The Church of England has voted against the ordination of women bishops. As expected, the denouement of a nine year debate has been met with expressions of shock, grief and doom. Really.
There is, first off, something ludicrous about a form of decision which is so blatantly political and which reduces doctrine to legislation being voted on by upper and lower parliamentary houses. I do not mean to say that the laios should have no say in shaping of church doctrine and custom. But there is a difference between laios and demos. What is needed is a more meditative framework which restrains desire and induces greater reflection on the source and course of tradition.
Would we put science "to a vote?" Whether we accept or reject the analogy says a lot about what we think religion is in the first place.
But in all events the whole fracas is nothing more than a cacophony of ego. All the talk about equality of opportunity and granting women the means to achieve or express their "full potential" is just a lot of genteel tiptoeing around naked ambition. People don't seek to be bishop because they are humble.
Of course, one would have to be a donkey not to realize that the Church has been the chariot of male ambition for millenia. But equalizing a bad habit is hardly good news.
All the strife and anguish boils down to whether a very small handful of otherwise quite comfortable women get to ride to the top. On the scale of global priorities such preferential options are rather low on my scale.
There is, first off, something ludicrous about a form of decision which is so blatantly political and which reduces doctrine to legislation being voted on by upper and lower parliamentary houses. I do not mean to say that the laios should have no say in shaping of church doctrine and custom. But there is a difference between laios and demos. What is needed is a more meditative framework which restrains desire and induces greater reflection on the source and course of tradition.
Would we put science "to a vote?" Whether we accept or reject the analogy says a lot about what we think religion is in the first place.
But in all events the whole fracas is nothing more than a cacophony of ego. All the talk about equality of opportunity and granting women the means to achieve or express their "full potential" is just a lot of genteel tiptoeing around naked ambition. People don't seek to be bishop because they are humble.
Of course, one would have to be a donkey not to realize that the Church has been the chariot of male ambition for millenia. But equalizing a bad habit is hardly good news.
All the strife and anguish boils down to whether a very small handful of otherwise quite comfortable women get to ride to the top. On the scale of global priorities such preferential options are rather low on my scale.
.
No comments:
Post a Comment