Church

Having driven down to Manchester last night to drop the car off with Hannah, I needed to get the train back to Oxenholme this morning to get to work. It was raining and the Minx kindly dropped me just opposite the station in Chorley, right outside a café called Woodchats. 

As I had half an hour before my train, I popped in for a coffee and, ideally, some breakfast. However, there was only a mass of very appealing but also rather carby croissants and so forth. When the lady serving asked me if I wanted anything to eat I explained my dilemma and she said that as she had some oats she could make me some porridge*. This seemed like an excellent compromise and indeed turned out to be so.

A few minutes before the train was due I walked over to the station, only to find the 09:22 was delayed for a few minutes. As it was a crisp, clear morning, I looked around for something to photograph and saw this church, largely submerged by the town. My first instinct was go closer and take the photo between the bars but then I decided I quite liked the framing effect.

I don't know if it's my subconscious at work - how would I know? - but sometimes when I go back to write about a photo, something bubbles to the surface of my mind and today looking at this photo crystallised some thoughts I've been having about the church recently and its role in our society.

(Quick aside: I'm not religious but also not anti religion, It just doesn't figure in my life. I figure a) if there was a god, how would we possibly comprehend it? b) organised religion doesn't really work c) I don't think we need religion in order to behave ethically.)

I like churches, though, I like going in them. I think they are beautiful, calming places, and a wonderful - sometimes blissful - retreat from the world. But the church does not just contain itself within those walls. It owns land but doesn't pay tax. It receives donations - huge amounts of donations - and still pays no tax. It runs many of our primary schools yet is outside of government control.

And maybe that is all fine, we are, after all, a Christian country. But if that is the case, then shouldn't we see the church - and churchgoers - doing a little more? I don't expect the church to get involved in, say, Brexit, but what about the refugee crisis? Why isn't the church doing more? Why aren't those grand doors opened to help those in need? Why is the ministry so extraordinarily silent over the rise of the far right? Shouldn't it be speaking out for Christian values? Instead it doesn't rock the boat - perhaps avoiding to much scrutiny about those taxes - and yet still keeps actively campaigning to maintain its sexism, homophobia and prejudices. Ultimately, if that is the case, then what good is the church? What is it there for? And can we have the tax money?

Hm, I felt a bit more strongly about that than I thought!

*Sees posts passim on the superior service from places where the owner actually works.