And that was in 2005.
A report produced 5 years ago by the University of Bangor found that 300 clergymen in the Church of England doubt that God exists. That makes about as much sense as a carpenter disbelieving in the existence of trees; you might think that 300 out of 9000 isn’t bad – unless you happen to be in one of atheist-priest’s parishes, of course. The CofE fares much worse when it comes to Christian beliefs, with 1800 clergy disbelieving in the bodily resurrection of Christ and 3600 disbelieving in the Virgin Birth. That means, in 2005, at least 3600 CofE clergymen routinely and publically lied every Sunday when reciting the creed.
For those who think the current trials afflicting the Anglican church are about nothing but sex, these figures should serve as a salutary reminder that a disturbingly large number of Anglican priests in the UK do not believe in what they are peddling.
Things are far worse in Canada, of course: the Anglican Church of Canada makes the Church of England look like a hotbed of fundamentalism.
The report, published on the eve of the General Synod, refers to “very fragile faultlines along which the Church of England could be torn apart”. Congregations are much more conservative than most of the comparatively liberal clergy preaching to them.
The report says that if 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. If reflected throughout the Church’s 9,000 clergy the finding would mean that nearly 300 Church of England clergy are uncertain that God exists.
Equal numbers of clergy and laity, eight out of ten, believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ but more laity than clergy believe in the Virgin Birth — 62 per cent compared with 60 per cent — and in the miracle where Jesus turned water into wine — 65 per cent compared with 61 per cent. The biggest division comes over the issue of homosexuality. One third of clergy are in favour of the ordination of practising homosexuals as priests, compared with one quarter of laity. Nearly one third of clergy also support the ordination of gay bishops, but among the laity this falls to fewer than one fifth
I saw an ACC type on the Coren show justify his recitation of the creed with the question, “Well, what does resurrection really mean anyway?”
John,
Yes, I was there in the audience. It was Dean Peter Wall from the Diocese of Niagara; it was painful. Here is the clip:
It’s funny how you’re trying to contrast 97% Anglicans believing in God with 1 in 33 doubting his existence.
Since 1 in 33 actually ~3% numbers among clergy and in general religious population are actually the same, which is really nothing strange.
(Just to make sure you follow me: 3% doubting still means 97% not doubting, right?)
Oh, that’s interesting. Specific creeds are not what defines a religion, surely — they barely manage to define a very narrow, specific subset of a given religion. Creeds vary widely within a religion, both between different groupings and across time. Is that a problem?
What I mean is, religion is bigger than specific beliefs, isn’t it?
Creeds do define religious beliefs. The Three Ancient Christian Creeds (Nicene, Apostle’s, and Athanasius) were in response to the rise of Arianism. By having these definitive statements Christians were able to resist and repel the heresy of that time. These Creeds should continue to be used to resist and repel the heresies of our time.
Of course creeds define religious _beliefs_. 🙂 I’m saying (hardly my own idea, it’s a pretty uncontroversial observation) that creeds do not define _religion_. There are many significant differences between the beliefs of Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, Pentecostals and what have you, but they all more or less recognise one another as Christians.
Hello Vincent,
Seems we disagree. What I see within all Christian Creeds is an expression of the Two Core Doctrines of Christianity, these being the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity and the Doctrine of Christology. If you lack either of these two beliefs than you are not a Christian.
I do not understand where you get the idea that the Creeds do not define our Religion as being “a pretty uncontroversial observation”. Perhaps you feel it is uncontroversial because that is what you think. However for me it is extremely controversial, to the point that I will NOT listen to a “priest” that says the Creeds are not that important or that other faiths are legitimate. Understand that it is so incredibly controversial that a “priest” or a “church” that denies the Creeds also denies the true nature of God and/or the Divinity of Jesus Christ, and for me such denials are indications of the very same false prophets that God warns us to not follow.
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