Year after year, church attendance at Christmas continues to defy the trends.
Disconcerted clergy find themselves putting on an extra carol service or
Christingle. Cathedral deans start worrying about health and safety
regulations as the number of people standing at the back is still growing
five minutes before the service starts. And in spite of all the high-profile
antiGod books published this last year, I suspect it’s not going to make
much difference to these swelling numbers in church over Christmas.
So what’s going on? I don’t think it’s that people’s doubts and uncertainties
are all magically taken away for a couple of weeks in December. But once in
a while people need a chance to face up to the bits of themselves that they
cheerfully ignore most of the time – a chance to notice what might be
missing in their lives.
And Christmas gives us just this. It gives us a story to listen to. It gives
us a sense that what matters most deeply to us matters to God too. And it
gives us a moment of stillness in a more and more feverish environment.
It gives us a story. If you go to a carol service, you’ll notice that it isn’t
just about the story of Jesus’s birth. It starts right back at the beginning
of human history and tells us that everything started well and then
everything went wrong, and we got so tangled in habits and attitudes that
trapped us and damaged us that we couldn’t get out again.
So the question stares us in the face: “Is this your story?”
Did you start well and then find yourself snarled up in things that drain
your life and energy? There won’t be many people for whom that doesn’t ring
a bell or two.
And then the story goes on to say something quite strange and surprising. God
steps in to sort it all out. But He doesn’t step in like Superman, He
doesn’t even send a master plan down from heaven. He introduces into the
situation something completely new – a new life; a human baby, helpless and
needy like all babies.
And it’s by that introducing of something new that change begins to happen.
Like dropping a tiny bit of colouring into a glass of clear water, it starts
to affect the whole glassful.
The Christmas story doesn’t try to explain how it works. It just says: “Now
that this story, Jesus’s story, has started, nothing will be the same
again.” So we’re not being asked to sign up to a grand theory – just to
imagine that the world might have changed. And most of us can manage that
for a moment or two. Christmas lets us hold on to that for just a bit longer.
And it tells us that what matters to us matters to God. Most of us have
deep-rooted instincts about all kinds of things – about our families and
children, about the need for fairness and forgiveness, about honesty and
faithfulness in private and public. A great deal of the world we normally
live in seems to ride roughshod over many of these instincts.
We get panicky about what our society seems to be doing to marriage and
families, about the forward march of a technology that doesn’t ask the moral
questions, about the cynicism and brittleness of a lot of political talk and
the celebrity culture.
Christmas reminds us of a God who is completely committed to the weakest, who
uses power only so that human life can be fuller, more peaceful and
generous, who gives us the help we need to make our relationships stable and
faithful – and who requires of us a complete honesty about ourselves, and
gently, steadily, chips away our self-deceptions. Christmas tells us that
our best instincts about human nature and what’s needed for a healthy world
and society aren’t just things we’ve made up. They are rooted in the way the
whole universe is shaped by God.
Often people demand “moral leadership” from religious figures. Confession
time: like others, I suspect, my heart sometimes sinks when I hear this, and
I think, cynically, that it’s just about people wanting religious leaders to
tell them that they’re right.
But there’s more to it than that: it’s not that folk simply want bishops or
vicars to lay down the law all the time. But they do want sometimes to be
assured that their hopes aren’t empty and their fears aren’t stupid, in a
world where things change so fast and so disturbingly.
They want to know that there is a “home” for their feelings and ideals, that
the universe has a shape and a purpose. And yes, religious leaders will be
failing in their job if they can’t meet this need.
But as I’ve hinted, it’s not just a need for words. It’s a need for space
where you don’t have to struggle, to fight for your place at the table.
You’re just welcome for who you are. It’s a bit of a paradox.
We usually spend the weeks before Christmas in a feverish nightmare of anxiety
and driven busyness, as if we were going to celebrate the festival by making
our normal situation even worse! But then there comes a moment when we
really have to take time out if we’re going to stay sane. That’s the moment
when people start thinking about church.
We still have this half-buried conviction that church is a place where, at
least at this time of year, we ought to be able to feel at home. We turn up,
tired and overwrought, perhaps, still thinking vaguely about what we haven’t
done and need to do before tomorrow. And then the story unfolds. Yes, this
is our story, and yes, we can for a moment believe that this birth makes a
difference. Yes, God cares about the kind of world we want to see and his
faithful love is the basis of what makes a really liveable life. And no, we
don’t have to do anything for this time except take it in. There are no
entrance qualifications. The door of Jesus’s stable is open and anyone can
come in and sit down.
None of this – I can hear the atheist protesting – means it’s true, surely?
Not in itself, no. But it suggests that, if God is a “delusion”, as some
would like us to believe, then quite a lot more of our human life is a
delusion as well, including many of our deepest values and our hopes for
forgiveness and peace. All sorts of things will make up your mind about
whether it is true or not – and naturally I want people to believe it is and
I’m happy to have the arguments. But you will never understand why it might
matter for it to be true unless you can take in what the Christmas story is
saying to us about who we are and the world we live in.
So, arrive early! There are millions who still want to ask these questions and
hear the story. And there are millions for whom it’s not just a piece of our
“heritage” – a stately home to visit – but a place to live. God is for life,
not just for Christmas.
Every blessing to you all for a very happy Christmas.
Rowan Williams is Archbishop of Canterbury
Read Libby
Purves’s guide to religion and thought
Thank you to Rowan Williams for a well-written and kindly look at Christmas. The Archbishop gets so much criticism he deserves a bit of encouragement.
Recently I saw a quote that: "Christianity is the only religion which says that "omnipotence" does not say all that there is to be said about God." The God of the Old Testament and of the koran is omnipotent, but in the New Testament we see that God has wanted to lay aside His omnipotence and become dependent, weak, a human being like us - the message of the incarnation. To arouse love freely in our hearts. As Rowan puts it so well: "the stable door is open".
I am not an Anglican but a Catholic. However I do wish that the crowds who come at Christmas would heed God's command to come weekly, not just annually. Then the Christmas spirit of peace and joy might permeate our society through the year, and not just be confined to Yuletide!
Francis Marsden, Chorley, England
I was wondering as I read these words of hope and humility, "The stable door is open, anyone can come in".... wow, who could write this so succinctly and almost poetically....it was a teaser, I literally could not stop reading the sweet words of hope and faith and until the final words..... did not know it was the Archbishop himself.... nice to know that the Archbishop truly embraces Christ and can help us to understand the simplicity of His message.
I was reading Rowan talking about the Muslim Faith a few weeks ago.....he was reaching out to Them and gave me a "fright" that he was maybe "bending" and stretching too far (to embrace their Faith). But he certainly put me in comfort with this simple Christmas sermon...."The stable door is open and anyone can come in"
Praise the Lord
Marty, Santa Cruz Ca., USA
Yes, anyone can go in to a church but are they welcomed or excluded?
Older people are excluded from the C of E if they question new ideas?
Deaf people are excluded because vicars mumble, loop systems are not working, badly behaved children and screaming babies.
The church of my childhood no longer welcomes the local people who live in the parish because they are a student church. They change the times of the services or cancel them - do they reduce the vicar's salary?
There is an amazing project happening in the North of England where they are taking Christianity to all the people - Hope08. Is there anything happening in Southampton - NO.
Are we welcomed - NO.
Sue, Southampton, Uk
"Who created God"?
If God exists outside of time and space he is, by definition, uncreated. And one could not assume his existence was subject to probability either.
This is why the usual argument that God is some kind of scientific theory is simple question begging.
John, Buckingham,
S Parr asks the question, "Who created your God?" and which religion is the right one? You might shed some light on those questions by asking yourself why there exists anything at all rather than nothing. Isn't it clear that SOMETHING is ETERNAL? Either matter/energy, the whole universe was always here (is wasn't - remember the Big Bang) or maybe it was an eternal God. Take your choice.
As for which religion, for those of us who think that an eternal God makes more sense, we have to deal with our fallen natures. One commenter said he hadn't done anything wrong, but most of us know we have done a great deal of wrong and not only that, but we're still doing it. We most definitely need a religion that provides a solution to that problem. I haven't heard of any solution other than Jesus. So celebrate Christmas with joy and look forward to Easter!
B Cobb, Melbourne Beach, FL
Mr. Williams,
Well done. Keep so doing.
Richard Oliver, Casper,, America / Wyoming
The days of sanctimonious pronouncements from this or any other religion going without criticism are well and truly over.
There are better stories to be had like those of Shakespeare and Ian McEwan, better psychotherapists, counsellors and friends who listen and affirm people without any presumptuous threats of hell and sin and damnation, and better philosophers who articulate with far greater understanding the issues of reality and illusion.
And if you want to feel warm and cosy with someone who claims to offer those things, well find them in a friend or lover not in a religious surrogate praying on people's vulnerabilities and gullibility.
The only part of this aricle I find interesting is the notion of 'welcome for all'. This is true - anyone can walk into a church and be accepted (if that's what you want - see above). The same is not true with mosques, which thus do the divisive opposite. I think this is an apposite remark to make, in relation to current world affairs.
Joe, Manchester,
"The usual obscurantist tosh from beginning to end. No Archbishop, I do not believe in your god, much less worship it."
The sadest thing about this contribution is that such non-believers can't refrain from reading the 'tosh' and getting in their six peneth No-one says you have to believe, or turn up at worship. To reject the whole Christmas story as obscurantist is your privilege - but it's obviously important enough for you to tell us!
I also note just how many of the 'anti' comments reflect just plain grumpiness!
Anyway, 'Happy Christmas' to everyone - even the terminally grumpy!
andrew holden, oxford, uk
REV wILLIAMS
you are generally well or bettter informed than many,
who profess that religions are createdby a god or one of the many 10,000 plus gods, created by man.
this process continues.
But when god is derived from the teachings, that clearly existed, when the new, old and the not so old, testaments ,were created, and st jamesversion modified the godly words
with so many clear confusing, contradictory statements,
and really trying to hide the fact, that almost all, if not all the inclusions in these gospels, good and bad or distorted words, testaments,gnostic and agnostic ,hetetical, and idol worship[the cross, bible, holy books, rosary, statues of a while or not so white christ, mary, magdeline and other incarnations, 3 wise men,nativity, etc etc,
are pure and simple pagan, and not too bad,
especially taken in context with the other teachings.
surely a new god[totally separate, and a brand new evolution]did not create the ideaof
do not kill, murder or destroy life or
dr de silva, ohio, USA
I am one of those Anglicans who believes that there is a silent majority of Christians in the UK who do not attend Church regularly - or never go to Church - but who recognise a deep spiritual dimension within themselves. But any suggestion that these people flock to Christmas services is misleading. It is quite possible that many do attend but so also do people for whom a Christmas service is part of the traditional holiday celebration, like a Christmas tree, a visit to a pantomime or a turkey dinner. The real perspective that the Archbishop should be concentrating on is concerned with encouraging and enlivening that silent majority to expose their Christian feelings more regularly and openly throughout the year!
Keith Downer, London, UK
Love One Another
by Simon Icke UK
Give love and a smile,
It will take you and others that extra mile.
For what you give you will receive,
The more you give the less you grieve.
Imagine what a world it would be,
If I loved you and you loved me.
If we multiplied this love to everyone we know,
It wouldn't be long before it started to grow,
Jesus came into the world, to show us the way,
To love one another, everyday.
At Christmas time as we celebrate His birth,
Let's try and remember why he came to this earth.
Simon Icke, ASTON CLINTON, UK
Thank you Archbishop, for a kind and gracious invitation into the Christmas stable.
I recall seeing inebriated skinheads welcomed into my home Anglican Church at the late Christmas Eve service. They raucously sang the carols as if attending the local football game; but at the conclusion knelt reverently and received communion. Grace penetrated.
God bless you sir, as you lead a challenging parish, as well.
Richard Munn, Garnerville, New York
Whether other aspects of our lives and beliefs are a delusion or not is utterly irrelevant to the question of whether God is a delusion. He almost certainly is and many of our other ideas are as well but so what? None of it alters the basic reality that God almost certainly doesn't exist . More religious types peddling rubbish justifications for their beliefs in Father Christmas long past the point where they should be asking some very awkward questions. (Who created the Creator would be a start and please tell us which one of the hundreds of religious fairy tales is the correct one!)
S Parr, Swansea, UK
Jowett
Continually you wheel out the same old arguments "Stalin, Hitler, Mau" ad infinitum. Yet you continually fail to understand that these people did not kill in the name of atheism (and btw Hitler was a Catholic and was never ex-communicated). Atheism is a lack of belief, in the same way that a Catholic lacks belief in notions of other gods, and only have belief in their own. Atheists take it one step further and lack belief in all gods.
If you need outside help to live you life than fine, however don't assume that the rest of us do due to your lack of belief in yourself.
Happy Bruma/Saturnalia,Sol invictus, xmas, Eid, Hannukah etc, etc
Stewart Clarke, Preston, UK
Thats a beautiful Christmas Eve address by Dr Williams . The stable door is always open to come in , sit down and listen, rather than " worship" then you can all go your separate ways and celebrate your differences. Thats what I call real freedom. Don't trip on the welcome mat on your way out. Happy Christmas !
Jessie White, Moray, Scotland
Dear Archbishop, you say that "if God is a “delusionâ€, as some would like us to believe, then quite a lot more of our human life is a delusion as well".
Well of course it is, that's the nature of being human. It's also why the Church's attempt to institutionalise such delusions through organised religion is a waste of time and the biggest deceipt of all. Perhaps you are closer to understanding the dichotomy than you imagine.
No hard feelings, though. Happy Christmas!
Jon Anderson, Alton, Hants
How come bible prophecy was and is 100% accurate?
If you don't know much about the bible then your not really entitled to a real opinion on it.
Just wait for the 1 world order and the forced veri chip(will have barcode, and 3 lines on it always equal 666, check it out) and you'll see more bible prophecy come true in your life time.
revelation 13
http://www.clarifyingchristianity.com/b_proof.shtml
Innocent, Plymouth, England
Mr Williams seems to be labouring under the misapprehension that Christmas is a Christian festival. Its historical origins are anything but and similarly for its present manifestation.
Ganesh Sittampalam, St Neots,
I wish all editors and readers a very merry Christmas and a very prosperous new year 2008;God Bless us all++++++++
Cllr Ken Tiwari (Oxford UK)
Cllr Ken Tiwari (Independent), Oxford, United Kingdom
A common thread in the protests from those who deny God seems to be anger. I presume the athiests' anger is the natural result of frustration over the futility and utter hopelessness of their position, for to deny God is not only unreasonable, but an exercise in maintaining a prodigious lie in contradiction to their consciences. Just as a person who misrepresents his natural behavioral traits must ultimately return to his true character, so must all human beings eventually acknowledge whatever goodness exists within them resides there only by the grace of God. To assert that man, rather than God, has made himself and that man is, therefore, the author of love and virtue requires an astonishing amount of faith in something truly illogical. Such divine concepts can only come from a Holy God. May He have mercy on us all.
H. Blomeke, Annapolis, USA/Maryland
Mr. Keith, first of all there are New Testament fragmentary manuscripts that far predate Codex Sinaiticus. (which is the first COMPLETE New Testament) For example, part of Luke's Christmas account is in P.Paris 1120 which dates to 125-150 (Two important verses Luke 2:6-7 are included in this manuscript) (See Craig Evans' "Fabricating Jesus" p. 26) Secondly, as far as I know Sinaiticus is a COMPLETE New Testament which does include Christmas stories, although it doesn't matter if earlier extant manuscripts do.
Aaron H, Minneapolis, MN
Sir,
Watching on Television a documentary from the war Zones in Iraq and Afghanistan the combined allied forces attacking a Fort with about a few hindered talibans in it. The operation continued for longer the expected with dreadful carnage of the talibans. The mite and technology of the allied forces against guys with basic armaments. We must talk to these people, what do they want. Seeing them slortered direct on TV clinging to there God: I know the technicalities of war are ruthless, but.
Regards Dr. Terence Hale
Terence Hale, zandvoort, Holland
But the Christmas story was never part of the original Bibles. The Codex Siniaticus(The oldest New Testament)in the British Museum contained no story of Christmas, no Mary and no massacre of the infants. These were provably added later by the Catholic Church and based on the Myth of Isis and Horus 4000BC. The birth of Horus to Isis was forecast by angels,she was a Virgin. Horus was known as a great healer and Isis was famous for statues that cried tears. She was depicted standing on a crescent moon with a ring of stars over her head just as Mary is today and some of her statues holding Horus do duty today as Mary holding Jesus. There is nothing wrong with moral teachings; Easop did it all the time but just as there was no real Dog in a Manger and no real Hare and Tortoise, so there was no real Christmas. There was always a celebration in the UK of the winter Solstice, involving feasting, and presents and Pagans had high standards of morality and ethics. Check the history not the spin.
Keith Budden, Rayleigh, England
The usual obscurantist tosh from beginning to end. No Archbishop, I do not believe in your god, much less worship it.
AndyC, Rowlands Castle,
You would do well to read some of these 'antiGod' books, Your Worshipful. People seldom abandon their core beliefs, though, especially if religious, so there is no point in me even typing this really.
Henry Watkins, bangkok, thailand
To David Downes: Separation of Church and State? No faith based schools? Actually, separation of school and state would be more of an improvement. Like it or not religion provided the base for many of our laws protecting us from violence and theft. And they also encourage us to look out for our fellow humans.
warren, calgary, alberta
Why would I ask for foregiveness, when I haven't done anything wrong?
colin, london, england
"But it suggests that, if God is a “delusionâ€, as some would like us to believe, then quite a lot more of our human life is a delusion as well, including many of our deepest values and our hopes for forgiveness and peace."
Speak for yourself. This statement shows, Archbishop, that you haven't even begun to want to understand "the most high-profile antiGod book" of the year and the fact that "many of our deepest values and our hopes for forgiveness and peace" are utterly and irredeemably separate from a belief in a god or the terror of eternal damnation in a life after death. They are part of what makes us human, part of our DNA. As Dawkins says: "Nice guys finish first".
Paolo Bagarino, Roma, Italia
As an Anglican living in Greece, I would wish to reciprocate the
Archbishop's seasonal wishes and to wish him well in 2008 with the assurance that his theological and moral stands are still on track. No doubt we will all face more scribblings from Darwinian fundamentalists, like Prof Dawkins, out for a fast buck around Christmas and Easter but it only requires us to take some time to study the life of the lowly ant to see that the spirit of Christmas is still alive. Life is not all about the survival of individual genes but whether we as a human race can survive, spiritually, morally and culturally. The birth narratives of Matthew and Luke are merely a simple story. If you want the hard stuff, ponder John's "the Word made flesh". The incarnation has been wrapped in the rituals of Christmas but the rough challenge of both the story and the theology remains: there is more in heaven and earth than a selfish gene - and on that note I would also like to wish Prof Dawkins a Very Merry Xmas.
Dr David Green, Athens, Greece
It is bemusing to view people criticising God. God is love and offers eternal life beyond our earthly one, plus for our earthly existance, He offers a sustainable, non-materialistic, caring set of instructions that could come pretty much from any modern lefty-environmentalist's instruction manual. Food-miles? Beat the story of the loaves and fishes! Want to reduce your carbon footprint but need to cross the sea to get to your destination? Don't fly, just part it and walk! Fancy a party but don't want to drive to the off-licence for booze, don't want loads of empty bottles to be re-cycled and don't want to serve your many guests cheapo sulphurous wine? Just convert a couple of big pitchers of water!
I can see some justification for criticising some aspects of organised religion, but to criticise God is to criticise the best, most positive aspects of humanity and from a religious perspective, it shows how successful the anti-Christ has been in recent decades in Europe and beyond.
Kevin, UK,
What's going on to cause large congregations at Christmas is a mixture of singing, stories, architecture, and (as you point out) moral philosophy. The majority of "Christians" in this country enjoy dabbling in these things at Christmas, while not actually believing in God. You know, some atheists could hire a church - perhaps one of those currently converted into a pub or a private house - and put on just as heartwarming a show, with moral philosophy and historical stories and a message of hope, if they set their minds to it. Somebody should.
_Felix, Nottingham,
"He doesn’t step in like Superman ... a human baby, helpless and needy like all babies."
Not the best analogy, given that that's exactly how Superman 'stepped in' - he arrived on Earth as a helpless baby.
John Sheap, York, UK
Does anyone even care what you say any more? Last I heard you didn't believe in Christmas or the Three Wise Men and you thought the baby Jesus was a fairytale, like the tooth fairy. Just stick to what you do best - telling everyone how great Islam is and how everyone should be more like a Muslim. As reported today, in the next 20 odd years this country will be majority-foreign so I'd switch sides now mate. Until then, maybe join with Prince Charles and style yourself "defender of faiths." Does that include Jedi Knights?
Steve Jacks, London,
Archbishop; science has blown the story of an external, celestial God, but religion has migrated to being an inner experience, which is what it always was. Even during the decline in church attendance, people still recorded their belief in surveys. The problem is that the Church has denied gnosticism and persisted with mind-numbing narratives about 'God' as an external force. Its a turn-off. Please turn your attention to the inner narrative and call a metaphor for what it is - that we can all relate to.
michael clarke, london, uk
With respect, I think the essence of Christianity is that it has provided a creed to which at one time most people could attach, and that attachment created an institution that has been of great help and support to innumerable people. Thus, if now you fall on hard times and need support you might be more susceptible to acknowledging this creed and gaining the support of the institution. I don t think God usually plays much part in this recovery, except as possibly the mutual focus. Similarly, it is the church ceremony around the Christmas story with all its music that proves an enduring attraction.
Henry Percy, London, UK
While I think that the Archbishop of York has more leadership quality, many people who have not had the advantages of having parents who were religious (they are both dead now) and made sure that their children learnt about God and the Christian religion so that in the years to come, my brother and I would also realise that the teachings in the Bible give all mankind a way to live a good life with love for all. OK, there are many who abuse all the religions they profess to follow, but overall, the concept is the best we have, and I feel really sorry for the atheists who have to keep telling of their belief to convince themselves that they are right. Christianity is a way of life; just get on with it.
If someone falls in the street, I am usually the first to help them up; if a friend is in trouble, I am there to help if possible. This and much more shows to me the importance of, in my case, the Christian religion and no number of those who decry it will change my mind
B J Deller, Marbella, Spain
Godfrey, why do you take the Christ out of christmas? Its not xmas, its christmas. Why? because 25th December is the day God sent his son to the world to save us from sin. Its an open invitation to have Jesus in your life. If you dont believe it then look at the calender. next year is 2008. that is 2008 years from Christ was born. if he wasnt born then where do we get the year 2008? Why was he born? To fulfill a promise God made 400 years earlier - to send a saviour into the world. We either accept him or reject him. There will come a day when we will meet him. That will either be as our judge or our saviour. I have accepted him as my saviour. i would not like to meet him as my judge. His invitation extends to everyone on earth. accepting him as your saviour will be the best decision you will ever make. Life takes on a whole new meaning. The fear is taken out of death and you will never walk alone in life - he will always be at your side.
colin d, armagh, uk
I don't think one's spirituality can or should be measured solely by his atttendance in Church (or any other temple of worship). A person's spirituality manifests in many ways, generally beyond the boundaries of a Church. One may choose to commit a day to charity or simply donate some saving to a just cause. Some may choose to spend quality time with parents, children or grand children and some may choose to simply spend time quietly with nature. Some may choose to say a silent prayer for a lost loved one at home and some may choose to take time out to meet and wish their friends a wonderful christmas. Equally, some may choose to attend a Church function or some may choose to enjoy hymns as a family event sitting round a fire at home.
Spirituality is not lost. Its only conveyed and practised in many different ways.
Merry Christmas Dr. Williams.
Prabhat, UK,
The Archbishop opens a good door on the basic issues of life - the message of forgiveness and peace rings out. This is the heart of the Christian message. It was the adult Jesus who told us that his blood was to be shed for the forgiveness of sin and it was the apostle Paul who informed us that when we are justified by faith in this same Jesus then we know a peace - a peace that indeed abides.
David Taylor, Godmanchester, UK
I'll keep it simple. I'm not into religion at all - but I most certainly am into the God who revealed himself perfectly in Jesus. Follow Jesus or a secularist? Now that's a no-brainer!
Norman Hamilton, Belfast,
Personally I think that religion serves to help people galvanize their thoughts all at once and at the same time. In the case of christianity one could suppose that we are all encouraged at christmas to thing of the vulnerable at a time that we might ourselves be vulnerable. Is it not true that such a course of faith fosters altruism. Can it also be suggested that the atheist doctrine relies on statistics to concentrate the mind on such things that are for the good of the whole rather than for the good of the self.
D. Craver, NC-E, UK
I don't recognise the Xmas the Archbishop is talking about.
Everyone I meet is happier and excited about seeing friends and relations, perhaps eating and drinking a little more than usual, looking forward to a few days away from work and some festive television, and the kids are excited about a few extra presents. Most of us are happy if the religious want to pop in to church, as long as they don't expect the rest of us to kneel down and offer prayers to what is most likely a mythical being.
Godfrey, York,
Oh dear! I'm sure the Archbishop who is a deeply humane and caring man,means well and sincerely believes what he says.
But what is his piece all about? It's a mixture of wishful thinking ,stress counseling,sentimentality,fairy story and waffle. Life in a mess? Turn to God! No wonder the Church of England is in free fall.
david, Uzes , France
"We don't need religion in order to be decent and caring people to one and other. "
Then why is it that as we have become less "religious" as a society we have become less decent and caring to one another?
Keith Cocker, Lancashire, UK
A wonderful sermon by Archbishop Rowan, one that touched my heart deeply. Yes, I will be attending a church where some time ago I had a deep deep conflict with and felt I was 'thrown out." (I think I would have been had I not slipped quietly away). But it is Christmas and I will take heart that there is room in this stable for me, even me, and that my heart will find a home among the people I love, the church I have never been able to get out of my heart. Thank you, Archbishop Rowan!
Clark West, Geneva, NY
To Chandrasoma,
Greetings to you, friend. I note your searchings but, sadly also, that the 'affirmation of human sufficiency' has already been tested to destruction in the last century under Stalin, Hitler, Mao, Pol Pot, and others. Surely any honest appraisal of the human heart would cause us to recognise our own inherently selfish and fallen condition - and from which we desperately need outside help to lift us? Both history and our own personal experience reveal that we are deeply imprisoned and utterly helpless on our own. I thank God, that in Jesus he has sent the answer to my own sinful, longing heart.
I do most sincerely wish you all the very best.
Keith Jowett, London,
Who created the creator? And let us praise: it, that, them for ensuring that we'd nearly all wake up to the malarky of men and its creation of religion one day!
I am campaigning for the seperation of churc and state. No more religious based schools; no more brainwashing of our young! Save for respecting the wishes of those who have died in its service, there should be zero support for any faith based whacko's and there institutions.
So the door is well and truely open...for the few left to leave!
We don't need religion in order to be decent and caring people to one and other.
David Downes, Chester, UK
How comes the Bishop knows what God thinks and does or does not as the case may be. I talk to God all the time and he talks to me and he's never once mentioned the Bishop. I can prove what I say is true, just ask my psychiatrist.
Happy Bacchus!
doug george, antibes, france
"if God is a “delusionâ€, as some would like us to believe, then quite a lot more of our human life is a delusion as well," This is just the kind of imbecelic anti-logic that is to be expected from the Archbishop of Costumery. The sooner we are rid of them all the better.
Rebecca Bell, Lymington,
Hardly a religious article is written nowadays without a reference to the "atheist protesting". Maybe there is a raw nerve that needs some attention?...like a bad tooth needs pulling?
ant, limoges, France
The stable doors are open and your flock is running out.
Perhaps your resignation would be the best thing for the church? Just a thought...
Anglican No More, San Francisco,
Might not there be another way, Reverand Archbishop, of looking at mankind and the world? A view that sees the world (in its largest sense) as unmerciful and pathetically disconcerting, that makes our best plans pitiful overtures that have no lasting relevance in a scheme of things that is ineluctably alien to our wishes and desires? If this is granted, is not the best way forward ‘release’ from the sorry entanglements that hem us? In seeking such release, is not the 'God Delusion' an ideological enchantress that lures us to a false belief in divine stewardship when its very negation (that is, the affirmation of human sufficiency) is the necessary pre-condition for moral progress?
Chandrasoma Rajapakse, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Where does Rowan Williams get his funny ideas from.
You cannot simply say that if a god is a delusion then many of our deepest values are a delusion too, because that viewpoint is limited to the deepest values of the people who are deluding themselves by following a god.
Those of us who chose not follow religion, because we do not want to behave in a subservient manner to preachers, base our deepest values on basic right and wrong or and not on any religious founding.
It is mere coincidence that religious views on morality etc simply follow the basic common sense of what is right and wrong and what constitutes a "deepest value".
But then, as, for example, the Catholic Church allows its practioners to be forgiven if they confess their sins or violations of their so-called "deepest values", then one has to question whether the "deepest values" of such religious practitioners simply evidence the delusional nature of their worship of a god
mwilcockson, Baguio City, Philippines
Thank you Archbishop, for a kind and gracious invitation into the Christmas stable.
I recall seeing inebriated skinheads welcomed into my home Anglican Church during the late Christmas Eve service. They sang the carols raucously, as if attending the local football game; but at the conclusion knelt and reverently received communion. Grace penetrated.
God bless you sir, as you lead a challenging parish, as well.
Richard Munn, Garnerville, New York