Minority

Do you ever feel that your voice isn’t heard and that your life or opinion are not valued or important? I understand, but as I thought some more about it, I discovered that minorities can and do make a difference, some for good, but mostly for ill. Let’s take a few minority groups and see what difference they are making.

• The LGBTI group are less than 2% of the UK population, but speak with a loud and confident voice, and we all take notice. Governments change laws for them.

• Gay Marriage supporters have forced their way into the laws of the land because we have been convinced that they are victimised because they are not considered equal.

• Grown men who want to use girls and ladies toilets, and vice versa. Another minority who wants to be heard and we listen! Laws are being changed.

• Muslim fanatics who kill, rape and maim in the name of their chosen god, causing grief and terrorism across the world. They are not representative of mainstream muslims, however misguided, but still cause us to take notice of them.

• Voters in a referendum for National Independence who lose in a democratic process, but still loudly shout in disbelief “We were robbed”. Another referendum is planned.

• Court systems that protect the minority lawbreakers, and ignore the victims.

• Do you need to be reminded that some world leaders were in a minority, and yet did much evil. Despots like, Stalin, Lenin, Pol Pot, Hitler to name a few. It should be remembered that they were ALL atheists!

Armed with this very incomplete listing of how much attention a minority can get, and the changes they can achieve, what kind of noise should the Christian church make? After all, Christians and Christianity have now been sidelined in most areas of society, and are viewed as an official minority. It’s about time the mouse roared without apologising!

The Camel

“A camel is a horse, designed by committee” so the old saying goes.

The past week in the UK has seen some groundbreaking changes and decisions made by committee. If you live outwith Scotland/UK, I will try to help you understand. Those who live in our country, need no explanation.

Two important, but very separate and different committees convened on 20/21 May to discuss and decide on the same general issue which has plagued our church and nation over the past few years. In both cases the horse went in and came out as a camel. Let me explain.

The UK government of elected representatives met over two days to decide if the institution of marriage which up until now has meant the union of a man and a woman only, can be redefined to include any combination of man/woman. All in the name of equality, or at least one definition of equality. In their ‘wisdom’ they decided by a large majority to change marriage as soon as possible and redefine it. A camel emerged. Of course the UK is not alone, at the last count many other European countries have done the same, as have some US States.

At the same time as the UK government were discussing, debating and voting, so too was the national Church of Scotland. They convened their annual General Assembly to decide if a homosexual man or woman can be accepted as a minister in a church which calls them, and that was carried. At the same time, they say they hold to the Biblical truth that marriage should be between a man and a woman only. It should be remembered that this church already had a number of homosexual ministers in churches around the country. I have to confess that I feel for members of the church who, in good conscience, stayed with the church as it deliberated over the past few years while the committee sat. Another camel emerged.

There is a groundswell of change happening very quickly, and before our eyes. If you happen to be in the minority of any significant faith group (Jewish, Muslim or Christian) your views have been listened to politely (but ignored) while the views of a minority have succeeded. This is democracy at work I suppose. The only thing that might give us hope is that when these same significant faith groups become a minority themselves, and they will, maybe then the governments and churches will take notice of their own people and do the right thing. In the meantime, if we ever needed it, we who live in the UK are confirmed as not only secular humanist, but with no moral compass, and God-less. I wonder how many more committees will make camels from horses in the future?