Church administration

[Flosshilde]

a secular nation.

Unfortunately not - the CoE is still the established church & has a presence in the legislature despite the majority of people not being members of it.

[Ferretfancy]

Perhaps the prayer before the Berlioz in St Pauls was intended to persuade him upstairs to improve the acoustic. It seems to me that sitting through a prayer in this way is a bit like sitting through the ads, except that you can't spin through.
There was a nice quote from Clive James the other day --'Religion is an advertising agency for a product that doesn't exist '

[scottycelt]

"or would you just shrug your shoulders and whisper quietly to yourself .. 'Heck, what are they like?' ... yes, I probably would as well!" - There you go again, putting words into my mouth. I would do nothing of the sort; I would make it clear that I believed in neither the monarchy nor god, even if it was only by not joining in & not standing. But I can't imagine being at a party where everybody else supported the monarchy and/or god.

I've been to plenty of concerts in churches, of both sacred & secular music, & never been prayed at. Even the old convention of not applauding has, by & large, disappeared.

I've never noticed before that you particularly needed I or anyone else to put words into your mouth, Flossie ...

I rather naively assumed that you would not wish to be the unwelcome party-pooper by having a right old strop in front of the host and all the other guests at my imaginary event.

Apologies for making false assumptions ...

[vinteuil]

If you went to a neighbour's house for a party and before it the host and some of the assembled guests sang God Save The Queen in honour of Her Majesty...

... sounds ghastly. I wd prefer not to be in the company.

[JohnSkelton]

If you went to a neighbour's house for a party and before it the host and some of the assembled guests sang God Save The Queen in honour of Her Majesty, would you feel 'press-ganged' and 'resentful' in such a situation, or would you just shrug your shoulders and whisper quietly to yourself .. 'Heck, what are they like?' ... yes, I probably would as well!

... sounds ghastly. I wd prefer not to be in the company.

It would depend whether they had a fondue set or not.

[vinteuil]

It would depend whether they had a fondue set or not.

o John Skelton, you old class-warrior, you!

[amateur51]

o John Skelton, you old class-warrior, you!

Bravo JS & bravo vints!

[amateur51]

Unfortunately not - the CoE is still the established church & has a presence in the legislature despite the majority of people not being members of it.

I was referring to the reality and the not the 'constitutional' niceties, Flossie

After all, scotty's very keen on what the majority agrees with being the status quo, particularly in the case of the monarchy

[amateur51]

I've been to plenty of concerts in churches, of both sacred & secular music, & never been prayed at. Even the old convention of not applauding has, by & large, disappeared.

I went to a lovely performance of Handel's Acis and Galatea by the Dunedin Consort and John Butt in a church in Yorkshire last year and we could even buy wine at the interval. I thought things were looking up but I was told that this was because it was a decommissioned church or whatever the correct term is. So we got the best of all worlds - marvellous music & performances, wine and a good acoustic without the supernatural overlay

[doversoul1]

I went to a lovely performance of Handel's Acis and Galatea by the Dunedin Consort and John Butt in a church in Yorkshire last year and we could even buy wine at the interval. I thought things were looking up but I was told that this was because it was a decommissioned church or whatever the correct term is. So we got the best of all worlds - marvellous music & performances, wine and a good acoustic without the supernatural overlay

Sorry to spoil your wonderful memory, am51, but I think a decommissioned church is a sad thing, rather like a giant turtle in captivity. The church in the village where I live went up for (?) decommission years ago because, as the rumour had it, the then vicar complained that the congregation was too small. Whatever the reasons, it didn’t happen and the church still stands as what it always has been, and as quietly as ever, amongst old (and quite a few new) gravestones and yew trees (with some overgrown brambles).

[amateur51]

Sorry to spoil your wonderful memory, am51, but I think a decommissioned church is a sad thing, rather like a giant turtle in captivity. The church in the village where I live went up for (?) decommission years ago because, as the rumour had it, the then vicar complained that the congregation was too small. Whatever the reasons, it didn’t happen and the church still stands as what it always has been, and as quietly as ever, amongst old (and quite a few new) gravestones and yew trees (with some overgrown brambles).

This one was looking in rather good nick, dovers and they even had bat boxes up in the roof. I guess the revenue from such lettings as the one I attended bring in more income than the declining congregation, which was the reason it was decommissioned, I was told.There was a programme of music concerts there that summer.

[scottycelt]

... sounds ghastly. I wd prefer not to be in the company.

That's just absolutely super ... you can display your clear distaste of your ghastly fellow humans by shunning their company.

I'm also pretty sure the imaginary company might well feel exactly the same about any unwanted presence of yours ... unfortunately (if also understandably in such a case), intellectual snobbery can (and does) work both ways ..

[amateur51]

That's just absolutely super ... you can display your clear distaste of your ghastly fellow humans by shunning their company.

I'm also pretty sure the imaginary company might well feel exactly the same about any unwanted presence of yours ... unfortunately (if also understandably in such a case), intellectual snobbery can (and does) work both ways ..

Saucer of milk for my saintly kilted friend

[JohnSkelton]

In the early 1980s one's girlfriend and I (is that correct?) had a flatmate who came home one day with a fondue set (she - our flatmate - came home with all sorts, so a fondue set was a pleasant surprise).

She absolutely loved the thing, was incredibly proud of it. Not since those happy days have I eaten fondue, but I still associate it with high living and ultimate sophistication.

[scottycelt]

... and they even had bat boxes up in the roof.

What, if the church gardens catered for your beloved bullfinches as well, the place could easily turn out to be your true spiritual home, amsey ...