Problem with church and state union
While I'm sure this story didn't make much news in the US, the Church of England is all tied up in knots about whether or not to bless Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles' marriage. Both of them have been lovers for about 25 years and both of their first marriages broke up due to adultery. Some bishops in the Church of England believe that it sends the wrong message to bless their marriage.Remember that when Queen Elizabeth II dies, Charles will become the head of the Church of England. The current Queen professes to be a Christian and has been involved in discussions around homosexual clergies positions in the church. However, Prince Charles has made several worrying statements in the past, including that he wants to change the traditional title of the monarchy from "defender of the Faith" to "defender of the faiths". He has never declared that he is a believing Christian and I don't know of anything that would make one believe he is. The official head of England and the Church of England doesn't believe in Jesus. Another reason to be wary of the intertwining of Church and State.
Prince Charles and Camilla will be married in a legally questionable civil ceremony and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has already decided to bless them and pray for them. According to the Bishop of Hereford, "We welcome the fact he'll be seeking this service of prayer and dedication. "But the blessing is not a condoning of the past." He added that the blessing is asking for "God's grace and love, now in the present and for the future".
posted by Anonymous @ 8:55 AM
