I have lost all respect for Dr. Rowan Williams

[ajva]

What?

What? What? WHAT?

Let's see:

He says Muslims should not have to choose between "the stark alternatives of cultural loyalty or state loyalty".

What?

But Dr Williams says the argument that "there's one law for everybody... I think that's a bit of a danger".

SPLUTTER!!!!!! WTF? One law for all is a danger? A DANGER? What sort of idiocy is this? One law for all is the only way to do it. One law for all - as an ideological aim - defines the better traditions of this country: not one law for the rich, one law for the poor; not one law for men, one law for women etc. It is an ideal not always reached in practice, but held dear as an ideal. And three cheers for that.

Dr Williams adds: "What we don't want either, is I think, a stand-off, where the law squares up to people's religious consciences."

Nonsense. The law of the land should not be subject to influence by religious forces, directly or indirectly. If there be a stand-off in the mind of a religious person, then it is up to that person to live according to their own conscience, and to accept the legal consequences should there be any. It is not acceptable to alter the law to accommodate their religious prejudices.

"We don't either want a situation where, because there's no way of legally monitoring what communities do... people do what they like in private in such a way that that becomes another way of intensifying oppression inside a community."

Exceptionally muddle-headed thinking, tantamount to advocating fundamentalist appeasement in my view. We should not officially accommodate separate religious law in this country. Both philosophically and practically it would be very dangerous indeed.

I have thought for some time that Dr. Williams might be a little cowardly in some respects, but I'd given him the benefit of the doubt over the homosexuality in the C of E issue, since I could see that he is in a difficult position politically if he wishes to prevent schism. However, this is the last straw. The man is totally undeserving of the respect of the secular community in this country IMV.

Comments

[wildeabandon.livejournal.com]

But the law takes account of an awful lot of things - circumstances, background, motivations &c, either in the text of the law itself, or in the interpretation by the court. That's why we have lawyers.

I know very little about Sharia law, but it strikes me as very unlikely that there aren't aspects of where finding a constructive accommodations wouldn't be dangerous.

I do think there's a danger, which he was bloody daft not to have foreseen, that this interview will be used for dangerous ends. I don't like it at all, but I don't think the appeasement is a stark as you're making out.

[ajva.livejournal.com]

The law takes account of many things, but it cannot afford to take account of religious beliefs per se, since (quite apart from anything else) religious beliefs by their very nature are ill-defined: even those who ostensibly follow the same religion, or indeed the same sect within the same religion, or indeed are members of the same community fellowship within the same sect within the same religion, can and often do differ in their beliefs - often in some rather startling ways.

Even Sharia Law itself is ill-defined. There are dozens of different shades of Sharia Law, varying by culture. A British-Sharia law would vary again, but its official acceptance as an alternative within our legal system would still create a legally sanctioned two-tier justice system, which is unacceptable in my view.

Dr. Williams' psychology tends towards reaching out to meet people halfway; that is why he has risen to the position he now holds, and that is why can talk like this. Sometimes, such a tendency can be healthy, but here it has led to his being very misguided over this one particular issue IMV.

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

And of course you know that this will stir up an awful lot of fear ("Soon we'll be just like Iran, people getting their hands chopped off and stoned to death!") and anti-Muslim sentiment ("Ooo do they fink they sare, comin' over here, changin' our laws...!").

Which, come to think of it, may have been the point. The insidious horror of 'the other' is one way to get people rushing back to embrace the Church.

[ajva.livejournal.com]

If Rowan Williams turns out to be quite that deviously clever, I'll eat my own clitoris with some fava beans and a nice chianti.

[thekumquat.livejournal.com]

[splorfle]

Somehow, I think your genitalia are safe. :)

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

So, when he resigns (or 'retires') in, oooh, shall we say four or five days' time, and his successor turns out to be some gung-ho evangelist, I should look forward to dinner at your place?

I'm willing to admit I may be being rather cynical - but I'm not willing to stake even one shiny penny on it, let alone a favourite bodypart.

[jhg.livejournal.com]

Well it makes a change from placenta I suppose.