He certainly wouldn't vote for them. However, their latest campaign would have you think that they are a Christian party. Ekklesia break the story that the BNP is putting out posters for the European elections with an image of Christ with a Bible quote, "If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also". It then says, "What would Jesus do. Vote BNP". Oh no he bloody wouldn't. There's more of this garbage on the Ekklesia site, but Mouse can't bring himself to repeat it.
Mouse is utterly gobsmacked to think that these people could dare to speak a Christian message. Mouse thought the atheist buses were ultimately a bit of harmless but pointless fun, but this really does take the you know what.
Mouse wasn't sure whether it was worthwhile banning clergy from membership of the BNP at the recent general synod, but at least it was a clear statement that their views are absolutely opposed to the core Christian message.
Mouse hopes that there will be some pretty strong statements from all Churches setting out precisely why the BNP message of hatred and intolerance is fundamentally not in line with Jesus teaching.
This comes hot on the heels of news of a Baptist BNP minister at the comically named Barton in the Beans chapel. Mouse hopes the Baptists will act on these revelations.
Update: The adverts have now been condemned by the Baptists, Methodists and United Reformed Church. The good old CofE have 'refused to comment'. Come on Rowan - you're on a roll at the moment!
Also, see Justin Brett's (member of General Synod) comment below for a correction on my point about what happened at the Synod. It wasn't quite how Mouse said it. Thanks for the contribution Justin.
Mouse said that he "wasn't sure whether it was worthwhile banning clergy from membership of the BNP at the recent general synod, but at least it was a clear statement that their views are absolutely opposed to the core Christian message."
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately that's not what happened. The motion as passed didn't even condemn racism as being unChristian. All it did was request the Bishops to put a policy in place duplicating that of ACPO which forbids membership of any organisation whose policies or aims "contradict the general duty to promote race equality".
It wasn't any sort of clear statement at all - except of the fact that the Church of England is now so uncertain of what is right and proper that it has to take moral guidance from ACPO.
I rather thank that in Jesus’ time, people would have been allowed to complain about foreigners and talk of sending them home, without being persecuted and villified.
ReplyDeleteWould Jesus have voted BNP?
Bishop John Goddard’s comment on Sunday, Radio 4 - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00khhp0 - that the BNP sow division was countered by Roger Bolton pointing out that the Church’s policy of allowing homosexual priests is in itself divisive.
In other words, politics and religion are divisive. Man is so divided and contentious that quite often, he would disagree with the opinions that he himself has held at another time.
Knowing what we do about Jesus, it is quite likely that he would have remained enigmatic and not voted.
Would the Prophet Muhammad have said:
"Let us Muslims vote BNP because they have so many policies we agree on? At least, the BNP would not have invaded Iraq and Afghanistan. Muslims, like the BNP, did not support 42 day detention, and we appear to have similar views about the Holocaust, Zionism and Israel. Let us make a friend of an enemy, as the Koran advises us to do, and concentrate on things we are agreed on, rather than their Islamophobia, which may be more to do ignorance and fear, which we may in time correct."?
Muslims would doubtless approve of the BNP’s stance on
1) withdrawing British troops from Muslim lands
2) the return of capital punishment
3) the return of corporal punishment
Indeed, Muslims may be concerned about immigration and see the connection between the EU and uncontrolled immigration, and wish to withdraw from it, as the BNP do.
Islam does not endorse PC-liberalism of tolerance (of promiscuity, single mothers, widespread illegitimacy leading to the lowering of standards of education and behaviour, the drug and pub culture of this country etc).
Their religion tells them to forbid what is evil and enjoin what is good.
What we must now decide is whether it would be a good thing to tell the Lib-Lab-Con how much they are hated, by voting BNP.
Perhaps it is time to show the Church too, that it is so out of touch with the British people that its condemnation of the BNP will result, perversely, in more votes for them. The Anglican Church has embraced the values of our unofficial religion of "tolerance", Moral Relativism and homosexual priests, while refusing to defend the interests of the white working classes.
The Anglican Church, being complicit in the political establishment's determination not to discuss immigration or address any of its problems honestly, except to condemn anyone who questions it as "racist", no longer holds any moral authority.