tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5144051388547159240.post5107403979495492258..comments2024-02-19T10:15:55.380+00:00Comments on CAUTE — Making Footprints Not Blueprints: Is there such a thing as a secular miracle? Andrew James Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02693417061963197121noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5144051388547159240.post-32558533663075186672014-04-29T19:35:28.600+01:002014-04-29T19:35:28.600+01:00I think the appearance of the cross in the woodwor...I think the appearance of the cross in the woodwork was neither a miracle nor a wholly rationalisable occurrence. I would describe it as synchronicity (which as you know, Jung described as an 'acausal connecting principle'). Both the stresses of the community and the timing of the appearance of the cross were woven into a greater pattern, which many Pagans refer to as the Web of Wyrd. There is a wonderful passage in the book <em>The Way of Wyrd</em> by Brian Bates where the shaman explains how divination works, through the shaman's perception of these interwoven strands of the web.<br /><br />Whether or not Britain is a Christian country, liberal or otherwise... difficult question. Yes, most people sign up to values like compassion, justice, etc, and celebrate Christmas and Easter (mainly for the chocolate), but they also know hardly anything about Christianity, or the Bible, or anything. I think Christianity is part of our culture, but I do not think we are a Christian country. Christianity was imposed by the ruling classes so they could join the club of Europe. Yes, it was popular later, but only after it had started to resemble a more polytheistic religion. As soon as those trappings were taken away, it started to decline in popularity.<br /><br />I wouldn't mind if your flavour of Christianity was the norm among professing Christians, but really, it isn't. <br /><br />All those values that are referred to as 'Christian values' are not unique to Christianity. <br /><br />I totally agree that David Cameron is dangerously wrong about the Alpha Course. I am glad to see that the liberal wing of the Anglicans has come up with an alternative (I think the excellent Brian Mountford had something to do with it).<br /><br /> I liked Cliff Reed's article about the difference between secular and secularism, where he described secular as being a situation where no religion was given precedence but all were protected, and secularism as the exclusion of religion from the public square. I would vote for secular every time.Yewtreehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02028699564003381058noreply@blogger.com