Atheist prison chaplains? The world has gone mad, writes RICHARD MADELEY
MAYBE I am old fashioned, or perhaps my thinking has got stuck in a rut. But somehow I cannot shake off the view that a man or woman of the cloth should, well, er, believe in God. Surely it is a prerequisite for a life in the clergy?A bit like an astronaut needing to be pretty certain that the world is round, not flat, or a driving instructor actually knowing how to drive, or a physicist accepting that Einstein's
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Theory of Relativity was, you know, sort of right. Not where God is part of the equation apparently. This week it was revealed that a humanist has become the first head chaplain of a prison not to believe in the Almighty. The 50-year-old woman, who has not been named, says that if prisoners want to pray to God she will noy be joining them.The woman - remember, she is head chaplain, and leads a team of around 20 other chaplains - is quoted as saying: "I don't believe there's a God. I believe in making my own pathway and living by my own set of rules and beliefs."Hmm. The title of chaplain dates to the early centuries of the Christian church. So it implies not only a belief in God, but a belief that Christ was His son. If there is no God, Jesus was just a charismatic but ultimately doomed preacher - which is presumably what this prison chaplain thinks.So she will not pray and she thinks God is a delusion. (Actually, that is pretty much a description of me - but then again I am not a man of the cloth, am I? I am a cynical old heathen hack).Of course, this issue goes right to the top of the Church.A few years ago Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, told an audience in Bristol Cathedral he doubted the very existence of God, before quickly adding that this was "probably not what an Archbishop of Canterbury should say. Richard and Judy.
Blogger: Well, I've had my doubts over whether the AofC is a Christian over many years. If you don't follow the Bible ..
