The parochialism of liberal Anglicanism

The parochialism of liberal Anglicanism never ceases to fascinate me. The other day a group of us were having a discussion on various church related matters and what I found rather amusing was the way the liberal-Methodist-future-Reader would keep saying "Some people believe..." before uttering a statement of Christian orthodoxy such as the second coming or concerning miracles and so on.

Each time I had to bite my tongue to stop myself saying "Well actually, that's what most people believe - or at least should" (which is certainly the case for the majority of Christianity and even within Anglicanism, unless you count Northern Hemisphere Anglicanism as the only true Anglicanism which I suspect is generally the unspoken assumption).

Regardless of one's own personal beliefs, which are and can be as fragmented as they come, it is a source of continual amazement how liberal religious people talk as though it is orthodoxy that is a minority opinion both in the contemporary and historical Faith. It reminds me of another discussion I accidentally had on the topic of Communion, where I was informed that any sort of belief in the real presence was actually a rather weird, exceptional belief as opposed to the official position of the main bodies of Christianity (and even within some of the more out on a limb types. I hear even some Pentecostal churches are getting into it these days) for the past 2000 years.

At least Luther would be rolling in his grave.

Now to be clear, I am not trying to say that everyone is some straight and narrow St Nicholas of Myra, ready to punch the heresy out of their fellow brethren, or even that the majority are. My amusement comes from the utter lack of self awareness that one is actually going against official proclamations of the Christian faith. Even if you find certain beliefs rather difficult to accept, at least be aware that you are meant to accept them.

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Actually don't. I like having a laugh. Especially at the sort of liberal who is perfectly ok with the idea of a man rising from the dead after three days but thinks that actually believing this same man performed any kind of miracles is just a bit silly. To quote an atheist housemate, if you have no problem with the former then straining at the latter...