Let us pray!

I gather that the recent ban on the Lord's Prayer (not John 17) in the cinema has caused a great deal of upset! What a surprise! Never mind anything else then! Is there nothing else we can talk about these days? It should think that the handkerchief industry could be boosted over night if the whole thing could only go viral! For crying out loud?! Who says that religion is bad for the economy?! By way of clarification, I am not referring to my comments, although they may make some people cry!

As I can neither recall my last visit to the pictures let alone reciting the Lord's Prayer, a practise which, so it can be argued, in direct contradiction to what Jesus Himself taught in Matthew 6:5ff., I am probably not qualified to say anything, but as I am not a Trappist monk, I might as well speak on!

It is well-known that the Church of England, an institution rooted in the 16^th century, rather than in New Testament soil, is desperate to swell its ranks by all sorts of means, mainly, though, through hatches, matches and dispatches, or, if you prefer, yells, bells and knells (click here if you don't believe me). And now the Lord's Prayer, featuring the archbishhop, out of all people! Why was I not consulted on this?

It is odd, to put it mildly, that Welby would encourage cinema goers to pray when he himself has just most recently expressed doubts about what God might be up to: 'Paris attacks: Archbishop Justin Welby admits 'doubt' over God's presence after tragedy'! His predecessor – according to Welby 'one of our best ever Archbishops' - notoriously portrayed God as 'pretty useless' on 9/11. Why anyone would wish to urge us to pray to that kind of God in the first place has left be completely bamboozled!

More odd, still, why did the early church never think of that?! Oh, I see, there were no archbishops then! But there was plenty of prayer – in the places of public entertainment – when the early Christians were thrown to the lions! If only I could pray like that myself!

Now as I am not an Anglican, I might as well become a Trappist monk, in my imagination, that is! For the time being! My Anglican friends may perhaps express their thanks to their God in the usual manner!

If any cinema wishes to advertise my comments, then this can be done – for free!
P.S. With my apologies to uncle Richard - "Richard Dawkins says UK cinemas should screen the Lord's Prayer"

To answer or not to answer - that is the question!

It is always interesting to engage with folks that differ from me, especially from a distance. At least I am safe at my desk from any possible cyber-attacks, I hope! Solipsists – let us all unite! Join me in the fight against the advocates of nauseating religious clap-trap.

The recent debate between David Robertson and Scott S. McKenna was interesting to say the least, but hardly seismic, leaving me with a few momentary shivers creeping down my sensitive spine, from which I have now thankfully fully recovered. Backbone is needed much these days! So I've got to stay strong!

In a neo-Kantian universe of ecclesiastical make-belief, dogmatic certainty has now become the unforgivable sin: Anythingism rules! So much is certain, of course! Anyone who says otherwise is a bigot and un-Christlike!

Robertson – the white man who does not speak with a forked tongue – does not need me to defend him, but on this occasion - notwithstanding his blunt manners (Luther has a lot to answer for) - I will make an exception! Robertson's position is clear; he is no chameleon theologian! That is rather refreshing! He likes everybody, so it seems, which is really nice! I hope that includes me, too! His Peter-Pan like zeal is endearing, though a touch naïve, but his courage I cannot match, as I don't mix in such distinguished circles! His motives, I have no doubt, are noble and sincere!

McKenna's kerygmatic pronouncements self-evidently bear little resemblance to apostolic Christianity and may well be symptomatic of a disorderly mind. For all his smooth talking, McKenna's grasp of the essential features of Christianity is woefully inadequate, to say the least. He would never have been admitted into the early church, let alone be let loose in a pulpit! He himself knows that, so I do not have to labour the point!

Did McKenna really subscribe to Calvinism with an honest conscience when he was ordained? Why does he not start his own church? Why do people pay this man who is peddling a Gnostic version of old-fashioned liberalism? If he has changed his mind, then he ought to go!

From the outset (in writing) I disagreed with Robertson's willingness to debate with a self-confessed Christian minister who has little regard for the Jesus of the Bible (another Christ is but a figment of the human imagination)! The decision to go ahead has no New Testament precedent.

Paul is more upsetting still than Robertson when he says, more bluntly, of course: “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:8) Presumably, McKenna does not agree with Paul, either!

McKenna should, in the words of Bonhoeffer, adopt a 'religionless Christianity'! When Christ has been relegated to the periphery, in the name of religion, then it is time to come out again. Robertson has done just that! May he be spared to do just keep on doing that!

'When nations are to perish in their sins, 'tis in the church the leprosy begins'. And so it is also with the Church of Scotland these days. The McKenna's of this world have a lot to answer for; they are self-confessed enemies of Christ. We must not shy away from saying so, but do it with tears, or not at all!

You'll get by with a little help from your friend!

Another unsolicited email has reached me. It's made my day! I have decided to out myself! No point in keeping it all to myself! The whole world might as well be told, including my cyber-friends, how proud I am of myself! My real friends know better, but never mind that! Now that I have friends in high places ... I could do with my ego being massaged! It's all official now. Let there be no misunderstanding! Yours truly has been endorsed by none other than the government, though I have not pledged my support to any political party! Who says the age of miracles is over? Think of it! Without me, the UK would be worse off! Time to update my CV! My country needs me - and my money! Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, to quote auntie Maggie!

A date with Nicky Morgan!

I cannot believe my luck! I have been accosted which is most flattering, given my age and my looks! This time by the education secretary herself, albeit via an unsolicited email! Already we are on first-name terms!

The poor woman, of course, does not even know me (or my wife), which is just as well! She ought to be thankful! Mind you, for the record, she is not after me, which is a relief! But after my vote, which is not a relief!

I have no issues with the raising of educational standards (whatever that might mean – I need to have a word with uncle Charlie!), but how does one go about it? By keeping politics out of education, and letting teachers get on with it! My natural instincts tell me that teachers should be trusted more than politicians to get the job done! Now that would be a rather exciting, new and revolutionary initiative!

I do not understand why the education secretary seeks to blame the Labour Party for failing schools, whilst at the same time claiming that government policy explains educational success! Never mind the teachers, then, or parents, or auxiliary staff, or hard working pupils! My gut feeling tells me that there must a general election on the horizon!

Now whilst I am at … Teachers are generally overworked (because imposed upon like slaves expecting to make bricks without straw), greatly undervalued (more so than politicians), poorly paid, wrongly blamed for a general lack of discipline among young people (never mind the turbulence in the house of Commons!), and worst of all, living in fear of unerring, uninspectable Ofsted inspectors now endued from on high with plenipotentiary power which must fill any infallible pope with envy! Never in the field of human education was so much owed by so many teachers to so few inspectors, to coin an Ofsted slogan! Ask any failing school! Then thank our education secretary – who has invited all teachers for a date: May 7^th, 2015!

My verdict: Nicky Morgan must do better to get my vote!