A contagion of catholics

[annwfyn]

I just found this article on the rise of Catholicism in the UK.

I post it up here mostly for the gloriously insane nature of some of the comments. My personal favourite was this one:

For more than a thousand years Catholicism was the dominant religion in the UK - until that is Anglicanism sprang out of Henry VIII's codpiece amidst an orgy of desecration, theft and murder.
The passing nature of Anglicanism with its obsessions with homosexuality, women "priests" and moral relativism is at the core of its decline.
Christians want a church that stands for eternal truths. The growth in European immigration and the flood of conversions from Anglicanism will ensure that Catholicism once again becomes the Established Church in the British Isles.
..........And none too soon!

A couple of other comments said much the same thing in slightly less insane language.

Now, it occured to me that on a personal level there's a ring of truth in that. Well, not about the bit where Anglicanism is obssessed with homosexuality, but the idea that there is something special about a church which holds that there are 'eternal truths'. I've always had this odd fondness for churches and religions that don't change, mostly because I've always vaguely felt that if someone out there has discovered a fundemental spiritual truth about our world and that which created it, then surely that truth should have some consistency to it throughout the years. I accept that parts of any given doctrine do need to change - after all, a lot of organised religion is the product of man rather than the divine - but I tend to be slightly nervous of those faiths which determinedly adapt to society in its entirety every time society does another one of its generational shifts in 'how we should all live our life'.

However, I have odd and possibly nonsensical views on these things, and may be wrong.

Opinions?

Comments

[annwfyn.livejournal.com]

You see, I've never been able to deal with evangelicals/fundementalists, and I'm not sure why. I suspect that's just a response to my being English - give me large churches, incense, chanting, and a great deal of pomposity and stuffiness and I'm fine. People throwing themselves around and speaking in tongues, however, just seem rather...

I got dragged along to a very very mad protestant church of some kind of America once by an American friend, when I was working out there. He told me en route "this place is great! I've seen my seventy year old grandmother racing down the aisle and speaking in tongues. It's incredible. Really holy"

I had to restrain myself from saying "you do know I'm English?"

I suspect this is all my own hang ups from a fairly conservative middle class English upbringing. No one has ever had a visitation from the holy spirit while wearing tweed.