Prince Charles's Advocacy of Religious Tolerance


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Even if they disestablished the church, I would still want the Coronation ceremony to stay the same, simply because it's been almost unchanged for so long. In my town, Santa Claus comes and turns on the Christmas lights and nobody complains, even if they don't think he's the real thing.
In the UK, in very many towns and cities, Santa Claus/Father Christmas and even Christmas is banned, because it might upset other religous groups. :ermm:

If the UK wants to be seen as multicultural and relevant to all it's subjects, the monarch needs to be seen as representing all it's people, whether they believe in anything or anyone at all. :flowers:
 
In the UK, in very many towns and cities, Santa Claus/Father Christmas and even Christmas is banned, because it might upset other religous groups. :ermm:

If the UK wants to be seen as multicultural and relevant to all it's subjects, the monarch needs to be seen as representing all it's people, whether they believe in anything or anyone at all. :flowers:

True, but the process of changing the Church thing is a complicated matter and many interested parties will put up a hard fight. as wbenson points out, it will be necessary to take a close look at things like the coronation and figure out exactly what the implications are.
 
In the UK, in very many towns and cities, Santa Claus/Father Christmas and even Christmas is banned, because it might upset other religous groups. :ermm:

If the UK wants to be seen as multicultural and relevant to all it's subjects, the monarch needs to be seen as representing all it's people, whether they believe in anything or anyone at all. :flowers:

The monarch can still represent all of their people even if they have a Christian Coronation, just as they can represent all of their people if they have a Christian wedding or a Christian funeral. I don't believe in "anything at all" and I see nothing wrong with that.

I wouldn't mind seeing the declaration that the monarch is a protestant and vow to keep the church established taken out, but those are very minor parts of the ceremony. The first part was actually done by the Queen while sitting on the throne in the House of Lords.
 
The monarch can still represent all of their people even if they have a Christian Coronation, just as they can represent all of their people if they have a Christian wedding or a Christian funeral. I don't believe in "anything at all" and I see nothing wrong with that.

I wouldn't mind seeing the declaration that the monarch is a protestant and vow to keep the church established taken out, but those are very minor parts of the ceremony. The first part was actually done by the Queen while sitting on the throne in the House of Lords.
It isn't just a christian coronation, it is being declared head of the Church of England. Catholics among many, are seen as christians and being seen to favour one religion over another, will never be perceived as a good thing to anyone who is not a member of the CoE.

The church was disestablished in Wales and rumours abound that Brown is working to do the same for the rest of the UK.
 
It isn't just a christian coronation, it is being declared head of the Church of England. Catholics among many, are seen as christians and being seen to favour one religion over another, will never be perceived as a good thing to anyone who is not a member of the CoE.

The church was disestablished in Wales and rumours abound that Brown is working to do the same for the rest of the UK.

Perhaps I wasn't as clear as I wanted in a previous post. I wouldn't mind seeing the elements that refer to the monarch as head of the CofE taken out, but I'd like the rest to stay. The part about being Supreme Governor is actually quite a minor part of the Coronation service itself.

" [FONT=Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif]Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the Laws of God and the true profession of the Gospel?

[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif]Will you to the utmost of your power maintain in the United Kingdom the Protestant Reformed Religion established by law?[/FONT]

[FONT=Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif]Will you maintain and preserve inviolably the settlement of the Church of England, and the doctrine, worship, discipline, and government thereof, as by law established in England?[/FONT]

[FONT=Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif]And will you preserve unto the Bishops and Clergy of England, and to the Churches there committed to their charge, all such rights and privileges, as by law do or shall appertain to them or any of them?"

That's really the only part that makes specific reference to the monarch's role in the church.
[/FONT]
 
And arent Bishops now chosen by the House of Commons rather than the PM or Queen?
 
No. There's a committee comprised of Church administrators that sends two names off to the Prime Minister, who chooses one (or sends them both back and asks for others, like Tony Blair did at least once, which was very exceptional) and formally advises the Queen to appoint them.
 
A couple of interesting articles regarding the 'state religion'!

Scotsman.com News - Latest News - Church of England still valid as state religion?
Martine Martin's Lebwog

At the moment the Prime Minister plays a major role in the appointment of diocesan bishops and has the sole right to nominate deans of most English cathedrals.

:flowers:

I still feel that to be relevant to all the peoples of the UK, any reference to any role in any religion, should be removed.

The Prince of Wales - HRH celebrates 50 years of the Army Air Corps

The Prince of Wales helped the Army Air Corps (AAC) celebrate its Golden Jubilee today and spoke of the vital work they do as part of the British Army.
His Royal Highness, who is Colonel-in-Chief of the AAC and Air Chief Marshal in the Royal Air Force, was guest of honour during the official 50th birthday event
 
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In October 1996, London's Evening Standard newspaper quoted the Grand Mufti of Cyprus, who claimed that the prince had converted to Islam. "It happened in Turkey. Oh, yes, he converted all right," the Grand Mufti was quoted as saying.

Asia Times Online :: Middle East News, Iraq, Iran current affairs

Strange claims made in this article but it is worth baring in mind that the Evening Standard and the Daily Mail are one and the same.
 
In October 1996, London's Evening Standard newspaper quoted the Grand Mufti of Cyprus, who claimed that the prince had converted to Islam. "It happened in Turkey. Oh, yes, he converted all right," the Grand Mufti was quoted as saying.

Asia Times Online :: Middle East News, Iraq, Iran current affairs

Strange claims made in this article but it is worth baring in mind that the Evening Standard and the Daily Mail are one and the same.

We know that Charles has an open mind for other religions (expect of the Christianity). But that he could be converted to Islam seems to be (IMO) only a strange idea made by the press or made by some people who are against Charles´ tolerance in religous questions or from people who wants to monopolize him for their own religion.

The Prince also held dinner and many meetings with the Daila Lama, so is he maybe a Buddhist?:rolleyes:
And he always supports jewish communities, so is be maybe a Jew?;)
 
The Prince also held dinner and many meetings with the Daila Lama, so is he maybe a Buddhist?:rolleyes:

As Buddhism is not a religion but, when you go back to the Buddha's teachings directly on excluding what later happened, a philosophical view on the world showing a possible way to understand suffering (dukkha) and to deal with it (dharma), he can easily be CoE and Buddhist. Even the Catholic Pope accepts that a Catholic can be a Buddhist as well, so I doubt the more open CoE has a problem with that combination.
 
I have to apologize for my ignorance about Buddhism.
But i doubt that the ´combination´ you mentioned would be tolerated for a future King and ´defender of the faith´.
 
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The thing is that "being a Buddhist" does not mean you join another "religion" or even "institution" of any kind. It's just a way for yourself to view the world and to cope with the suffering caused by personal loss, seeing cruelty without being able to help, feeling helpless and bound by obligations and tradition, having to face dire consequences of actions... a lot of reasons for suffering, but a possible way to get a grip on this suffering and reach a state of inner harmony and happiness despite the things being as they are. If the Buddhist way is the one for you, you just practise it in your everyday life without having to become an "official" Buddhist. From his first teachings the Buddha said that there are different approaches to different situations of life. There is the way to live Buddhism as a monk (as an "ordinated" Buddhist) but there are ways as well to simply integrate the Buddha's teachings in everyday life in order to find more inner harmony without any outer signs of doing so.:flowers:
 
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Even though I am an observant Jewess, (english born and bred) I find it an insult to the English nation if charles were to have a multi relegious coronation, he is English and will be head of the COfE, having a blessing by the Cheif Rabbi, and head muslim cleric (I'm sorry I don't know the proper terminology)etc. should suffice the need to be recognized by us all. It has no insult to us, who are not Christians, the Jewish people were invited back to England by Cromwell 400 odd years ago, and are grateful for it, and I think we, observers of other faiths should respect the right of the English monarchs who belong to the COfE, to have such a ceremony and be proud of it!
 
I think that Charles is a little presumptuous in wanting to be "defender of all faiths" as it assumes that people of whatever faiths he is alluding to are happy for him to defend their beliefs. The second most widely practiced religion in the UK is, I think, Catholicism, whose leader is of course is the Pope. Can one assume that the Pope would be happy for the Head of the Church of England to declare himself to be a defender of Catholicism?
It seems, to me, a little hypocritical to have what is a protestant Christian ceremony in a Christian church (Westminster Abbey) and then somehow tag on abit about defending other faiths! If he's serious about it, then I would have thought he would need to have several coronation ceremonies held at the various venues where other religions in the UK are practiced or have a multi-faith or (heavens forbid) a secular coronation in Westminster Hall.
 
Charles didn't say 'Defender of ALL faiths'.

He said 'Defender of faith'.

A difference there.

He wants to ensure that all his subjects have an equal right to faith whereas at the moment those of faiths other than Anglican don't have a protector in the monarch.

As an Anglican I have no problem with a multi-faith aspect to the coronation if that means that a Jewish rabbi, an Islamic Iman, a RC priest, a Buddhist priest etc are able to say a prayer as part of the ceremony but the actually crowning has to be in the Anglican form.
 
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:previous: I see it as a solution to the problem of a multi faith country, I also hope he can find a way to include those that do not follow the 'faith' based systems.
 
:previous: I see it as a solution to the problem of a multi faith country, I also hope he can find a way to include those that do not follow the 'faith' based systems.


I actually thinks that what he wants with the idea of 'Defender of Faith' but it needs to be finetuned to something like 'Defender of everyone's right to believe or not believe as they see fit'
 
Thanks for the correction, Iluvbertie - it's not unlike me to say something without doing the research properly! :)
Being Defender of THE Faith obviously alludes to the Anglican faith, whilst being Defender OF Faith could allude to anything that requires one to have faith in it and so I now actually think that just about covers all possible belief systems, religious or not.
 
Being Defender of THE Faith obviously alludes to the Anglican faith, whilst being Defender OF Faith could allude to anything that requires one to have faith in it and so I now actually think that just about covers all possible belief systems, religious or not.
Defender of Faith would rule out Pagans, Druids, Aethists and all of the individuals have do not adhere to a faith system.:flowers:
 
"Defender of Faith and Lack Thereof"
 
Being Defender of THE Faith obviously alludes to the Anglican faith, whilst being Defender OF Faith could allude to anything that requires one to have faith in it and so I now actually think that just about covers all possible belief systems, religious or not.

Interestingly, when the title of the Queen in Canada was being debated, "Defender of the Faith" was left in. The Prime Minister said something very similar to the rationale for "Defender of Faith" to defend it.

"In our countries [the other monarchies of the Commonwealth] there are no established churches, but in our countries there are people who have faith in the direction of human affairs by an all-wise Providence; and we felt that it was a good thing that the civil authorities would proclaim that their organisation is such that it is a defence of the continued beliefs in a supreme power that orders the affairs of mere men, and that there could be no reasonable objection from anyone who believed in the Supreme Being in having the sovereign, the head of the civil authority, described as a believer in and a defender of the faith in a supreme ruler."
 
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I do not think that it is appropriate to have a debate on religion on this forum but here is a summary of the speech from the Times.

START of SUMMARY

Bridges between Christianity and Islam are being destroyed amid growing intimidation, recriminations and persecution, the Prince of Wales has warned.

In an intervention that centred on the plight of Christians in the Middle East, Prince Charles said that the relationship between the faiths had reached crisis point and called for an end to the “ignorance and misunderstanding” which he said he has spent decades trying to dispel.

“It seems to me that we cannot ignore the fact that Christians in the Middle East are, increasingly, being deliberately attacked by fundamentalist Islamist militants. Christianity was, literally, born in the Middle East and we must not forget our Middle Eastern brothers and sisters in Christ.

“............. we have now reached a crisis where the bridges are rapidly being deliberately destroyed by those with a vested interest in doing so, and this is achieved through intimidation, false accusation and organised persecution, including to Christian communities in the Middle East at the present time.”
The Prince was addressing Middle Eastern faith leaders as well as the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of London at Clarence House, his London home, after a day spent visiting the Coptic and Syrian Orthodox communities in Hertfordshire and London.

The Prince, who has often spoken up on behalf of Muslims in Britain, wanted to draw attention to the plight of Christians abroad.

Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, chief adviser for religious and cultural affairs and personal envoy of King Abdullah II of Jordan, acknowledged the Prince’s record in defending Muslims. “Since Muslims can generally live in dignity in Christian-majority countries, they must stand for the dignity of Christians in Muslim-majority countries.”

He said that during the past ten years Christians had come under a new kind of threat. In the period since the end of the 2003 Iraq war, Iraqi Christians were identified with the Western invasion and occupation by fundamentalist groups such as al-Qaeda.

In Syria and Egypt there have been serious attacks on Christians.

“Everywhere else in the Middle East Christians are wondering what the rise of these movements, and of politicised Islam in general, means for their future,” Prince Ghazi added.

Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church, whose church in London was one of those visited by the Prince, said: ........ Christians in the region remain resilient and faithful despite the challenges faced.”

The Prince is particularly known for his work in building bridges between Islam and the West. In a speech at Al-Azhar University in Cairo in March 2006, he said: “We may have a human weakness to criticise and to compete with each other. But what we have in common, as people of faith, calls us beyond this towards mutual respect and understanding.”

END.
 
:previous:
In the same vein...
Prince Charles says Christians in Middle East need our help | Mail Online
18 December 2013

Christians in Middle East need our help, says Charles:
Prince says bridges with Islam being 'deliberately destroyed'

Prince Charles spoke out last night for Christians targeted by fanatics in the Middle East.He said bridges between Christianity and Islam were being ‘deliberately destroyed’ by people with vested interests.

‘For 20 years I have tried to build bridges between Islam and Christianity to dispel ignorance and misunderstanding,’ he told a reception for Middle East Christians at Clarence House in London. ‘The point though surely is that we have now reached a crisis where bridges are rapidly being deliberately destroyed by those with a vested interest in doing so. ‘This is achieved through intimidation, false accusation and organised persecution including to the Christian communities in the Middle East.’

He said this affected Arab Christians in Syria, Iraq, Palestine and Egypt as well as those from other Arab countries. ‘I have for some time now been deeply troubled by the growing difficulties faced by Christian communities in various parts of the Middle East,’ he said. ‘It seems to me that we cannot ignore the fact that Christians in the Middle East are increasingly being deliberately targeted by fundamentalist Islamist militants. ‘Christianity was literally born in the Middle East and we must not forget our Middle Eastern brothers and sisters in Christ.’

Charles said Christians now accounted for 4 per cent of the population in the Middle East and North Africa - the lowest concentration in the world. 'It is clear that the Christian population of the Middle East has dropped dramatically over the last century and is falling still further,’ he added.
He said the decline of the ‘irreplaceably precious’ Christian tradition in the Middle East represented a ‘major blow’ to peace in the region as Christians were part of the ‘fabric of society’ often acting as bridge builders with other communities.

Charles’s remarks were made after he met Christians from the Middle East at the reception. Earlier he toured the Coptic Orthodox Church centre in Stevenage accompanied by Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad of Jordan and met Syrian Orthodox Christians in West London.

 
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