of Surrey, warned of the threat of "new evil spirits" being unleashed into the Church if heresy trials are reintroduced.

He dismissed a claim by bishops that such trials would be rare and said the procedure would need to screen complaints from worshippers who would bring complaints against vicars with whom they disagreed on doctrine.

"Otherwise I feel a very powerful devil will be let loose in our Church," he told bishops.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/393077.stm

Crazy.

Crazy.

You didn't work that out by the fact they believe in the Bible?

Crazy.

You didn't work that out by the fact they believe in the Bible?

:lol:

They've gone beyond crazy.

Isn't the church allowed to discipline its own members, just like any other organization? I mean, would a Vegan group let you stay a member if you showed up in a fur coat with a cheeseburger?

Isn't the church allowed to discipline its own members, just like any other organization? I mean, would a Vegan group let you stay a member if you showed up in a fur coat with a cheeseburger?

I dunno, considering it's the national church of the country. I just find it a very backward way of thinking, stifling new religious thought and philosophical debate by punishing those who dare step out of doctrine. Can they really thern complain when people abandon the Church in droves? Why SHOULD I go to a church which is so anti-me and anti-progression?

I dunno, considering it's the national church of the country. I just find it a very backward way of thinking, stifling new religious thought and philosophical debate by punishing those who dare step out of doctrine. Can they really thern complain when people abandon the Church in droves? Why SHOULD I go to a church which is so anti-me and anti-progression?

The article says nothing about prosecuting lay persons. It talks about going after clergy.

The code of practice says clergy who profess atheism or deny the doctrine of the Trinity or the Incarnation should be disciplined

And, really, if you don't believe in the Trinity, why the Hell are you in the clergy?

I dunno, considering it's the national church of the country. I just find it a very backward way of thinking, stifling new religious thought and philosophical debate by punishing those who dare step out of doctrine. Can they really thern complain when people abandon the Church in droves? Why SHOULD I go to a church which is so anti-me and anti-progression?

The article says nothing about prosecuting lay persons. It talks about going after clergy.

But the doctrine of the Church is anti lots of things that I am, for example gay. No priest can say 'our institutional homophobia is wrong' because his view differs from doctrine. There can be no debatre or dissent within the church so that things will change. How can a church have such a bigoted doctrine and then complain when people leave it?

The code of practice says clergy who profess atheism or deny the doctrine of the Trinity or the Incarnation should be disciplined

And, really, if you don't believe in the Trinity, why the Hell are you in the clergy?
Different people (including Clergy) have different theological viewpoints. If a indiviudal priest holds a different Christian viewpoint, he should be allowed to without fear of persecution. I thought the Trinity was a distinctly Catholic tradition anyway....

But the doctrine of the Church is anti lots of things that I am, for example gay. No priest can say 'our institutional homophobia is wrong' because his view differs from doctrine. There can be no debatre or dissent within the church so that things will change. How can a church have such a bigoted doctrine and then complain when people leave it?

Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not supporting church dogma here.

However, I think the church is drawing a line of demarcation. Clergy can say to their superiors, "I think our stance on homosexuality needs to be reviewed," without fear of prosecution. The charges come in when the clergy(wo)man in question tells their parishioners, in an official capacity, "The church is wrong. Go do <x,y,z> all you want."

In other words, publically toe the line and try to affect change from within.


Different people (including Clergy) have different theological viewpoints. If a indiviudal priest holds a different Christian viewpoint, he should be allowed to without fear of persecution. I thought the Trinity was a distinctly Catholic tradition anyway....

No, the Trinity is pretty much a given across the Christian spectrum, save Unitarians. And isn't the Church of England the Anglican Chruch, which Henry VIII created after the Catholic Church refused him a divorce? If I'm remembering properly, the differences between the Anglican Church and the Catholic Church are pretty minimal.

If a member of the clergy doesn't believe one of the key tenants of the church, they really should question their involvement, like my cheeseburger eating vegan. Disagreeing with a single line of Leviticus is one thing, disagreeing with the entire foundation of the religion is another.

I was going to dig up an essay regarding religion as a source of abnormal mental content but I can't seem to find the link. Maybe the Church of England had something to do with it... :shock:

No, the Trinity is pretty much a given across the Christian spectrum, save Unitarians. And isn't the Church of England the Anglican Chruch, which Henry VIII created after the Catholic Church refused him a divorce? If I'm remembering properly, the differences between the Anglican Church and the Catholic Church are pretty minimal.

If a member of the clergy doesn't believe one of the key tenants of the church, they really should question their involvement, like my cheeseburger eating vegan. Disagreeing with a single line of Leviticus is one thing, disagreeing with the entire foundation of the religion is another.

I guess so. I don't think you're right about the CoE being pretty similar to Roman Catholicism. I live in England and went to a CoE school, and things were pretty different.

I don't think you're right about the CoE being pretty similar to Roman Catholicism. I live in England and went to a CoE school, and things were pretty different.

Entirely possible, especially when you consider than I'm neither CoE nor Catholic.

I don't think you're right about the CoE being pretty similar to Roman Catholicism. I live in England and went to a CoE school, and things were pretty different.

Entirely possible, especially when you consider than I'm neither CoE nor Catholic.

Niether am I. But as a history student, I can tell you that the CofE is very different.