Oh come all ye faithful

Apparently the majority of us (the British) believe in God, even if we don't attend churh, well so says the findings of a report by Christian Research. I was surprised to read 7.6 million people go to church at least once a month and 12 million once a year. A further 3 million would go if asked.

Even allowing for that 3 million, a large number of the 26 million adults claiming to be Christian don't go to church.

I wonder how many of the people claiming to be Christians, who don't attend a church, have ever read the Bible or just the new testament? I suspect they buy into the "niceness" of the Christian Church, the meek shall inherit the earth, do unto others as you have done unto to you. They think of all the "nasty" stuff as old testament.

Of course if you've read the new testament you will realise that there is some tough stuff in it. A few years ago I picked up a Gideon Bible whilst staying in a hotel.

What God has joined together, let not man separate. (The Bible, Mark chapter 10 verse 9).

Whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery against her. And if a woman divorces her husband and remarries, she commits adultery. (The Bible, Mark chapter 10 verses 11 - 12)

A man who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery - unless his wife has been unfaithful. (The Bible, Matthew chapter 19 verse 9)

I use those as examples. I once commented on this to an ex-colleague who was a methodist (or was it a baptistst?) and she said she had sat in church with divorced members of her congregation and heard the above quotes and wondered what they felt.

I am not certain what, if any, faith I have. I suppose I try to live a decent live (and we all get it wrong). I wonder though if the churches flexibility to the modern world is right. Its all very well people saying that the church has to adapt but if you move away from your basic teachings...... Basic teachings is not the ordination of woman its about what is in the scripture. Scripture says nothing about Woman priests.

We are in a difficult age for the church. Human Rights legislation seems at cross purposes to some basic tenets of faith and I don't how individuals or the church squares that. The church is apparently no longer allowed to discriminate in the same way that business can.

But to me here is the rub, faith is different to a job. If you believe in God there is no higher authority and has the government got the right to decide what we believe? I don't care what people believe as long as they treat me respectfully in my business and professional life.