generalspeaking

Spiritual Unease In The Sceptered Isle

How far indeed has the stately old institution of the Church of England come from its inception in the late 6th Century, to the somewhat ignoble boost it received through Henry VIII's spiteful schism with the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th Century. As the country's establishment religion of the nobility and the country at large; still yet as a more wan, but distanced cousin of the Holy Roman Catholic Church. Recognizable in the inherited title "Defender of the Faith" with which Henry VIII was invested by Pope Leo X, and now proudly borne by Queen Elizabeth II.

Another icon of British tradition, albeit not nearly as elderly, while just as widely respected, is the British Broadcasting Corporation, the Mother Corporation, upon whose stately, even exalted public broadcasting image Canada and Australia have modelled their own public broadcasters. From the BBC, to the CBC and the ABC, respectively. As goes the mother broadcaster, so also followed its daughters, and as the BBC became increasingly socially-leftist in sensibility, so too did the CBC.

And as the hallowed voice of the people, the BBC has slowly but inexorably taken up the vox populi sensibilities of present-day Britain, one whose traditions and values now reflect attention to the tender sensitivities of establishment liberal-biased socialists toward Britain's countless minority demographics. In his own strenuous efforts at accommodation toward other religions held dear to the immigrant populations of his native isle, the Archbishop of Canterbury famously stirred a controversy about sharia law.

Now he speaks in worried tones of regret and despair that the once-proud Church of England is being handed the left-overs of public broadcast time allocated to the dissemination of religious programming. After championing the 'rights' of religions not native to their soil, those hardy souls of God's communion find themselves seeing preferential treatment through the BBC given to minority faiths. The minorities of which they speak minorities may be, but they represent a considerable number of people.

Dr. Rowan Williams has appealed to the director-general of the BBC to overturn the decline of traditional religious programming at the corporation. The larger majority of Britons, long accustomed, like their religious leaders, to being first and foremost, now see themselves neglected. Christianity is on the downturn, Islam and other religions now take centre-place. So much for the generosity of inclusion that demands no counter-efforts toward merging with the larger society's social contract and values.

The head of the CBC's religious programs, a Methodist preacher, has been fired, and the leading contender of the position is Muslim, partnering with the appointment of a Sikh to head another religious program which once Christianity dominated. A sharp decline in religious broadcasting on the BBC World Service where coverage was once an hour and 45 minutes each week, to its current half-hour, threatens the future of Christian religious programming, as the Church's executive body sees it.

"The vast majority of the population identifies itself as Christian and as the established Church in England we would be negligent not to take an active concern in the changes happening with the BBC's religion and ethics department", explains a member of the council. The departure of the former head of the CBC's religious programs represents the fifth of seven executives in the BBC's religion department to have been considered redundant to its programming needs.

It concerns the Church executive that the individual seen as the likely successor to head the religious programs has been accused in the past of treating faiths other than his own 'differently', in his commissioned programming. This is all an unfortunate error in judgement, however; the BBC remains committed to its impartial stance on delivering to the public religious programs of meaning and value. "The BBC's commitment to religion and ethics is unequivocal and entirely safe", assured a BBC spokesperson.

Therefore, the Church of England can rest easy. Nothing approximating the worrisome situation that The Archbishop of Canterbury frets about will occur; he has it on the best possible advice. It is obviously his perspective that is slightly askew. Matters will proceed as they always do. Pity that it will not be to everyone's complete satisfaction. But then, perhaps the time to stand fast and sound the alarm has already passed the point of no return.

Where was the Archbishop when it was common for imported clerics from Islamist states thundering from London mosques urging the divine status of Inslamist-inspired jihad on enthusiastic Muslim followers? Politely, unassumingly, standing back, not wishing to cause undue embarrassment to anyone, much less an immigrant population of whom not too much in the way of selective morals and universal values along with loyalty to the country that sheltered them from harm was expected, in any event.

Labels: Political Realities, Religion, Social-Cultural Deviations, Traditions

posted by Pieface @ Monday, March 30, 2009