David's Daily Diversions

One of the Most Horrifying

One of the Most Horrifying Things I've Ever Learned

The Anglicans have done a lot of strange things over the last few years, defying virtually every constraint of Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition. But who would have ever imagined this.

Chaplains in the British armed forces will be giving last rites to Muslims in the current conflict. You might think that this is the sort of thing Anglican clergy would be happy to do. After all, they baptise children willy-nilly without the least concern about whether the parents are even married, not to mention Christians. So what’s the big deal about saying a few prayers over dead or dying Muslims?

If they were Christian prayers, I could almost live with it. I would just say, oh it’s those silly Anglicans handing out sacramental benefits indiscriminately as usual. But that’s not what they will be doing.

As quoted in the Times, The Rev Squadron Leader Andrew Jones, attached to the British Harrier Force in the desert, said: “I will say the words of the shahada (Islamic declaration of faith), which I have written on a specially laminated card, and many other chaplains have it also. I will say: ‘There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, Amen — Allah is great,’ which I repeat four times.” That’s right. Rev Jones will explicitly deny the Faith four times per dead Iraqi. I don’t care that he attempts to excuse himself by saying he may have to cross his fingers. Cross his fingers! Deny the Cross and pretend that God accepts crossed fingers, like a children’s game of tag! I don’t think Jesus said, “Take up your crossed fingers and follow me.” Peter should have thought of that, and maybe he wouldn’t have wept when the cock crowed. But even Peter didn’t proclaim sole allegiance to a false god and a false prophet.

Rev Jones even admits that “Muslim extremists may not take too kindly to a Christian chaplain being there, but we don’t want to upset them.” The Reverend is clearly unable to think without contradiction. The Muslims don’t want us to do this, but we don’t want to upset them by not doing it? Even a Muslim scholar, also quoted in the Times doesn’t think it would be acceptable. He realises that you don’t say a prayer you don’t believe.