Posted on 06/21/2010 12:46:00 PM PDT by Alex Murphy
Fruitcake of the Month award must surely go to Lord Lucas, a Conservative hereditary peer, for his remarks in the Lords’ debate on the Academies Bill. On the topic of faith schools, Lord Lucas delivered himself of some opinions and claims that can only be described as mind-boggling:
Although I am not religious myself, I would happily send my children to faith schools. However, if we pay for them as state schools, they should be open to all. We should not see in the bill a rowing back from the commitment to include the wider community in faith schools that we have extracted from the churches to date. Nor should we see an increase in sectarian teaching. There are Catholic schools that teach that Gandhi is burning in Hell. Frankly, I do not think that we should fund that on the state. (Lords Hansard, Academies Bill Debate, 7 June, Column 562)The part of this speech that has attracted most controversy is the claim by Lucas that some Catholic schools are teaching children that Gandhi is burning in Hell. Why Catholics would have an issue with Gandhi is baffling. Hitler, Stalin, Mao or Cromwell (both Thomas and Oliver) might well be considered likely candidates for perpetual incineration; but I have yet to meet a Catholic who had a serious antipathy to Gandhi. In the wet, ecumenical, Justice ’n’ Peace ambience that prevails in Catholic schools today, he is more likely to be enshrined alongside Nelson Mandela.
Challenged to identify the Catholic schools that were teaching this bizarre doctrine, Lord Lucas refused to do so, for fear of reprisals. Uh-huh. Catholic doctrine in fact refuses to ascribe damnation to any individual, however sinful his life might be, as such a presumption would usurp God’s power of divine forgiveness. Most
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.telegraph.co.uk ...
“Catholic doctrine in fact refuses to ascribe damnation to any individual”
I will therefore refrain from stating that Lord Lucas is going to burn in hell.
Sure beats the sermon from my pastor over the weekend when he referred to Gandhi and Mohammad as 'Prophets' to differentiate them from Jesus who is the Christ. He is going to have to take up the collection prior to the sermon from now on... the envelope went back in my pocket.
Jeesh.
I’ve seen a painting of Gandhi in the sanctuary of a Catholic church in Oklahoma. He might be a saint there.
“Why wouldn’t Gandhi be burning in hell?”
*sizzle sizzle*
All the curry sauce just makes it seem that way.
This is the danger in taking government money. They think they get to dictate what you teach and how you teach it.
As we, or some of us, push for school vouchers, this is the catch we have to look out for, that accepting government money brings the very thing we were trying to avoid.
As for whether or not catholics believe Gandhi is in hell, I will say that it isn't an uncommon belief, to believe that accepting Christ as Lord is required for salvation and that the alternative to salvation is the bad place.
Most people don't normally go around pronouncing anyone to be in hell in my experience, but the belief that Christ is the way to salvation is pretty mainstream. If you don't want to be told that, you probably shouldn't enroll in a church-sponsored school.
That’s a good question.
“Sure beats the sermon from my pastor over the weekend when he referred to Gandhi and Mohammad as ‘Prophets’ to differentiate them from Jesus who is the Christ.”
Yeah, you should probably leave the Unitarian church completely.
That's funny, I needed that. Really, I think there are bunch of priests who should just get over the pretense of being Catholic and just join the Unitarians or whatever.
Midwest City? Isn't he there with Saint Martin Luther King, Jr.?
Yes. As a matter of fact it was in Midwest City. They had other publicly prominent people on the same walls but Gandhi is the one that stood out to me and which I never forgot. MLK, Jr. might be a saint there, too, but I don’t recall. Have you been in there, also?
It seemed to me to be the sanctuary of moral equivalency. The pastor that was there moved on to Moore, I think. He probably corrupted that church too.
It was sad to me that I felt so uncomfortable in the MWC church. Besides the paintings, the seating did not lend itself to drawing attention to the Altar or the Tabernacle (opposite sides of the church). It was stadium style seating and you were directly facing the parishioner on the other side of the church.
I remember the stadium seating. I think that church was for Leftist Baby Boomers.
Seems like a solid teaching to me.. but I wonder if the house of lords or Commons would dare to criticize the teachings in the Islamic schools..me thinks not..
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