Justin Welby, Madinah Javed
Archbishop Of Canterbury draws ire over Quran reading
The Archbishop of Canterbury is feeling the heat over a reading from an Islamic text in his church denying that Jesus was the Son of God.
Published: January 14, 2017, 8:42 am
The Archbishop of Canterbury is feeling the heat over a reading of an Islamic text that denied Jesus was the son of God and is being urged to discipline a Scottish Episcopal cathedral.
Justin Welby is under pressure to intervene after a service last week at St Mary’s Cathedral, Glasgow, contained a recitation from the Islamic text, Christian Today reported.
Rev Dr Gavin Ashenden, chaplain to the Queen of England, has called for the provost to apologise and has hinted he should quit his post.
“Some people will wonder if he has sufficient theological astuteness to remain in such a responsible office in times as fraught as these?” he wrote in a blog post. “Our interfaith relations require both integrity and competence. The strategy in Glasgow appears to have been short of both.”
The conservative grouping GAFCON UK on Thursday also criticised the church because the verses recited contradict Christian teaching about Jesus.
Rev James Paice, a member of the GAFCON UK Taskforce, said they were “appalled at the lack of discipline by the Scottish Episcopal Church at this continued syncretism and confusion over mission”.
A senior clergyman at the cathedral in Glasgow has defended the anti-Christian Islamic passages from the Quran which were read from the lectern.
The service was held on the feast of the Epiphany when western Christians mark the visit to the infant Jesus by wise men.
The cathedral provost said the reading was aimed at “promoting understanding” between the two faiths, but fellow Anglicans see the event as an open submission to a different faith. Provost, Rev Kelvin Holdsworth, refused to speak to Christian Today about his decision.
St Mary’s invited local Muslims to join the service, who while acknowledging Jesus as a prophet, believe in Allah. A student, Madinah Javed, read from the lectern in Arabic from the chapter of Maryam, or Mary.
The chapter tells the story of the birth of Christ to the virgin Mary, and includes the Islamic teaching that Jesus is not the son of God and should not be worshipped, seen as a clear provocation by fellow Anglicans.
Denying that Jesus was God’s son, goes against a key Christian belief. The cathedral has declined to comment specifically on the declaration that Jesus was not the son of God on its website.
Welby, as head of the Church of England, has no strict authority over the Scottish Episcopal Church. But as the spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion, he can exert moral pressure over them at the next conference of global Anglican leaders.
Rev. David McCarthy of St Thomas’ church in Edinburgh commented:
“It’s a strange and erroneous matter for the clergy leadership of a cathedral to allow a reading from the Quran which later goes on to deny the divinity of Christ. Of course it is nice to invite people of other faiths to be present for worship, but sadly this recitation reveals a naivety and the growing tendency towards a lack of confidence in the uniqueness of Christ.
My Muslim friends have a strong confidence in their faith and would not be at all happy if a passage like John chapter 1, which affirms Jesus is God, was read out in their mosque. So why did the leadership of the cathedral allow a recitation from a book which Muslims believe is the final unaltered revelation from God which supersedes the Bible?”
Police Scotland confirmed yesterday that it had launched an investigation after staff at the church were subjected to “offensive, abusive and sectarian comments”.
The reading was highlighted on Breitbart, which led to deluge of ire directed at the staff, The London Times reported.
Holdsworth confirmed that he and others had received a “number of offensive messages”. He said: “We’ve received Islamophobic and other hate-filled messages.”
A statement from St Mary’s said: “St Mary’s has received a number of offensive messages on Facebook and other platforms.
“These have been reported to Police Scotland. We are grateful to the police for their support at this time.”
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “We can confirm we are investigating reports of offensive comments made towards St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral in Glasgow and inquiries are ongoing.
“Police Scotland will not tolerate any form of hate and encourages all communities to take action to ensure no one feels threatened or marginalised.”
All rights reserved. You have permission to quote freely from the articles provided that the source (www.freewestmedia.com) is given. Photos may not be used without our consent.
Consider donating to support our work
Help us to produce more articles like this. FreeWestMedia is depending on donations from our readers to keep going. With your help, we expose the mainstream fake news agenda.
Keep your language polite. Readers from many different countries visit and contribute to Free West Media and we must therefore obey the rules in, for example, Germany. Illegal content will be deleted.
If you have been approved to post comments without preview from FWM, you are responsible for violations of any law. This means that FWM may be forced to cooperate with authorities in a possible crime investigation.
If your comments are subject to preview by FWM, please be patient. We continually review comments but depending on the time of day it can take up to several hours before your comment is reviewed.
We reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive, contain slander or foul language, or are irrelevant to the discussion.
Europe
New App Helps Locate Sweden’s Historic Runestones
A new app called Swedish Runestones will help locate historical gems.
Swedish military wants to remilitarize the Åland Islands
The demilitarized autonomy has previously been known as 'the islands of peace.
NOAA Predicts Zero Sunspots for Almost the Whole 2030s
CLIMATEThe United States' government scientific organization, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), predicts zero sunspots from 2031 to 2040. This is an extreme situation that has not occurred in as long as humanity has been counting sunspots, and it leads us into uncharted territory in terms of our solar system. However, this prediction aligns with the warnings of the world-renowned solar researcher Valentina Zharkova for many years, who indicated in 2019 various signs of this catastrophic phenomenon, including the extreme hailstorms we have seen in Europe and the world this summer. The forecast and various observations this year give cause for very significant concern. In this unique analysis, Free West Media explains why.
European Nationalist Parties Forge Cooperation Ahead of EU Elections
EUROPEAN ELECTIONSOn Saturday, August 26, representatives of six European nationalist parties gathered in Budapest. The meeting was initiated by the Hungarian party Mi Hazánk and took place in the national parliament. Representatives of the parties signed a joint declaration that not only reaffirms the parties' friendship but also their unity on a range of complex political issues. A surprisingly clear and radical manifesto was established. The hope is that this cooperation will lead to success in the EU elections and eventually result in the formation of a group in the European Parliament. For Swedish nationalism, this meeting marks a success as Sweden, for the first time, has a party represented in a leading nationalist cooperation in Europe. Free West Media was present at this historic event.
Turkey Believes Sweden Hasn’t Done Enough
Sweden will have to wait a bit longer for NATO membership, according to Turkey's Justice Minister Jilmaz Tunc. First, Sweden must extradite the "terrorists" Turkey wants and stop the desecration of the Quran.
Swedish Weapon Takes Down Russia’s Best Attack Helicopter
The Russian attack helicopter Ka-52 is considered one of the world's best and has struck fear in Ukraine, where it has hunted down tanks and other armored vehicles, often beyond the range of many light anti-aircraft systems. However, it has met its match in the Swedish air defense missile system RBS 70, which has quickly led to significant losses for the Russian helicopter forces.
The Sun Drives Earth’s Climate, Not Carbon Dioxide
Top Researchers Push Back Against Climate Lies."The correlation is as clear as day," explained the Israeli astrophysicist Nir Shaviv, who was hailed by the establishment, before his interview with Forbes was hastily deleted. What he says contradicts the climate narrative, which points to humans as responsible for Earth's climate. Shaviv firmly asserts that it is the sun that controls the climate, something that can be scientifically proven in many ways. Contrary to the popular belief, the sun's influence on Earth has, in recent years, caused unusually cold and rainy weather, a trend that solar researchers warn will worsen significantly in the coming decades. The sun has exhibited an unusually low activity since 2016, during Solar Cycle 24, which was the weakest in a century.
Strong Confidence in German AfD
Alternative for Germany (AfD) held a party conference on July 29-30 to select candidates for the upcoming EU election next year. EU Parliament member Maximilian Krah, belonging to the party's more radical, ethnonationalist faction, was appointed as the top candidate. The party's two spokespersons delivered powerful speeches criticizing the EU's failed migration policy and trade sanctions that isolate Europe and Germany from the rest of the world. They argued that it's time for the EU to return a significant portion of its power to national parliaments. However, they have dropped the demand for Germany to exit the EU.
The Establishment Wants to Ban Germany’s Second Largest Party – for the Sake of Democracy
The rising popularity of AfD has raised strong concerns within the establishment. Despite lies and demonization in the media and isolation from the overall political establishment, the party continues to grow. Certain representatives of the party are accused of becoming increasingly "extreme," and in an unusual move, the influential weekly newspaper Der Spiegel demanded that AfD be "banned."
Dutch FvD break through the media blockade
What is happening in the Netherlands? It is often difficult to follow events in other countries, especially when distorted by system media. We give Forum for Democracy (FvD) the opportunity to speak out on the political situation in the Netherlands and the staunch resistance they face in trying to save the country.
No comments.
By submitting a comment you grant Free West Media a perpetual license to reproduce your words and name/web site in attribution. Inappropriate and irrelevant comments will be removed at an admin’s discretion. Your email is used for verification purposes only, it will never be shared.