No
Surprise Here
From the Independent
today:
Two per
cent of Anglican priests don't believe in God
“As a
prerequisite for the job of being a Church of England priest, it would seem not
unreasonable to expect a belief in God to be fairly essential.
But this
is not the case, according to a poll of Anglican clergy which found that as
many as 16 per cent are unclear about God and two per cent think it is no
more than a human construct.
It is 30
years since David Jenkins, then the Bishop of Durham, caused controversy by
casting doubt on the resurrection, but it appears that such unorthodox views
are widespread amongst Britain’s priests.
In
addition to those who describe God as a human creation, the YouGov poll found
that three per cent believe there is some sort of spirit or life force and 9
per cent argue it is impossible to imagine what God is like.
Clergy
were significantly more likely to hold unorthodox beliefs the older they were
and the longer they had been in the ministry. Nearly 90 per cent of those
ordained since 2011 believe in God compared with only 72 per cent of
those who became priests in the 1960s, the research discovered.
The
General Synod, the Church’s parliament, rejected moves to introduce “heresy
trials” to take action against clergy over “doctrinal, ritual and ceremonial”
matters, leaving clergy and bishops relatively free to deviate from doctrine
without punishment.”
Some, of course, see the glass as half full – one Anglican
website commenting on the survey proudly announces “Anglican clergy are united by their strong belief in a “personal God”
(83%) rather than in more impersonal understandings of God – like “spirit or
life force.”. Strong belief?
So, if you attend a random Anglican church on any given Sunday
rejoice in the fact that there is an 83% chance that the pastor might believe
in God.
Not that atheism has been a
barrier to progress and promotion in the Anglican or Scottish Episcopalian
Church. Richard Holloway rose to become
a bishop and primus in the Scottish Episcopal Church, despite having jettisoned
belief in a personal God in the early years of his “ministry”. Read the fascinating interview with Holloway
in the Scotsman.
The survey actually showed a higher level of atheism in
Scottish Episcopalian clergy, at 3%.
Presbyterians were not surveyed, but canny Scottish liberals have a way
of not saying what they don’t want people to know. Personally, I am suspicious
that a number of Kirk ministers are already fuzzy on this issue and could not
honestly and unequivocally affirm belief in a personal God.