Clergy who don't believe in God

The London Times ^ | 5 July 2005 | Ruth Gledhill

[LittleBoPeep]

A communist/athiest can be a pastor but a true, believing pastor cannot be a communist/athiest.

[letusprey]

I got one from TAN books and publishers, Rockford, IL

If you do a Google on Douay-Rheims, they are also still available bound in leather.
I had to put a cover on mine, as TAN only has paperback.
You will love it, get one.
I study comparatively, as in side by side... and the differences, and deliberate destruction of certain thoughts and messages is illuminating.
After all, who can trust a bible from a government?

It is also available, free, online for download, which I find VERY handy.
www.memorare.com/bibles/douayrheims.html
Just copy and paste what you need.
But it does not negate the need for a physical one for study.
I do hope you get yourself one. Beautiful to read the WORD FOR WORD translation compared to phrase by phrase.
chris

[Busywhiskers]

Sort of like:
Accountants who don't believe in money.
Lawyers that don't believe in judges.
Doctors that don't belive in medicine.
Computer programmers that don't believe in Bill Gates.

Taking money for being a clergyman when you don't believe in God is fraud.

[InterestedQuestioner]

We're fortunate to have this out in the open. When you think of the direction that some Church leaders have attempted to take their congregations, things simply haven't made sense. Until now.

This may be a bit of a Rosetta stone for decrypting those puzzling statements made by "innovative" pastors. Perhaps conversations with dissenting church leaders shouldn't begin with a disagreement over Church doctrine, but rather with the question, "Do you believe in God?"

As for your comment about Bill Clinton becoming an evangelist, well, given this information atheist clergy, it might just be in character for a man who "never inhaled" and who did not have sex with "that woman."

[LibertarianInExile]

"The Church Of England is facing extinction. If its own clergy don't believe in God, why have a Church? Indeed and that's why Anglican pews across England are empty of worshippers and devoid of spirit."

It doesn't help that the leader-to-be of the church--and Defender of the Faiths--expressed his eagerness to be a tampon.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

Indeed

Have you ever attended any of the programs of The Discovery Institute?

[maryz]

How can someone claim to be a Christian clergyman and NOT believe in God?

I think C.S. Lewis was writing in the 40s about this -- that it used to be that laymen hid their unbelief from the clergy; at the time he was writing, he mentions those laymen who would be reluctant to admit their faith to their clergy.

He cites those clergy who claim to have come by their lack of belief "honestly." And he says he has no reason to doubt that; what he doubts is whether, having come by such unbelief, they can honestly continue in the service (and pay) of the church.

[infowarrior]

Even if you don't believe in a coming Rapture, that gullibility and blindness is still just as stunning.

Indeed it is, and is one of the things that is convincing me that those who believe as you do are correct. (Not 100% sold on it, as I've been monitoring this debate for some time, and all sides quote scriptures to validate their position, which can be somewhat confusing, as scripture is not supposed to contradict itself.)

the infowarrior

[Smokin' Joe]

Just a job? I want a minister or priest with a fire in his belly for Jesus. One who knows and believes the scripture and can convey that knowledge and belief to his flock. Anything less is a wolf in sheep's clothing, wrapping himself in the Lamb of God for deception's sake.

I would rather that ye be hot or cold than lukewarm..

[muir_redwoods]

"...committed Anglicans are clear about one thing it is the existence of God: 97 per cent have no hesitation in affirming His existence. Yet, it continues, one in 33 clerics doubts the existence of God."

Isn't this the same number? one in thirty-three would be three in ninety-nine or 97%

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

Perhaps because Christianity is a social institution it can take on the same type of social functions of conformity, etc. Part of that, ironically enough, can be a tacit skepticism or agnosticism with regard to the more emphatic supernatural claims, miracles, etc., among some church members. In Name only types..

[Dont Mention the War]

Can you even be a member of the clergy if you don't believe in God? Shouldn't that be met with automatic excommunication?

Not when your "church" is actually a quasi-government agency, as it in is the UK. Think of it as somewhat equivalent to the United States Postal Service: It doesn't get any direct government financial support, but it wouldn't last a week if the laws mandating its existence were to be repealed.

[horse_doc]

When all Christians return to the mother church of Christianity, Catholocism, all will be well with Jesus, the founder of HIS CATHOLIC CHURCH.

Actually, I'm a Lutheran. If you can read the scriptures in your own language, then you can thank my church, not yours. That's "what's happening now".

And if you really want to get technical, I'd say that the Orthodox church is clearly the mother church of Christianity.

[Aquinasfan]

fewer than two thirds believe in miracles, a study out today says.

Because you would never learn about ongoing miracles unless you watched EWTN, or something like that. The media sure isn't going to publicize them.

[Aquinasfan]

Fair enough - but you'd reckon a minister of religion would at the very least believe in God!

Yes, but it's possible to lose one's faith. And the stats given here indicate that only 3% of the ministers doubt the existence of God, as compared to 10% of the general population (at least in America). The reluctance of these priests to resign can be explained by the fact that there aren't many employment opportunites outside the church for former priests that don't involve heavy lifting.

The number of doubting clergy also roughly corresponds to the percentage of priestly homosexual ephebophiles (2%).

[GadareneDemoniac]

They believe in a steady paycheck.

[NYer]

John
Chapter 3

17

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn ⁸ the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

18

Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

"Ye shall be as gods..."

[Oztrich Boy]

When all Christians return to the mother church of Christianity, Catholocism, all will be well with Jesus, the founder of HIS CATHOLIC CHURCH.

Because the Papacy was such a shining example of decency for the first 1000 years after it became the state religion.

[sandydipper]

There's a lot of us that don't believe there is a God. It doesn't mean that we are terrible people - it just means we really believe that Darwin was right and that our existance is purely accidental.

The "soul" is our ability to treat others as we would like to be treated.