An Act Of Faith Too Far

This week the Church of England decided to maintain discrimination against women, when it decided to preserve the age-old divide between the sexes. The General Synod voted against the idea of allowing women priests to be promoted to the role of bishop. Consequently, they are allowed to serve as foot soldier priests, but not as senior managers.

I use this language as this is how the managers of the Church – the bishops and priests – spoke all week. Two arms of the Synod – the House of Bishops and the House of Clergy – voted firmly in favour of equality. The third arm, comprising the lay members, also voted in favour. But the hurdle for adoption of policy changes is high, and a two-thirds majority is required. By a handful of votes, this was not reached, so the motion was defeated.

Consternation all round. Talk of not following the wider trends in society, of not being understood by people outside the Church, of edging further into a cul de sac of their own making.

So why did the Laity choose to keep the status quo? So far as I could see, it was because a sizeable minority believe that men have a special role in the Church, and that women – by definition – cannot serve in the same way. These lay members appear to derive their views from the Bible, and from historic teachings of the Church. Men and women are not the same in the eyes of the Church, they say, and it would go against their beliefs if they were to agree to allowing women to become bishops.

And this is what has incurred the wrath of the professional Church men and women. You have reached the wrong decision, they seem to be saying. Men and women are equal. We already have women priests, who now have their career progression capped. Other sectors of society accord women the same employment rights as men. So we need to do the same. And you’re getting in the way.

How bizarre is this? Church members being criticised for acting according to their faith, and being castigated for it.

Now, I’m an avowed atheist. I believe there are no higher, supernatural powers. I think that natural science explains what we are and how we got here. My belief is that all religions are wrong and misguided, and founded on fallacies of one sort and another. To me, all religions are a by-product of having a highly-evolved brain. They’re all wrong, in a nutshell. But as Evelyn Beatrice Hall said, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”

Well, no not to the death in this case, as it’s patently not worth it – but I have to side with the gainsayers, nonetheless. The C of E has a democratic process with a high barrier of approval – the process has been followed, and the decision is that women bishops are not to be allowed at present. People have been asked what they think, they’ve answered and the process is at an end.

This is not a tragedy. It is just what has been decided on this occasion.

Many august bodies appear to have a fundamental problem with grasping the basic principle of democracy. The European Union had to have repeated referendums about the Euro before it got the right answer. Our own Parliament bounces bills back and forth between the Houses until the will of a small number of MPs triumphs. The liberal West feels unhappy at Hamas being in charge in Gaza.

Well, it’s just tough. You asked them, and they told you. No-one said you were going to get the Christmas present you asked for. You’re barking mad to think that a very old book that consists of lots of multiple translations bound together tells you how to live your life, but if that’s what you’ve said you’re going to do, just get on and do it.

The whole thing is founded on faith. There is not one shred of solid evidence for any of what you believe. It’s all just what you say it is. So how can you get uptight when some of you actually act on the basis of their beliefs? There is no room for rational arguments here. That’s the sort of thing my lot get up to.

But there is one get-out I’ll allow you – get out of the hair of the State, and you can do what you like. Leave us alone and stop sitting in the House of Lords, and you can say that men are better than women (or not), there should be no sex before marriage (or not) and only fish on Fridays. ßOr not.

It’s up to you. Just fill out the forms, send a postal order for 10/- to the Disestablishmentarianism Society and off you go.

Just a thought.