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August 13, 2004
I vow to thee my country ...
As a Christian, and a man unashamed to be an Englishman both by descent and by naturalisation (My birthright was removed by a law passed by Labour in 1949), I am neither ashamed to be associated with the hymn I reproduce here - nor to proclaim the theology which places God's Kingdom above this earthly one. If the Bishop of Hulme and his fellow left liberal coterie think it is inappropriate to proclaim it as an act of faith and worship in a multi-cultural society, I would like to know why. Especially since the proclamation of Heaven as another and higher existence is in accord with just about every religion I would regard as having any sort of spiritual credibility.
I vow to thee, my country
all earthly things above—
Entire and whole and perfect,
the service of my love;
The love that asks no question,
the love that stands the test,
That lays upon the altar
the dearest and the best;
The love that never falters,
the love that pays the price,
The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice.
And there’s another country,
I’ve heard of long ago—
Most dear to them that love her,
most great to them that know;
We may not count her armies,
we may not see her King;
Her fortress is a faithful heart,
her pride is suffering;
And soul by soul and silently her shining bounds increase,
And her ways are ways of gentleness,
and all her paths are peace.
These words were written in 1918 by a highly respected and deeply Christian British Ambassador to Washington (1912 - 1918), Cecil Spring-Rice.
This gentleman (in every sense of the word) was an accomplished poet and a superb diplomat - and deeply religious. He wrote the poem in the aftermath of the slaughter of World War 1 and in particular the second battle of the Somme, Vimy Ridge, and Pascheandal. It was intended as a tribute to the self-sacrifice of the 767,000 men of the Empire Forces who died in that conflict.
Perhaps that is what the dear Bishop is objecting to!
It is set to a tune renamed by Gustav Holst "Thaxted" but which is actually a part of "The Planets Suite".
Holst lost two sons in the conflict and wrote a wonderful anthem (now seldom heard) entitled "Turn back, O man" as a tribute to them and all the other young men slaughtered in that conflict. Remember that he was a Czech by birth and heritage, but supremely proud of having become British by naturalisation and education.
This is offensive "right wing" jingoism, more suited to Hitler's Germany? Excuse me? Which of the planets do you inhabit, Bishop? How many moons could you see that last time you looked?
The Church of England needs to be reclaimed by those who are proud of their heritage and their Christian background and history. We cannot afford to allow this slide into oblivion, and only the people in the congregations can and must change it. Challenge the vicars who promote this sort of claptrap, demand the patriotic hymns, and let's sing them with pride in our hearts and in praise of the God we love. You cannot change the Church standing outside throwing stones. After all, it is only the vehicle which carries the Gospel message; it is not the message itself. If you want to help create a better and more relevant model, join us inside and help to drive out the Politically Correct, guitar-strumming crowd who peddle this sort of halfbaked theology.
They, too, have a place, but at the moment they seem to have the steering wheel and no map. Get onboard and help the rest of us rein them in. The Church is worth saving, if only because if it is allowed to continue on this road it will die altogether, creating a vacuum you may be certain the Ayatollahs of the extremes of Islam will rush to fill with their poison and hatred.
If you honour the sentiments in the hymn - make your presence felt in the congregations of Churches and help change the tune.
Posted by The Gray Monk at August 13, 2004 01:02 PM
Comments
Well, I would, but I converted to Judaism.
Which you will I think agree is at least better than slipping gradually into being a nothing, which is what some in the C of E seem bent on.
The real danger, when religious belief is removed from all aspects of life, is not that people will believe nothing, but that they will believe anything.
Posted by: "Tom Paine" at August 13, 2004 03:58 PM
Better to have faith in God and to show the conviction of that faith than to drift from one empty promise to another as is the fate of those who place their faith elsewhere. Nature abhors that kind of vacuum. Something will fill it if left - but we may be sure it may not be something as benign as the God we worship in the crazily led CofE!
Posted by: The Gray Monk at August 13, 2004 10:14 PM
The Church against England is now the religious arm of New Labour. The church has been co-opted by prescott to abolish England altogether with regional assemblies. He was merely doing his bit.
Posted by: Gadgie at August 17, 2004 11:48 AM