Exclusively "inclusive".

The BBC has reported today that the new Dean of Bangor in North Wales has hailed her appointment as a "privilege and an honour" showing the faith is "inclusive". So inclusive in fact that it excludes anyone who doesn't agree with the feminist theology to which she refers. This view from the Church in Wales is actively encouraged by their Archbishop whoseminority view of Christianity mirrors the trend in the Church of England which, at diocesan level, is currently considering admitting women to the Episcopate, contrary not only to the tradition of the Universal church but to the example of Christ Himself in choosing His Apostles. But no matter to those in the politically correct Anglican Church today.

Dr Jones says, "I'm excited. I think it gives a statement that the church is inclusive and I think I am bringing something different - a female perspective." Sorry Dr Jones, Mary the Mother of God did that 2,000 years ago.

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Raped!

Two stories caught my eye in this morning's newspaper. First the disgrace of foreign nurses being registered to work in the UK despite not having seen a patient for twenty years while British nurses without up-to-date training have had to leave the profession. Hopefully, as the scandal has emerged in evidence to a House of Lords inquiry, someone somewhere will get a grip on this farce and do something about it, simply by ignoring the plainly stupid EU rules if necessary.

Far more disturbing and with little or no hope for the victims is the ongoing disgrace of rape and slavery in the (so called) Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Guardian video here is harrowing enough but look a little deeper on the Internet and the story is even more harrowing where in addition to rape being used as a weapon, children as young as five areraped through ignorance and superstition. Men are not immune either.

Poor people in many countries suffer in misery to provide the life styles to which we in the West have become accustomed and the best of intentions in dealing with human rights abuses can go awry. Meanwhile the misery of men and particularly of women and children continues. The United Nations organisation say they are addressing the challenges but compare the glitzy image inthis video with that revealed in the Guardian video above.

Using any computer or using any mobile phone to text a friend has been made possible by the blood, sweat and tears of raped women and children who mine the necessaryminerals. It doesn't bear thinking about and, tragically, for the most part we don't but as the Libyan conflict subsides, is it too much to hope that world leaders will turn their attention to these suffering women and children or will they wait for the next shoot-out to wade-in in the hope of claiming another victory?

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'Allo 'allo 'allo;

What's going on 'ere then?

The suggestion that police constables (why are they all 'officers' these days?) should wear their uniforms to work has not found favour with the Police Federation. On Breakfast Time this morning their Chairman responded to the observation that the police were on duty 24 hours a day by likening it to the view of policemen as characters from Noddy, Big Ears and PC Plod.

Perhaps not in London where public transport is more convenient than elsewhere in the country but did it escape the attention of the 'Think(!) Tank' that, like the rest of the workforce, most police persons today travel by car, obscuring the 'visibility' they desire?

If they want a realistic suggestion, why not issue every police constable using his or her private car with a blue light to put on his/her car roof,Kojak style? With police patrols far less in evidence than they used to be this would be a welcome presence for the law abiding. Now that would make sense:

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Barry's blunder

Another irate email from a friend in the Church in Wales reminds me of the Grand Mufti tales that used to appear in the Llandaffchester Chronicles.

Well insulated from lesser mortals in his palace on the Green, the publicity hungry Archbishop has used the 9/11 anniversary to promote his idea of mutual understanding between Muslims and Christians issuing a joint statement with the Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Wales, Saleem Kidwai. The Archbishop is not alone in his delusion that Islam will embrace Christianity if he panders to Muslim demands. Others have committed the same blunder. Ironically he appears to have more dialogue with Muslims than with the 'traditionalists' in his own church despite his supposed position as a visible sign of unity [see Para 3.1.3 of the link]!

Reading about him in his Wikipediaentry the Secretary General, Saleem Kidwai, is a pillar of society but far less impressive are the warnings highlighted here. Of course Muslims want to live in peace and harmony with Christians who form a majority but that is not the case in countries where Christians are a minority and will not be here if the position is reversed. I have been told that Muslims in the Archbishop's diocese are spreading a story that Jesus was a Muslim while others claim that Jesus prophesied Muhammad in the Bible. A response to these absurd suggestions can be foundhere.

As the influence of the Anglican church declines in England and in Wales its bishops are more intent on fostering Islam than preaching Christianity. According to the latest Church in Wales press release their Archbishop "will turn to the Welsh writer R S Thomas to sort out the current problems in the Anglican church in a lecture next week. [He] will suggest Thomas’ poetry has much to teach the church today about the nature of faith as it struggles to resolve tensions over the ordination of women bishops and gay people." One could add, tensions he and his liberal friends have created. Let's be honest, if listeners want to hear the Christian message they would be better off listening in to Fr Zakaria Botros.

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The Bishop of Oxford has been at it again.

In the news again, on the BBC's Today  programme this morning [jump forward to 1.31], theBishop of Oxford had trouble in answering John Humphries' question whether or not Jesus was the Son of God. In fact, the interviewer had to labour the point to get an answer as to whether Jesus should be featured at all in school assemblies. 'Reflection, silence and singing' were OK but care was needed to strike the right balance in multi-cultural schools.

Bishop Pritchard was particularly impressed with an ONS figure which showed that 71% of the population 'identifed' with Christianity. 'Identified' does not put bums on pews but perhaps this is part of his plan to speed the decline in church attendance. What really irked a friend in Wales who emailed me this morning (the former Bishop of Oxford is leading a team managing the decline of the Church in Wales under the leadership of their current Archbishop) was the statement that 100% of pupils in some Church of England schools are Muslims. Ignoring the financial implications for the church, this suggests to the bishop that parents of Muslim children send them to Church schools because they know that God will be taken seriously!

So there we have it. If God is to be taken seriously we should make all Church Schools 100% Muslim even though they do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God. They believe in their God (Allah) and that everyone else should too so that would put an end to the multi-culturalism our church leaders and teachers care so much about without ever having to worry again about mentioning the name of Jesus.

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A question of trust

The 1979 election was said to have been won for the Conservatives by a fake 'Labour isn't working' poster. Today the publishedunemployment figures were simply described by the Prime Minister as "disappointing". Young people who have never worked will no doubt have a different description.

Attacking the public sector has been a key part of the Prime Minister's strategy. He suggests that cutting public sector jobs will enable the private sector to expand by picking-up the slack created. Not so thus far on today's figures. The smoke-screen of attacking the public sector is no substitute for a plan for growth.  Regions have been unjustly condemned for the size of public sector employment in their areas after it was created as a matter of government policy. People filling jobs that were dispersed from London to save money and mop up spare capacity created by the loss of manufacturing jobs are now blamed for current problems and their successors are being made redundant with little or no hope of work.

Today Mr Cameron let slip another government aim of cutting public expenditure. After the Government's earlier gaff of predetermining the outcome of 'discussions' on public sector pensions, David Cameron quickly corrected himself in PM Questions when responding to Ed Miliband telling him that the government was cutting (reforming) public sector pensions. Is it surprising that public sector unions are threatening more public sector strikes?

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9/11 Shame

One of the images not published in the BBC's gallery ofpictures illustrating events to mark the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 has been published in the Independent.ie showing Islamic extremists shattering the remembrance silence and burning the American flag.

We remember them all , the dozens of innocent Muslims, Christians and people of faith and no faith, murdered by Islamic extremists. Yet they still complain endlessly aboutIslamophobia!

Postscript

I receive daily alerts about supposed examples of 'Islamophobia'. The fifth today was a welcome change. You can read it here in the context of 9/11.

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