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This extract from a Guardian article by Andrew Brown (20 January 2016) describes the latest research of Linda Woodhead. She says that the majority of people in Britain now answer the question, ‘What religion do you belong to?’ (my paraphrase) by saying ‘none’.
‘Nones' (pronounced ‘nuns’ as in none – ie ‘no religion’) can’t stand to be preached at, and neither do they take any notice of religious leaders (with two and a half exceptions: they respect the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu and, to some extent, Pope Francis). But in this they are simply taking over the attitude of traditional religious believers in Britain, who also reject the official teachings of their churches.
The Roman Catholic rejection of the Vatican line on contraception and divorce is well known, but majorities of all the large Christian denominations in this country are in favour of euthanasia and liberal abortion laws. It’s just that the nones are more solidly in favour, and this divide is more marked when it comes to same-sex marriage.
Along with the statistician Bernard Silverman, Woodhead has developed a measure of liberalism on moral attitudes, defined as allowing people to make their own decisions, providing these do not harm others. Polling reveals that nationally there is a liberal moral majority of 83% as against 17% authoritarian. Even among Muslims and Baptists, there are majorities for this kind of live-and-let-live liberalism – certainly among Catholics (85%) and Anglicans (92%); but among nones it is absolute. All of them reject religions as a source of authority on personal morality.
But at the same time as people have been growing less religious, the Church of England has been growing more religious: more exclusive, more of a club for self-conscious believers, prouder of being out of step with the people it once served.
Only last week, Justin Welby was boasting to the other leaders of Anglican churches that the Church of England had secured exemptions from equalities legislation – and then complaining that he operated in an “anti-Christian culture”. What does he expect, when the church he leads systematically violates the moral intuitions of most of its own natural constituency?
Some Christian students at St Hilda’s are lobbying the Dean because the college ball this year has the theme of ‘The Seven Deadly Sins’. They’d be well advised to read this article, because such missionary zeal is likely to be counter-productive.
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| | Services
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Tuesdays & Thursdays
12.15 pm Lunchtime Eucharist
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Sunday 7th February 2016
10.30am - Choral Eucharist, Preacher: Revd Dr Daniel Inman, Chaplain of Queen's College Music: William Byrd Mass for five voices
Anthem - Sing me to heaven - Daniel Gawthrop
5.30pm - Corporate Collegiate Service with University Sermon by Adam Mars-Jones, novelist and literary critic.
A service with the massed choirs of ten University colleges. |
| | Plain Song Series
10 February – From English to Russian and back again: The story of Tchaikovsky’s Legend
Tchaikovsky’s Legend is well known as a Christmas carol, but it in fact began life as a children’s song, with words by Aleksey Pleshcheev. More intriguing still, Pleshcheev’s poem is a version of an original by the American poet Richard Henry Stoddard. In this talk, Philip Bullock will trace the history of this piece, as it crosses linguistics, musical and cultural boundaries from the nineteenth century to the present day.
Philip Ross Bullock is Professor of Russian Literature and Music at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Wadham College. His new biography of Tchaikovsky will be published by Reaktion in summer 2016.
6.45pm in the Old Library. |
| | Work, Sex & Self Series
11th February – SEX7.30pm Vaults Cafe
Attitudes to sex in the UK are changing at an ever-increasing pace. Sexual practice has also shifted dramatically in the last decade: dating apps have altered how people meet, long distance and open relationships are more
common, and technology and drug development may also inform the future landscape of sex. So what might all this mean for our understanding of ourselves as sexual beings?
A three-part course for students and everyone
Often the Church seeks to answer questions that no one is asking. This short course aims to tackle three fundamental subjects that most people care deeply about. Over three evenings, Revd Canon Brian Mountford will address contemporary attitudes to work, sex and personal identity. He will explore how these attitudes have changed and what role theology might play in shaping and enriching them for the future. Each evening will include a talk, Q&A, and discussion over cheese and wine. 7.30pm–9.00pm in the Vaults Café at University Church. 28th January, 11th February and 25th February.
Revd Canon Brian Mountford MBE has been the vicar of University Church for thirty years. Before that he was vicar of Southgate in North London. Brian is also a Fellow of St Hilda’s College and an honorary Canon of Christ Church Cathedral.
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| | Other forthcoming Events
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| | Forthcoming Concerts—
Saturday 20th February 1-2pm Treasures of the Piano - Free Concert Kapsetaki Twins Recital Works by Chopin, Liszt, Dvorak & Piazzolla —
Saturday 27th February 7.30pm
Queen's College Choir: Brahms Requiem
Tallis Spem in alium
Motets by Howells & Bruckner
£20/£12; £18/£10 (concessions); £5 (students)
www.ticketsoxford.com, 01865 305 305, Playhouse box office
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| | | Poetry corner — Thirty days hath September, April, June and November. All the rest have thirty-one, Excepting February alone, And that has twenty-eight days clear And twenty-nine in each leap year.
- Traditional We’ve arrived in February which, in 2016, has an extra day. The hidden 29th has a sort of mystical, Brigadoon atmosphere to it; the legal birthdays of ‘leaplings’ (those born on February 29th) alter from country to country, from 28th February to 1st March.
The Reformation church, however, saw it as a repeat of the previous day, rather than a special day of its own. Thomas Cranmer, in the 1549 Book of Common Prayer, has the following to say on the liturgical leap year. (Note that the ‘Leap Day’, at this period, was the 25th February, rather than 29th.)
"The Leape-yeare.
"This is also to bee noted, concernyng the leape yeres, that the xxv. daye of February, whiche in leape yeres is coumpted for twoo dayes, shall in those twoo dayes alter neither Psalme nor Lesson: but the same Psalmes and Lessons, whiche be sayed the first daye shall serve also for the seconde daye.
"Also, wheresoever the beginnyng of any Lesson, Epistle, or Gospell is not expressed, there ye must begin at the beginnyng of the Chapiter." |
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