Thinking Anglicans

opinion columns

Christopher Howse writes in the Telegraph about Candlemas.

In the Guardian Face to Faith is by Aidan Rankin who writes that the ‘many-sidedness’ of Jainism could inoculate us against fundamentalist rigidity.

The Times has Rodrick Strange writing about how Ordinary loves reveal extraordinary truth of compassion. Also, Greg Watts writes about religious broadcasting.

Giles Fraser writes in the Church Times In support of the scapegoat.

The Guardian also has a fascinating book review by Diarmaid MacCulloch of Martin Goodman’s compelling account of two crucial centuries in Jewish history, Rome and Jerusalem. See Original Spin.

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Göran Koch-Swahne
17 years ago

Aidan Rankin writes in the Guardian Face to Faith that the ‘many-sidedness’ of Jainism could inoculate us against fundamentalist rigidity. Where ever did he get that from? Jainism is the first rejection of God’s Good Creation among the Indo European Religions. The First Radical Dualism. Fundamentalist rigidity, if ever. Giles Fraser wrote: “A community is fraught with internal conflict and division. Just as the self-destruct button is about to be pressed, a rather unlikely culprit is dredged up, often a bit weird and different — certainly, somebody who looks the part as the bearer of blame.” … somebody who looks… Read more »

Pluralist
17 years ago

I don’t know where this understanding comes from (Göran Koch-Swahne), of how a fundamentalism is produced. Yes Jainism renounces the world, but produces a behaviour that affirms the world. The point is, if everyone practised ahimsa then there would be peace throughout the ecological order as well as throughout humankind. I wonder what sort of world would this God so affirmed want? Does this God want a world of God-affirming Fordmakers, that ends up burning up resources and producing pollution on every continent, or does this God prefer the last God-ignoring Fordmaker, who, similar to Buddha, preached a way to… Read more »

Erika
Erika
17 years ago

Quick question – I managed to read Martin Reynolds’ moving article the first time I clicked on the link, but ever since I ended up at the log in page of the Tablet which seems to be for print subscribers only. Is the article freely accessible still?

Simon Sarmiento
17 years ago

Erika
You may find that you have to use Internet Explorer to access that site successfully. That has been my own experience. But the article is supposed to be freely available.

laurence
laurence
17 years ago

I have always admired the Jains without having met any. Probably a bit of a romanticised view. But I do love their witness to ahimsa and hate the thought of unintentionally standing on tiny creatures, without realising it. Buddhism gives me a perspective, which helps me to live with this. The Cross, compass like, seems to bring all things together in some kind of embrace….

Prior Aelred
17 years ago

Erika —

You do have to register for The Tablet & you do have to enable cookies — I think that ought to do it (I use Safari to get there every Friday morning with no problems).

BTW — I envy the UK having a fine Catholic publication like The Tablet — we really have no equivalent in the USA (yes, I know about Commonweal & NCR & I rest my case!)

Shah
Shah
17 years ago

An excellent reply by Pluralist. Non-violence, Non-attachment and Multiplicity of view points are the three basic pillars of Jainism. One needs to free your mind from dogmatic notions to understand the universal applicability of these three principles.

Pluralist
17 years ago

Funny celebration, this Candlemas (Daily Telegraph report highlighted). I’ve never really given it any attention before, like another bit of Christianised Paganism. One particular hymn on the Sunday struck me as so repugnant in defining women via the Virgin Mary that I stopped singing it – put the brakes on – and yet the sermon giving some background about the whole matter of how understandings of this point in the calendar and the decline of this churching of women thing and indeed purification in favour instead of an emphasis on light was really rather insightful.

Pluralist
17 years ago

Just as a follow up to my previous message, this Sunday evening was another meaty sermon around the whole Candlemas etc. thing, the sort of sermon you can learn from thanks to having a particularly well read and good lay reader. These human resources make all the difference. But at one point I laughed, and was told after it was put in “for my benefit” (!). It was a section that we might question the basis of the infancy narratives, and acknowledge the doubt in the gospels about the status of Jesus, but unless you believe in the incarnation as… Read more »

Christopher Shell
Christopher Shell
17 years ago

I know and like Aidan but would qualify his message. The doctrine he is preaching is no less absolutist than the one he is questioning. Let’s be sceptical about everything – but everything. Not much nuance or differentiation there. I have always reckoned that a third rate mind thinks everything is easy; a second-rate mind thinks everything is difficult and unknowable; a first-rate mind differentiates gradations here – between very difficult and very easy. Thoroughgoing scepticism is, as has often been pointed out, self-refuting. It is only held sometimes, I suspect, by those who want to differentiate themsleves as far… Read more »

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