(In homage to a Supernatural episode)

So, Rowan Williams believes we should allow children to have a childhood and stop bestowing them with consumerist values? I wholeheartedly agree. I am not a fan of consumerism in the slightest.

You sense the huge "but" (forgive me) heading this way???

BUT, I can not help but think, in my cynical way, that this comes at a time when the Anglican Church has sworn to take it's ministries to the children? I read a blog post at The Freethinker detailing this (READ: Freethinker - Cradle Snatching) and can't help think that this is in the same vein.

For a start I don't think it's consumerism the Church are really against, I think it is the modern information culture to which we expose our children. This, I am all for! Under moderation of the parent, the child should be free to explore different ideas and learn more about the world. It is what is required to produce a sufficiently critical thinking yet open minded individual. It is this modern technical attitude towards communication and information which views the Church as outdated and frankly, laughable.

Secondly, the Church's attitude also, I feel, reflects a lack of confidence in children themselves and of modern parents. I can understand this to a point but do feel it to be a rather sad outlook to have. Surely, if exposed to modern "values" such as consumerism, in controlled doses, a child can be prepared for modern life, without necessarily taking on those values for themselves? I myself can be guilty of the odd consumerist splurge, however I would not consider myself to judge only upon that value. I can see that there are many things in life far more important than money and possessions, whilst understanding the pressure felt by some to own a certain car etc.

Why don't the Church have faith in mankind?

GG

Although I currently have no readership, my new year's resolution will be earn one! Happy New Year to any who may bother to look back at this post just in case.

GG

I thought I should start off with a justification, of sorts, as to why I am blogging! Over the last few years it seems there has been a mild uprising of Atheists in response to the encroachment of religion into secular life. As an example, one of my foremost concerns is that children are not indoctrinated in our schools with religious falsehoods as opposed to scientific learning. This, combined with my approaching (dreaded) 30th birthday, has lead to my feeling a need to contribute, stand up and be counted, before it's too late.

I want to remain annonymous in part, as no doubt some personal clues will emerge throughout my posts. This is, if I'm honest, due to a fear of being judged for my opinions by mainly colleagues, a lot of whom have some religious conviction. I do not wish for my personal objectives to impact upon those of my working life as I fear I would rarely get any work done if this were to happen!

So I hope you enjoy my posts, and I hope to have some intelligent debate and conversation with you in the future.

GG