Well, this is by no means the meaningless bromide that we wish it were, in today's climate. Nowadays, it takes real courage to argue for freedom of conscience, freedom of worship. And if Rowan Williams is contributing to that goal, well done to him.
Perhaps it takes less courage to make that argument if you're in his position. It would have taken a lot more courage for him to argue for the suppression of certain beliefs. Yet that is what the logic of his position demands. He does take a very broad view of "Worship" as something that marks our whole lives, and not something confined within church buildings. I think that is true, and the only worthwhile definition. But it immediately leads to the Isis problem, as I was trying to argue here. The guys who blew up the Manchester Arena were exercising their freedom of worship and belief by this standard. And so we come to the limits of that freedom. It won't do, either, to say that the limit case is violence. What about John Brown, then? Was he wrong?
And so on. But the lecture will be out on December 7th and you can make your own mind up.
"and freedom of worship is a good thing."
Well, this is by no means the meaningless bromide that we wish it were, in today's climate. Nowadays, it takes real courage to argue for freedom of conscience, freedom of worship. And if Rowan Williams is contributing to that goal, well done to him.
Perhaps it takes less courage to make that argument if you're in his position. It would have taken a lot more courage for him to argue for the suppression of certain beliefs. Yet that is what the logic of his position demands. He does take a very broad view of "Worship" as something that marks our whole lives, and not something confined within church buildings. I think that is true, and the only worthwhile definition. But it immediately leads to the Isis problem, as I was trying to argue here. The guys who blew up the Manchester Arena were exercising their freedom of worship and belief by this standard. And so we come to the limits of that freedom. It won't do, either, to say that the limit case is violence. What about John Brown, then? Was he wrong?
And so on. But the lecture will be out on December 7th and you can make your own mind up.