Computer trouble again

I'm off the air for a bit whilst I determine what to do about a computer that has developed a mind of its own. This one I'm using is not mine and seems quite friendly, but I can't use it that much. So I'm off to see a man who knows more about the devilish notions computers sometimes get. Currently mine is refusing to get out of bed despite several doses of virus remedies and hard drive corrective treatment. I'm told there is a cure. Hope he's got the right one!

Illiberal venom is growing by the day!

I can't think why the liberal minded person should become so venomous in denigrating others. The topic of women bishops gets the liberal lot frothing at the mouth with each trying to outdo the other on the best epithet. Traditional Christianity is given the acid tongue treatment big time. This Guardian lot of scribes reacting to an article are just an example. Do they think it enhances the debate in any way?

Robert Key is the Conservative MP for Salisbury. But he is also a proponent of female prelates. His approach is to turn the Gospel on its head. When Christ told his disciples that "My Kingdom is not of this world" it wasn't to suggest that future generations could adopt the notions of the World and supplant them in the Kingdom. Mr.Key has a topsy-turvey understanding of Christianity. He is also becoming something of a clerical bully. Not very nice. In fact, it could be termed un-Christian. I have no idea what Mr.Key thinks a woman bishop will do in a Catholic church but it certainly cannot be to promote Catholic doctrine. He is sidling up to the break-the-doors-down grouping, those who want to impose their will on those that cannot in conscience accept this innovation.

The female prelate propaganda is promoted as if the whole world-wide church is in favour. It is not. Those within Anglicanism that support this are a minute fraction of the Church. They have the temerity to believe God is allowing them to force their will onto others. A high-minded belief indeed! Within the Church of England those opposed to female prelates are not saying "NO" to those that want this. We are saying "Don't trample on our beliefs, our consciences and our understanding of the Catholic Faith".

Is it too much to ask that a little Christian charity could be placed on the table?

Woman priest says "abortion is a blessing"!

We've let a Trojan horse into the Anglican Church. In fact, I think there are several Trojan mares and mules in as well. All kicking up a real fuss, most preaching an a la carte menu of novelty doctrines and secular inspired notions.

I've happened to find this from a Katherine Ragsdale, who is the dean of a divinity school. The woman has veered remarkably far from Christian doctrine. To suggest that abortion is a blessing is a blasphemy of the first order. Women who have abortions should be supported, never abused or denigrated. However, telling them that this is a blessing as if God is perfectly at ease with it is bordering on the outrage. Aborting a child is never an easy matter. Women go through all kinds of mental agonies, none of which I could possibly appreciate in their fullness. However, new life is the blessing not the termination of it. This female cleric is sorely at odds with the Christian Gospel.

Ms Ragsdale certainly has a lot to say. I hope her students know this is peppered with social nuances of the day and not with any real divinity. I wonder who thought her fit to be dean, let alone a humble lecturer. Here's a good a quote from the reverend lady. "The ability to enjoy God’s good gift of sexuality without compromising one’s education, life’s work, or ability to put to use God’s gifts and call is simply blessing". Blimey! She's got sexual activity without responsibilty as a guiding light. Basically, I take it she means that all pregnancies that get in the way of doing what you want to do can easily be got rid of. Good thing she wasn't around startling the shepherds, giving the innkeeper a mouthful and generally suggesting that Mary and Joseph had better things to do.

One day she will stand before the Throne of The Heavenly Grace. I have no idea what she will say, but I hope it won't be any of this stuff!

Octopus was right! Spain wins World Cup

My daughter came into the room. "I think that octopus got it right", she said, as she heard my wife grumbling about the Dutch misses, fouls and general yellow carding. "No, no!" came the retort, and then things livened up. I really thought that the Dutch would score. Not to be, alas. Then my son started on about the parakeet's prediction. "It'll go to penalties", I gamely suggested. "Are the Dutch any good at penalties?" Then before anymore was said, the Spanish were whooping it up. Before we knew it, it was all over. Look of glum despondency on my wife's face. "Well, the Dutch got further than the English", I ventured to say. No good. My daughter, on going to bed, whispered, "I knew the octopus was right!". Oh, dear.

Women bishops and Anglican Catholics

So the dust has yet to settle. I didn't think there was much of a bang to start with. The liberal tendency in the Church of England has got its way. Or as Andrew Brown says in the Guardian, "The triumph of Anglican women". Those like him have little sympathy, or empathy even, for the Anglican Catholic that hasn't gone to the lobotomy clinic. We are seen as all manner of things most of which are fairly unpleasant. I've always thought there was something very illiberal about liberals. It's not as if traditionalists were trying to stop women being bishops!

If it all goes through as is, Catholics in the Church of England will face (if they stay) a female prelate trying to impose her will on a parish that has no wish to be other than faithful to the catholic beliefs that have always been believed. She may or may not be helpful. She may or may not be nice. But I am absolutely sure she will not stop at doing nothing! They wanted absolute obedience to the new doctrine. Of course, they can't get it because this is something we cannot give them. It is this that the liberals, be they secular or of the church, won't tolerate.

The flying bishop scheme, the Provincial Episcopal Visitor arrangement, will go. So will the Act of Synod. Churches who have opted to take advantage of the act will be left with no legal protection. A female prelate could block a new priest's appointment or just be plain difficult. She could, quite legally, force her way in to be present at a mass or any other service. It happened with considerable frequency in the USA. Most traditionalist parishes there have either been successfully sued or subdued. It takes a special type of priest to maintain the faith.

We were told at Mass this morning not to worry too much. I won't then. Our mass sheet tells us to be "worthy ambassadors of the Catholic Faith". Hard going in the Church of England. Perhaps Rowan Williams will get a message in a dream tonight?

Peter Oborne knows nowt!

I've long since thought many in the secular press were gearing up the anti-Catholic rhetoric. Peter Oborne in today's Daily Mail shows how very biased and bigoted the secular mind can be. He knows precious little about the Faith of the Church yet feels free to opine. Fair do's, but it only shows him up to be a typically careless opinion maker when it comes to church affairs. I suppose having a conscience that is being sorely tested is largely lost on him! The fact is many loyal Anglicans, who believe firmly in the traditional sacramental ways, are feeling got at by sniping and silly epithets.

I would have thought he was worthy of better things.

Raoul Moat in the Beams of Northumbria Police?

If wading through the dire news about the economy wasn't bad enough, we still have to put up with "things" going wrong. Northumbria Police is the latest organisation to be shuffling jobsworth excuses around with the "lessons will be learnt" nonsense. I have been trying to understand why it never occurred to them to take the prison letter seriously. They seem to have thought Moat was going round to see his ex-partner for Battenburg cake and banality chatter. The prison implied he was worked up. Well, I'm no policeman but at least it would have crossed my grey cells to think he might cause her some grief. The Acting Chief Constable, who seems to have had an unfortunate run-in with an electric hairdryer, is acting as if none of this has much to do with them. OK, Moat has grievances, he has "issues", but he could so easily have been rounded up if the authorities had done a course in joined up thinking.

Moat raided a chip shop, was seen on CCTV, has been out and about, killed a man, wounded his ex-partner grievously, shot a policeman in the face and is sending mobile phone messages and long letters of complaint about life and its travails. The police had a closing-in net they were using but it seems to have been threadbare. Now we have 4,600 officers going walkabout in the hills.

The people of Rothbury appear to be of mixed opinions. When asked assinine questions by the likes of Kay Burley they seem quite pleased to say what a beautiful area it is. How stunning the countryside is. Great place for holidays, hiking and the like. It's a sort of bizarre tourism promotion. Thankfully the townsfolk are holding off the questions like "How does it feel to have so many armed police in your town?" with answers that would never make headlines in The Sun. So the whole sorry saga continues.

I don't want to see yet another inquiry after this fiasco is ended. We all know that no amount of "retraining" is going to help. Basically people need to be sacked on a continuous basis until the penny drops. The Cumbrian shootings seem to have had no effect on Northumbria Police. No lessons learnt there, even after getting that letter from the prison.

We need compulsory lessons in joined-up thinking. First row of desks for the Acting Chief Constable and her senior officers. And no cake in the breaks!

Psychic octopus picks Spain

So the octopus has come up with a winner has he? I somehow think he may wrong. OK I'm supporting Holland but the octopus seems to pick the mussel from the same tank. I think he's got some kind of tentacle problem. Anyway, I bet he can't predict computer failure. I've been rather frustrated of late with a dodgy computer. All seems perfectly OK for now. Sometimes I get the impression computers have a mind of their own. A one-track mind!

Dutch Delights - Football Style!

Now that England are out of the World Cup our house has moved on to supporting the Netherlands, or Holland, as the football pundits are concerned. Actually, I think we accepted that an Anglo-Dutch household is sometimes more Dutch than English and the lacklustre performance of England slightly tipped the balance. And those Dutch fans know a thing or two about supporting a team.

Well done the Netherlanders! I'm going back now to fixing the gremlins in my computer. I've a veritable mound of advice to wade through. Everyone's a tipster on the net!