Religion 2015: Mindfulness, Transformation and Change?

The UK’s mainstream media has recently informed us, with prominent headlines, that the Church of England’s newly-appointed female bishops are promoting, and have begun to use, the word ‘she’ instead of ‘he,’ and ‘Heavenly Mother’ instead of ‘Heavenly Father,’ in church services and articles.  If we take this at face value, it appears that the newly-empowered female clergy consider their positions within the Church to be proof that they have won a mighty battle of the sexes within the Anglican Church and are determined to fight for further radical change to our state religion.  Only by doing so, goes this reasoning, will we ignorant plebes begin to understand that not only men but women as well, are made in God’s image.

Examples of the recent articles referred to:-

Calls to refer to God as a woman as female bishops take up posts.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/female-clergy-propose-referring-to-god-as-she-to-counter-idea-only-men-are-made-in-his-image-10287795.html

Support is growing within the Church of England to rewrite its official liturgy to refer to God as female following the selection of the first women bishops   http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/11641880/Calls-to-overhaul-service-texts-to-refer-to-God-as-first-female-bishops-take-up-posts.html

What is the truth behind these headlines, why are female bishops now pushing for this and is it important?  Where has the view of Christianity as sexist due to its traditional male terminology come from?  Is it really a problem? 

Firstly, this principle is theologically wrong because the Bible states categorically that men only are made in God’s image.  The tradition of women covering their heads in church whereas men remove their hats reflects this.  Surely the female clergy know this having had to do their share of Bible studies just like their male colleagues at the Seminary?  Male terminology is used in the Bible: fact! Sorry about that!

Another point, do the female clergy really believe that ordinary grown-up Christians view God as an old, long-white-haired man-in-the-sky looking down on us like a sort of Santa?  Even if we did, is it such a big problem? 

This male versus female argument is unsettling as all Christians know that Jesus had an earthly, human mum called Mary who is very highly-regarded.  Also, Jesus only ever refers to God as his heavenly father.  Where are the Bible passages where Jesus refers to God as his heavenly mother?  Where are the passages in the Old or New Testament where God is referred to as ‘she’?  There are none; this is a fact and all Christians know it.  Where will it all end?  Could the Holy Spirit be envisaged as a lesbian in the future since the Holy Spirit entered the Virgin Mary to conceive baby Jesus who can then, topically, be considered to have had two mothers! 

Why do the Church of England and wider Anglican Church have to keep changing?  Surely organised religion is one aspect of life that should value its tradition and continuity down the decades and not seek change that is too radical, for the sake of its followers and congregations as well as the clergy. People do not always welcome change; it can cause anxiety and is often unsettling. Is it necessary or wise to keep unsettling people spiritually?

Change within all institutions in Britain and the West is the latest ongoing trend across society as communitarianism takes over, and ‘public life’ is transformed into something called ‘civil society.’ Here is a recent article by Brian Gerrish, editor and feature writer for the UK Column, where calculated ‘change’ and trained change agents feature with high prominence in this author’s understanding of what is going so terribly wrong in Britain nowadays.  Obviously, while some changes can be good, other change can be incredibly bad,  http://www.ukcolumn.org/article/downhill-british-dictatorship-unless-we-withdraw-our-consent

The female clergy’s argument on using the term ‘she’ comes across as rather old-fashioned to me.  Where have we heard this kind of thing before?  For half a century ardent feminists have implied that ordinary people are unable to grasp the simple fact that, in the English language, some words can have more than one meaning or a wider meaning.  According to these feminists, the general public are like Daleks, taking each word literally and never grasping the idea that words can have a wider interpretation.  One example of this is where they have claimed that we plebes cannot understand the simple principle that when a writer or orator refers to ‘mankind’ it is a reference to the entire human race and not just the men in it.  I can actually remember being taught about the ‘mankind meaning’ in my state school and being able to easily grasp the idea and have never since had a problem with it.  However, the strident, politically correct, ‘he/she’ barrage from feminists has led to ridiculous changes to everyday English. It started in the 1970 -80s since which we have all had to become accustomed to them.  Examples are - Chairmen of meetings are called Chairpersons, firemen are now fire-fighters, headmasters and headmistresses are now just referred to as head teachers, actresses are now called actors, and one never hears the perfectly reasonable expression ‘mankind’ anymore because the less offensive and non-sexist ‘human race’ term tends to be used in its place. There are many more examples and, let’s be honest, all this change has really achieved is to irritate the average person, and it often ended up as the butt of sarcasm and jokes although we have now become used to it.  So for me, this latest trend in church feminism, implying that Christianity is sexist, is hardly radical and actually sounds rather contrived.  Are these women being used by individuals or agencies from outside of the Church?

Searching online, it is not difficult to discover an organisation called WATCH (Women And The CHurch) which is a driving force, the pressure group if you like, behind the promotion of women in the UK’s Anglican Church.  Hilary Cotton is the current Chair of WATCH. 

Note the WATCH website’s style,  https://womenandthechurch.org/

Brian Gerrish and Co.– Look at the logo – the colours of the page, the logo and its eye shape.

Where have we seen this before?  The Common Purpose website!  Are the founders of WATCH inspired or influenced by Common Purpose or is this website design just a coincidence?

‘Women and the Church’

Affirming * Campaigning * Transforming!

(Note the photo of an androgynous-looking, robed religious person standing next to a black woman with neatly-braided hair, a perfect example of diversity, how trendy and predictable!)

Here are some WATCH articles, by Hilary Cotton,:-

https://womenandthechurch.org/news/news-round-up-let-god-be-a-she-the-national-conversation-about-a-god-without-gender/

Quote, “..the reality is that every time I say ‘Heavenly Father’ the bruise caused by 56 years of patriarchal language gets another biff. We do not talk about pain out of masochism,…” (Oh really!) https://womenandthechurch.org/features/why-do-i-like-greenbelt-so-much/

https://womenandthechurch.org/news/latest-chairs-blog-women-able-to-be-bishops-tick-what-next/

https://womenandthechurch.org/features/

http://www.stpaulsinstitute.org.uk/dialogue/contributors/hilary-cotton

What does all this mean?  Where is this leading?  And who is Hilary Cotton, anyway? 

From the Web, this is the lady in question at her day job:

Senior Consultant

I am an executive coach and training consultant developing leaders and teams through training, coaching and facilitation. I’ve worked extensively on developing women in leadership. I’m tremendously keen to see more women in management programmes, training and development.

My background is in the Civil Service, starting as a mathematician and researcher on trends in global sea level. I moved into consultancy in 1988 and have had the privilege to coach and train for great clients, including DFID, the Cabinet Office, Friends of the Earth, OFGEM and the NHS.

More recently I’ve been designing, leading and facilitating programmes across all sectors – supporting new CEOs as they make the transition to top management, facilitating action learning sets as part of the ‘Leaders Unlimited’ programme and delivering e-learning for doctors in training on patient safety and effective teamwork.

I got to know Aston OD (Organisational Development) in 2006. Of course Aston OD’s evidence base really appeals to the researcher in me and I’ve enjoyed working in depth on the Team Journey materials as well as introducing team based working to Trusts the length and breadth of the UK.

I am a people person at heart (though I do have an MBA!), so I really appreciate how the Aston Team Journey helps teams to put in place the nuts-and-bolts that stop people falling out with each other. If you get the structure, purpose, expectations and roles sorted, then everyone can flourish.

Outside OD, I’m proud to be chair of WATCH (Women and the Church), campaigning to change the law to allow women to be bishops.

In South Africa, I’ve helped to develop leadership skills amongst clergy working tirelessly to support those affected by HIV/AIDS. Singing and bird-watching are my relaxations.

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At a glance:
MA Oxon; MSc London; MBA Open University; Chartered MCIPD; Coach, Management Futures (accredited by the European Mentoring and Coaching Council); Advanced Mentoring and Coaching with Global Resonance; Myers- Briggs accredited.         

Info from:- http://www.astonod.com/about-us/our-people/hilary-cotton/

See also one of Hillary Cotton’s work colleagues from the small team at Aston OD.  The Buddhist connotation is of significance …

Taravandana (Lupson)       [Taravandana appears to be a Buddhist name.  It is standard practice for a Buddhist monk or nun to take a traditional Buddhist name or Buddhist-sounding name when ordained.  Mindfulness is the intentional, accepting and non-judgemental focus of one's attention on the emotions, thoughts and sensations occurring in the present moment, which can be trained by meditational practices that are described in detail in the Buddhist tradition.]

Consultant

I am a freelance OD (Organisational Development) consultant, coach and mindfulness trainer, working with individuals and organisations to increase wellbeing, resilience and leadership effectiveness.

I feel very grateful for all the opportunities I have had in my working life. This includes the chance to share my passion for mindfulness, originally within the Buddhist tradition, through my experience of 30+ years of supporting healthcare staff and senior managers to provide the best care that they can for their patients.

My background is in the NHS, as a clinician (Dietitian), senior manager and OD lead within acute, primary care, public and mental health, and a Strategic Health Authority. Both as a leader and as an external consultant, I’ve been fortunate to lead a number of large-scale change programmes.

As well as mindfulness, I enjoy being able to offer specialist facilitation, organisational and leadership development skills such as team assessments, conflict resolution and psychometrics to build awareness, confidence and effectiveness.

I am also lucky to work as a coach with executive directors, CCG (Clinical Commissioning Groups) leaders, public health specialists, and clinicians from across the NHS and senior managers from housing associations and the voluntary sector.

Aston OD gives me the opportunity to support teams and their leaders to meet their potential and to work with many inspiring people.

Everything I do is built around a strong belief in human potential to which I endeavour to bring a positive, calm, clear and approachable style founded on integrity.

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At a glance:
BSC Hons Nutrition and Dietetics, Accredited executive coach (ILM Level 7, Management Futures; Mindfulness Trainer (Breathworks CIC); Member of European Mentoring and Coaching Council; Associate of CIPD; Psychometric Testing in MBTI Step 1 and 2 and Firo-B, NHS HCLM 360 Feedback Facilitator

Note the jargon and buzzwords that Ms Cotton uses in her articles and that both women have used here in their résumés:-  facilitating, leadership, transforming, transitioning, wellbeing, mindfulness, team journey, team-based, ‘working tirelessly’, which sounds like ‘being passionate’…

It is similar to Julia Middleton’s ‘Common Purpose’ style of language. 

Everyone is concerned about the National Health Service, its funding and future.  What strange mixing of pseudo-religion and psychological counselling within training programs in the NHS these résumés reveal.  Clearly this has been going on for decades but is it public money wisely spent?  

And what is a Feedback Facilitator? (as Cotton’s colleague Taravandana claims to be) 

See  NHS Leadership Academy:

http://www.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/resources/healthcare-leadership-model/supporting-tools-resources/360-degree-feedback-facilitators/

Does all this matter? Is it important whether we regard God as male or female, or both, or neither? Let’s look into this a little more.

Where are Ms Cotton, and her strident colleagues within the Church, obtaining their feminist views from, in relation to Christianity?  They may not be aware of it but, I believe, our female clergy are introducing aspects of Theosophy, New Age ideologies and aspects of other religions into their ministries.  Are these women actually Christians anymore, by doing so?  Is their radical feminist stance morphing their beliefs into something else entirely?  Have our female clergy considered that they could be pushing more people away from the Church than they are attracting to it, by taking this feminist view?  Is this is their REAL purpose?

In her bestselling book, and also on video, Michigan Christian lawyer Constance Cumbey warns us about ‘The Hidden Dangers of The Rainbow,’ where she investigates in depth how Christianity began to be warped by New Age ideas in the 1970s and has been ever since.  Perusing Christian bookshops in Detroit, USA, near her offices, Cumbey was shocked to discover large numbers of books on Roman Catholicism, Methodism, Anglicanism, Baptism and other branches of Christianity containing New Age ideology which entirely contradicts the traditional Christian teachings of the Bible.  Paganism, Druidism, Wiccan and Luciferian themes are strangely intertwined with Christianity in such works, www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmzN3f4mfjY

‘The Hippie Matrix, Government Infiltration of the Environmental, Hippie, Progressive and New Age movements,’ by Miles Mathis, http://mileswmathis.com/hippie.pdf

Pastor Steven Anderson has spoken of something called the Shekinah.  The Jewish view of the female side of God is called the Shekinah however, the Shekinah is NOT mentioned anywhere in the Bible at all, and Jesus never referred to it.  The Shekinah appears to be a more recent, New Age idea that has been accepted and absorbed into modern Judaism.  Many Christian leaders now refer to the Shekinah, implying that it is a Biblical or Christian term.  It is not.  Have the Church of England clergy been influenced by learning about the Shekinah, or the South American goddess called Pachamama?

‘Jews Worship a Female God Named Shekinah’,

 www.youtube.com/watch?v=gspUSf4FmOM

Pachamama (Mother Earth) is a goddess "revered by the indigenous people of the Andes.  These native peoples’ religious views have given rise to the Earth being granted its own rights recently, in Bolivia.  How will the Western Elite warp and manipulate these gentle peoples’ spiritual views to line their corporate pockets?  http://www.rightsofmotherearth.com/los-derechos-pachamama/

‘The Green Virgin – Pachamama’  http://nikiraapana.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/green-virgin-pachamama-final-balance.html

The arguments of Cotton and the feminist bishops may also be influenced by Theosophical ideas.  As far as I can see, Theosophy appears to have plundered probably more from Buddhism than from any of the other religions it has exploited.  It is unsettling to note that words and phrases which are key to understanding the Buddhist philosophy and have specific meanings in relation to Buddhism, like enlightenment and mindfulness, have been taken and used out of context in Theosophical teachings.    Interestingly, I have noticed these terms appearing now in many diversity and leadership consultancies’ training programs that are being taught for hefty fees by pseudo-Buddhist teachers, who are neither bona fide monks nor nuns, but appear to be psychological counsellors.  What are these people’s qualifications for offering leadership and diversity training and mentoring?  They present themselves professionals but seem to just endorse each other.  What is their over-arching governing and standard-setting professional body called?  Is there one?  I haven’t found it. Where and who do the general public turn to when they are dissatisfied with a training course or session?  How is a bad practitioner disciplined, or a damaged client compensated?  What standards do these leadership and diversity trainers have to adhere to?  Who sets these standards?  Where are they published so we can have a look? Is there a code of conduct for its membership to adhere to or is this area of training just a casual free-for-all?  If so, it is NOT a profession at all!

The New World envisaged by the Theosophists is accompanied by a physical hierarchy or class/caste system into which one will be born and live out one’s life, both physically and spiritually.  Theosophy is, at its heart, Platonic and the philosophical work Plato’s Republic (whom the Theosophists so admire) hinges on a caste/class system of people existing in Gold, Silver and Bronze layers of society.  By the way, guess what class you would be in this system – probably Bronze, am I right? 

Naturally, the new Gold Class, under the communitarian system now being built in the West, will be just as Plato envisaged.  It will consist of benevolent philosophers who have given up all their wealth and personal belongings to form a kind of saintly, detached from ownership, highly principled, deep-thinking priesthood to guide us all, right? 

They will not be an international group of fabulously wealthy, greedy, psychopathic oligarchs hogging all the goodies while conning the rest of us, will they?

No! Of course not!

Bertrand Russell on Plato's (optimistic) Republic,  www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8bo3fTH6m8

On Plato's Theory of Ideas, by Grace F. Knoche,  from ‘Theosophical Perspectives,’ (From Sunrise magazine, November 1973; copyright © 1973 Theosophical University Press)

http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/sunrise/23-73-4/me-gfk3.htm

NOTES ON THEOSOPHY AND EDUCATION,  from THEOSOPHY, Vol. 86, No. 3, January 1998, (based on an essay on education, a shortened reproduction of the original text prepared for a talk H.P.Blavatsky published in ‘Lucifer’ August 15, 1890)

http://www.wisdomworld.org/additional/ListOfCollatedArticles/Lucifer.html

We need to take care.  Should the Bible be changed and the Church transformed? 

Has it already started? Read this and you can see for yourself that it may have,

‘How Change Agents are Transitioning Grace Community Church into the New World Order,’

by Bob Johnson,  January 2005.

http://www.thewatchmanwakes.com/Despatch_version--GCC_expose.pdf

Jesus Christ’s assurance in the New Testament of the Bible, that God loves each and every one of us and that we are all equal is God’s eyes, is the principle which has led to the development of our individual rights which are enshrined in our law and constitution.  It has also led to a healthy social mobility developing between the classes in modern society. 

In contrast, the new (or is it really very old?) communitarian view of human rights, community rights and Earth rights may be dressed up to appear to be modern forms of emancipation but are nowhere near as pure and powerful as the straight-forward, Christian-based rights which apply to all of us, whether we are Christian or not.  

‘Communitarianism, Another Word for The Dialectic Process,’ by Professor Amitai Etzioni (FKA Werner Falk)  http://www.crossroad.to/Quotes/reinventing-government/third_way.htm

‘Communitarianism: A New Agenda for Politics and Citizenship,’ Dr. Henry Tam  http://hbtam.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/find-out-more-about-communitarianism.html

There is no doubt that Christianity across the world is currently under attack from all sides, from murderous warfare, from apathy and ridicule in the media, by insinuation from politically correct deviancy and by false preachers spreading lies, to name a just a few fronts.  Is it a deliberate offensive? I believe it is, and is being orchestrated from above, somewhere up in the top echelons of our current society.  It is happening precisely because Christianity stands for true freedom and individual rights.  Clearly, there is no place for such ideals in the new world being constructed around us by those devoted to the coveting of absolute power and wealth.  A communitarian class system guarded by ever-intense high-tech surveillance technology, where the population is becoming increasingly redundant to increasingly elaborate machines, has no room for indulgences like faith, individual human ambition and social mobility.

Sometime in the future, it is likely that we will be restricted to our communities (rather like the inmates of Patrick McGoohan’s ‘Village’) and our logically-transformed, watered down One World Religion will support this if we are not careful.   http://reason.com/archives/2009/01/15/patrick-mcgoohan-and-the-priso

PLATO - Allegory of the Cave (Animated) www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dlmsULpgjI