Posted on 03/07/2006 12:06:20 PM PST by Stoat
Vicar can't believe in God | |||||||||||||||||
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By JOHN COLES A VICAR whose daughter was killed in the 7/7 bombings has quit as she cannot forgive the Islamic terrorists who carried out the attacks. The Rev Julie Nicholson has been unable to return to the pulpit since her 24-year-old daughter Jenny died on the Circle Line Tube train blown up at Edgware Road in London. Now the 52-year-old has given up her post in the parish of St Aidan with St George, Bristol, because she cannot balance her faith with her feelings towards the bombers.
She says: I rage that a human being could choose to take another humans life. I rage that someone should do this is the name of a God. I am hugely offended that someone should take my daughter in the name of a religion or a God. I certainly dont have any sense of compassion. Can I forgive them for what they did? No I cannot. And I dont wish to. I say the name of my daughters murderer every day. I believe there are some things in life which are unforgiveable by the human spirit.
She continues: All my understanding of what it means to be a priest is peace, reconciliation and forgiveness. It is very difficult for me to stand behind an altar and celebrate the Eucharist, Communion and lead people in words of peace and reconciliation and forgiveness when I feel very far from that myself. I will leave potential forgiveness for whatever is after this life. I will leave that in Gods hands. Bishop of Bristol Mike Hill, a personal friend of Julie, says he understands how her faith has been tested. He adds: These situations in life shake the faith of everybody because they immediately bring into focus the why question. Unfortunately, there is no simple Elastoplast answer to that question.
Jenny was killed by suicide bomber Mohammed Sidique Khan, 30, as she made her way to work at a music publishing company. Her last known phone call was to her dad Gregg from Paddington station minutes before the bombing. The gifted singer and pianist had recently moved to Reading, Berks, with her boyfriend James White after completing a masters degree in music at Bristol University. Her mother and father, who works for BAE Systems, were on holiday in Anglesey, North Wales, at the time of the outrage. Julie was too distraught to speak at her daughters funeral at Bristol Cathedral in August but the Rt Rev Hill made her anger clear.
He told the 1,000 mourners: There are few human words that can adequately express what we feel about people who indiscriminately carry out apparent acts of senseless violence against innocent civilian populations and, unbelievably, do so in the name of God. Such delusion, such evil is impossible for us to begin to comprehend. Julie, who has another daughter, Lizzie, 22, and a son Tom, 16, went on extended compassionate leave after Jennys death and has been unable to return to work. Churchgoers are disappointed yet support her decision to quit. Sales manager James Wray, 35, said: When she arrived she had so much conviction and confidence.
Words cannot describe the hurt she and her family must have felt when they lost Jenny. She will always be in our thoughts and prayers and we hope Julie will come back to see us. She has a great many friends here. Rev Julie had taken up her job in 2004. She was previously a curate at St Marys in Henbury, Bristol, where Jenny was head chorister. She is now taking up a role on a church-backed community youth project. John Lloyd, spokesman for the Bishop of Bristol, said: The Rev Julie Nicholson has indeed left the parish of St Aidan with St George. She will continue to work with a diocesan community youth project involving the arts. This new post will combine her theological and artistic ambitions and it is a natural extension of her work in the Church. She was given extended leave of absence and received great support from the diocese but she decided this particular project is something she is keen to be involved in. Julie has been filming a religious programme for the BBC. The Easter special will feature people in similar circumstances to herself to see how they have coped with the bombings and how it has affected their faith. Her comments were made in an interview with BBC Bristol for their Inside Out current affairs programme. |
I am reminded of a scene in the movie "The Patriot" with Mel Gibson. Gibson's eldest son in the movie is sent to recuit militia to hold back the British troops. After a moving speech in a local parish church, the vicar is asked by a surprised congregation member why the vicar is joining the men for the militia. His answer is something to the effect. 'No only do we have to protect the sheep, but sometimes we have to fight off the wolves.' I prayers go to this woman and her loss. I would be hard put to find fault.
Everyone will encounter the death of loved ones in their life. The death rate is 100%. This lady apparently pretended to have spiritual answers as a pastor, even as she lead funeral services. But now that a trial comes upon her, she dumps her faith and lets bitterness take over.
I've experienced equally tramatic experiences, so I wouldn't have a problem if she were just struggling with her faith and grief. However, she is now working on an Easter show to lead others to her faithlessness. She's joined the other side.
He mustn't have had a lot of faith to begin with.
You are brainwashed, my friend.
she does not believe in the God of the bible with a statement like that.
sounds like she thinks all roads lead to heaven...
I looked for that as well, and did not find it. It appears that her conflict comes from her inability to forgive the murderer.
I don't agree with your assessment.
She's saying she's leaving it in the hands of God.
The New Covenant (the one of Grace and Faith) didn't begin until Jesus had risen again. When He died, He took all our sins upon Himself (Mercy in that he was dieing so wouldn't have to). When He arose, it was the signal that His sacrifice was indeed perfect enough to be acceptable payment for our sins and it signified the return of the Spirit of life that Adam and Eve had taken away from them when they disobeyed God in the Garden (Grace). Before He was crucified, Jesus was given authority over the Earth and all of us (He was granted the full power of God to use as He would, which makes His sacrifice even sweeter because He could have stopped it with a thought) and His first act was to wrap a towel around His waist and wash the Apostles' feet. Being granted the power of God, it was His prerogative to grant the thief the Kingdom of Heaven for merely admitting and repenting his sins.
God Bless
Funny.... I don't remember Jesus saying to the good thief while hanging on the cross: "Unless you are born again, you will not be with me this day in paradise."
Christ was still in this form at the time,no one could be born again ,yet,,,they could believe in Him..The man knew who Christ was,is and always will be.
There is no such thing as a good thief.
I didn't either, and that's why I added the additional words to the title that I did, in an attempt to "temper" people's expectations. What I got from the article was that her Faith has been severely battered, hence those were the words I chose.
Free Republic posting guidelines require us to use the original title.
That being said, I feel that the issue with the title is a small point in relation to the article in it's entirety....I found it to be a compelling story that made me feel terribly sad and it rekindled my anger toward the Islamofasicsts. I wanted to hear other FReepers' perspectives on faith and forgiveness in that it might help me to come to terms with the sadness that I feel..
My hope is that readers might be able to get beyond this one complaint, which has been mentioned several times now, and consider the greater substance of the article.
She didn't dump her faith, she just doesn't feel she has the strength to preach right now and has stepped down from that role. Did anyone else read the article? She's still active in the church in another capacity. Oh that all pastors and priests who find themselves weaker than the image they project would admit it and step down until they can honestly fill the role. Her honesty and integrity should be praised, not mocked. Her grief should inspire compassion, not derision.
Sad, we can pray for her and hope she will find the light again.
Disneyfied version of Christianity...!!!
You got that right...Turn the other cheek doesn't mean stand by watching your family get murdered,all the while forgiving the perp...
The worst insult to god is to kill innocent ones created by that god.
Corrie ten Boom wrote that she struggled to forgive the Nazis and all Germans, and she avoided traveling to Germany for many years. She finally couldn't avoid the prompting to go there, and a guard she remembered from one of the camps she was in greeted her after her speech and told he he had become a born again Christian. She wrote that at that moment, she perceived in herself sort of a supernatural ability to forgive the man for his part in tormenting her and her family.
Forgiving someone isn't the same as saying that what they did was okay or should be without consequence before the secular authorities.
My own personal view?
Well, I am a limited man.
I try to forgive people for bad things they do, and I am generally capable of it if they are truly remorseful. For killing somebody I expect sobbing remorse and to have to put the killer under a suicide watch once he understands what he's done.
But a cold-blooded murder like the bombings, for religious reason, without the perp sobbing in remorse and renoucing the beliefs that put him there? I want to give him the death penalty, and I will leave the forgiveness to God. I seem to recall Jesus forgiving sins after an acknowledgment of moral guilt. Maybe he did go around and forgive sins even without that, and maybe he does. But then, he's God, so he knows the answers, knows it's all true, controls the outcome. Me? All I can do is have faith. My faith isn't shaken by acts of violence, but my anger is greatly stirred, and I do not feel any desire, or even Christian necessity, to forgive the unrepentant violent killer.
If Sadiqqi al-Jackassi or whatever the hell his name was were remorseful and renounced his belief in violence, I'd have a different view. But as it is, if I were King I would have him blown up.
islam seems to treat that as a sacrament.
Her sorrow and pain must be tremendous!
One must remember, also, that inasmuch as God gave up his own Son, He understands her deep hurt.
Please see post #51.
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