Bishops Put Boot into Brown's Promises & Policies

Davesnave

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7801667.stm

I have no idea whether the Church manages its affairs in an ethical manner, but it's nice to see God joining the debate, albeit by proxy.

amcluesent

A dour Presbyterian like Clown will relish bashing the bishop!

carolt

Good on them.

Sad though, when the only serious opposition to our elected government comes from some unelected religious leaders.

And sad when the Labour party loses its way to this extent.

ariba10

"Bashing their Bishop"

I thought this forum was family oriented?

tradetime

Strikes me as a little ironic the representatives of one of the richest organizations in the country should be lecturing on greed, but there you go.

On another note.

Meanwhile, in his New Year message next week, Gordon Brown is expected to say the recession will be a test of the country's character.

I can guess the result of that test.

macaque_2

The Church of England helped to bury traditional conservative values by joining in the witch hunt against Margaret Thatcher and then John Major. Now they are discovering the alternatives are much worse.

iolanthe07

Strikes me as a little ironic the representatives of one of the richest organizations in the country should be lecturing on greed, but there you go.

Could you give some evidence of why you think the church is rich? Having sold most of its land over the last fifty years to try and keep the show on the road, and with its investment portfolio little more than a pension fund for many thousands of retired ministers and widows (who actually receive a very small pension individually), the church is no longer any kind of wealthy organisation. Some dioceses are in deep financial pooh. It is true that the church is custodian to some fine buildings and art treasures, but these usually cannot be sold. They are held in trust for future generations.

tradetime

Could you give some evidence of why you think the church is rich?

http://www.churchcommissionersannualreport.org/2007/index.html
Whilst the Anglican church considerably trails the Roman Catholic church in terms of wealth it doesn't look to be doing to badly to me looking over the figures.

iolanthe07

But its wealth is relative! It has to pay around 9,000 full time clergy + the pensions of almost 20,000 retired clergy and widows. It has to maintain and repair 42 Cathedrals which are gigantic money pits plus 16,000 parish churches, many of them medieval and very high cost. 60% of all Grade 1 buildings in the country are owned by the C of E which sounds great, but is an expensive liability. The grants it receives from English Heritage help, of course, but they are miniscule compared with the cost.What seems huge wealth doesn't go far when it has to be spread so thinly. Since the church can't easily realise its assets it is actually cash poor, but people have it in their folk memory that the church is 'wealthy' and no amount of trying to show them what the liabilities are will shift them. It is time the church was disestablished and the state took over ownership and responsibility for all its ancient buildings, as in France and indeed Germany and Scandinavia.

Conor_3

"Bishops Put Boot into Brown's Promises & Policies"

... from the comfort of their FREE lavish staffed mansions as they sit there getting paid as much as Brown for doing sod all.

milliemonster

Conor wrote: »

"Bishops Put Boot into Brown's Promises & Policies"

... from the comfort of their FREE lavish staffed mansions as they sit there getting paid as much as Brown for doing sod all.

Hmm, in touch with the real british public then?