A Monthly Publication

Dear friends,

I am reading a most interesting book at the moment, entitled ‘The Rage against God’. Written by Peter Hitchens, it was published last year. When he was 15 in 1967, he turned his back on Christianity and all forms of religion and burned his Bible in front of some of his school friends. He has now returned to an active faith. This work seems partly written to counter the arguments given by his still atheistic brother in his published book.

It is written in a very readable style, partly autobiographical, partly to put forth a Christian reply to the current aggressive atheists such as Richard Dawkins.

I have reached a chapter on ethics/morality/goodness. The gist of which is that we cannot have any appreciation of goodness and what is true unless we acknowledge an ‘outside power’, God. Left to our own devices, human beings adapt themselves to what is right. He cites notorious people such as Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, and argues that when we reject any notion of God we have no absolute standard against which we can measure ourselves in matters of morality. We gain a freedom in abandoning God, but at a cost: where the powerful and strong can dominate and control.

We seem to be living in a world where the majority of people have rejected God and his authority. At the moment we still have a remnant of a Christian heritage with a morality which has shaped a great deal of the world. If the world continues to reject God, what will the world be like within a few generations?

How do we come to make moral decisions? Where does our sense of goodness and truth come from? Those of us who have a Christian faith continue to look to Jesus Christ for a pattern for living. If you do not have that faith, where do you look too for your sense of morality, goodness and truth?

Your priest and pastor,

Fr John, Vicar

Regular Sunday Services: 8am Eucharist. 10.30am Parish Eucharist & Sunday School. 5pm Evening Prayer

Weekday Eucharist at 10.30am on Wednesday & 9am on Saturday

St Edmund’s Diary for October

Thursday 6^th 5.30pm Benediction

Thursday 13^th 2pm Mothers’ Union Open Meeting

Saturday 15^th 10am – 12noon Coffee Morning & Box opening for the Children’s Society in the church hall

Sunday 16^th 3pm Civic Service in St Edmund’s [No 5pm Service]

Wednesday 19^th 9.50am Rosary

Sunday 23^rd 5pm Healing Service for St Luke’s tide