Would you opt out of your 'religion' if you had to pay extra 2.5% tax

No thatbag, feetlebaum referred only to the Church of England not the worldwide Anglican Church

Do other countries where there are Anglican communities have bishops in their government, ab? I think that's what feetle was talking about.

There are a lot of abandoned church buildings in the UK. I don't know itf they dropped out of circulation quietly or noisily, but dropped out, unused, they most certainly have.

Some have been converted for other uses. I'm all for that where possible.

No idea about Church of England , I am a member of the Church of Wales but think Anglican churches in most countries and very much of the same

PS: Re the 26 bishops who sit BY RIGHT in the house of Lords, this brings us in line with the only other country to allow such interference in a coutry's administrative processes - yes folks it's just us and Iran!

When did tithing drop quietly out of sight in the Church of England? I know it is very common in America's vast collection of commercial churches, and as I was idly looking things up, the way one does, I contrasted the meaning of 'Vicar' and 'Rector'. I learned a Vicar is an incumbent who can collect the tithes but must hind them on, and a Rector collects them and hangs on to them!

Christian Country? Not when more than 50% identify as 'No religion' in forms and surveys, which is, nowadays, the case.

So true granjura , many see the church as a building for their use when they want to use it , hatched , matched and dispatched, Christmas and Rememberance Sunday, admirers of architecture , not a thought that the building is there 365 days a year and the building is available 365 days a year because of the hard work of Christians , many work damn hard to raise fund for a new organ, or repairs in the bell tower so music loving atheists, must have the baby baptised atheists , must turn up with my poppy atheists, let the bells ring out on my wedding day atheists can use the building with no thought that a few work hard to keep the building open and available

Feeling rather un Christian this morning sorry

You make a good point of course, is that committed Christians, regular Church attenders, do pay- and find themselves not only doing all the hard work behind the scenes, so well described by Elegran earlier- but also subsidising those who do not pay (many of the former are not well-off at all, and many of the latter are quite rich and known to be so).

As said, would you be happy to pay your subs to keep the Golf Club well maintained and running- knowing that a significant number of club users who play golf there, choose not to pay- and can still... play - with YOU and your friends paying the subs (AND spending their time repainting the club house, and helping with maintaining the greens, etc)? Must say I can't think of anyone being happy with that situation- even the nicest and most dedicated players in the club.

Synonymous, Church and State is totally separate here where I live- the extra tax is just simply collected at the same time as 'normal' taxes, and passed on to the respective Churches- for ease fo collection.

In the UK, au contraire, since HenryVIII the Head of State is also the Head of the Anglican Church, and the representatives of the Church are highly represented, still today, in the House of Lords as per a right. Can't think of any country apart from the UK where a Church still has such a privileged position in the Government,

A committed Christian would clearly pay the tax but this seems quite a mess to me and is what happens when governments get mixed up in religion making it a good idea to keep them separate as in the UK.

I suppose if I were a committed churchgoer I might pay it.

There are nuns who were widows when they took holy orders

I imagine if I had a religion instead of being an atheist I would be wholehearted about it so I would not let an extra £200 or so put me off.

I beg your pardon. He wasn't a dead loss exactly. He decided to become a priest. They suffered some dreadful family tragedies. See Cornelia Connelly in Wiki.

Father buggering off forever counts as not fulfilling his side of the marriage contract so, yes, the RC church will annul a marriage like that. I've a vague recollection of my father telling me about that happening in a family with seven children!

The woman who started the RC nuns' Order of the Holy Child Jesus had been married and had five kids before she became a nun. I think her husband was a dead loss as well, but I guess the church might have made allowances for someone who wanted to start a religious order anyway .

x posts. That was in response to your post of 17.02 ab.

There are grounds other than non-consummation for the annulment of a marriage within the Roman Catholic Church, Anniebach.

Yes Jingle, the marriage not recognised but the children legitimate

Can a marriage that has produced children, be annulled?

I would opt out. I would be totally disgusted by the idea. Thank goodness we here go on for collections and church member envelopes.

The R C doesn't recognise divorce , if the marriage had been annulled a church wedding would have been allowed, always puzzled me that a marriage where there are children can be annulled

May I correct something? I did not say to Cher - you could have gone to another church, I did say - is there no other church in your area ?

Much depends on the area one lives , if a city or large town so much easier than if living in a small community to find another church, I am Anglican brought up baptist who sometimes attends Quaker meetings - yes a confused church goer

If I left the Anglican church the Baptist church would be comfortable for me, I couldn't convert to R C , no offence to those of R C faith , it wouldn't be comfortable for me and I couldn't be that obedient anyway

The story about your parents reminds me of one about my great aunt, jura. Her Catholic husband deserted her and two small children. A while later she married another man, I presume in a register office. I don't know if she divorced first husband or if the marriage was annulled but at any rate it was a lasting hurt to her that the RC Church would not give her second marriage (which was lovely, and husb2 adopted the children and brought them up as his own) a blessing. Not much to ask, you'd think.

They finally did after husb1 died. Thanks a bunch thought auntie.

Cher, I am so sorry too. But as Annie says, you could have gone to another Church, in another location, or even change denomination- if your Faith is important to you. Not always easy in the Olde days and in small villages- my dad was a very good Catholic, went to Mass every Sunday and joined in all the activities. He was unformally excommunicated and excluded when he fell in love with my mum, a Protestant, divorced with a young child. Both Churches, families and communities put them through hell- and they had to leave the village. Dad never did reconcile himself with the Catholic Church until the Priests and the old generation involved died- and then one of my cousin's brought dad back in the fold, as it were, via the Male Choir- which I know was of great comfort to dad.

But nowadays it would be 'simple' to go to another Church or denomination and be welcomed with open arms. Must say I always found it very strange when people said things like 'I don't believe anymore because the Vicar was rude to me- or because I don't like the new Vicar, etc' Surely Faith is way beyond the personalities on individuals. Where I lived in the UK, there was a big merry go round of people and families driving out of their village and into another one, and vice-versa- because of the personality of the Vicar. In our village the Vicar was very much against the Ordination of women, whereas the younger one of the next village 5 miles away was for- so there was this exchange every Sunday- which I found a bit bizarre, I have to say.

But we digress.

So yes, or no. Would you put your name as CofE or Catholic, or Christian, if it meant paying for it through your extra taxes?

Cher, I am sorry you had to leave your church and do understand why you did , is there no other church in you area ? So wrong you are denied what you wanted from your church