May Gaia Be With You
by Martin Rispin, The New Conservative:
Why do Church of England (CofE) churches and their ‘with-it’, ‘down with the kids’ modern clergy employ ambulance-chasing tactics to try and attract those who really have no interest in any brand of organised religion whatsoever? Similarly, what’s behind their apparent ambivalence towards traditional King James Bible and 1662 Prayer Book-preferring Christians, who just don’t like modern gimmicks?
It seems that the Cathedrals and Minsters, i.e. the larger churches, are no longer content to be places of worship running services, or places for quiet reflection (or indeed even historical sites to visit unless, in most cases now sadly and surely somewhat exploitatively, visitors pay an often exorbitant entry fee, for example York Minster adult entry ticket £18 with tower entry extra, but the Undercroft Museum ‘free’ – to those who have already parted with £18!).
Gaia (the ancient Greek Earth Goddess or now for non-religious types ‘Mother Earth’ as the spiritual embodiment of Planet Earth, akin to a single inter-dependent living organism) on the face of it seems to be a New Age or Pagan belief, excluding altogether the need for belief in any part of the boring old Christian Holy Trinity. Yet the CofE just can’t seem to get enough new age-enviro twaddle or even to see any contradictions, at least when not beating themselves (and their long-suffering congregations) up over slavery, or promoting stuff in their schools that bizarrely run contrary to stated church policy on sexual matters. Still, got to move with the times, there is a ‘climate emergency’ you know and one that mere prayer isn’t going to solve – at least that’s what the CofE apparently believes.
Beverley Minster, once a premier league pilgrimage site (St. John of Beverley died 721 AD, was canonized in 1037 AD, his richly endowed shrine was destroyed at the Reformation, but his relics were later re-discovered and re-interred in a vault under a marble ledger stone) hosted a Gaia Exhibition in 2023.
For the uninitiated, this was predominantly a really vast illuminated hanging globe, that the Vicar in his ‘Friends of Beverley Minster’ 2023-24 Annual Report proudly claims attracted 30,000 visitors. The exhibition was organised by something called Eco-Church (?) and must have well-impressed the Minster clergy and the Parochial Church Council (also The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust who gave it an Award), since Eco-Church now offers ‘Sustainable Lifestyle Suggestions’ in the Minster Notices (printed version only one hopes rather than voiced from the pulpit, but who knows these days and I’d really rather not find out).
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