Author’s Note: Roman Catholicism only became a State religion in the UK with the Norman Conquest of 1066 CE. At that time, the individual kingdoms that comprised Britain were dissolved and integrated under Norman-French rule. Prior to this, the Celts, Anglo-Saxons, and Vikings were Pagans of various kinds – with “Celtic” Christianity having spread from Ireland to the West of the British Isles. A Celtic Christian text has been discovered in Ireland which dates to 4th century Egypt – suggesting that Celtic Christianity spread to Ireland directly from Egypt – and had no contact with Rome – or Catholicism despite being monastically-based. It took the Catholic Church just a hundred-years or so after its arrival in Britain to destroy the Cektic Church – which was a pogrom finished by the 12th century. However, many of the so-called “Saints” presented by Bishop Alan Smith in the above book – are in fact “Celtic” in origin and NOT Catholic – this point in not acknowledged. The Catholics initially attempted to destroy the Celtic Saints because the indigenous British would not stop worshipping these holy people and convert to Vatican ideology. The CofE evolved out of Catholicism – and as for the so-called “Pilgrims” mentioned in this book – they are mostly individual lay-people who hypocritically live in a capitalist world without ever questioning its inherent injustice. ACW (4.4.2025)
I read copious amounts of diverse literature as part of my academic interest – which is spiritual metaphysics – not because I believe in (or advocate) “religion” – but for the exact opposite reason! Religion is a vast subject of human creativity that arose out of the pre-modern, pre-scientific era – when the human-mind was not yet fully developed in its understanding. Although consciousness only appears to exist (like the soul it replaced) – its function is to reflect the material environment within which the physical body has to exist. The manner in which the human-mind reflects the environment is dependent upon its level of understanding. This explains “why” much of the Catholic and Protestant literature is reactionary. That is, it supports the (a priori) inverted bourgeois view of the world. The centre-left political viewpoint of some priests must not be mistaken for the genuine left or far-left of the political spectrum. The Christian Church (and its loyal but brainwashed followers) must reject ‘Socialism’ for one very good reason.
Indeed, it is crucial that Socialism at resisted at every step as only “it” (as a political ideology) can build a paradise on Earth – the very paradise – the Church claims can only be found after physical death. A paradise located in a sky-fairy construct somewhere beyond the sky. To earn access to this post-death paradise, all an adherent has to do is give-up their freedom of thought here-and-now and allow the Church to misuse their mind and body for nefarious ends. For the deluded Church, perversion = paradise. And so we are left with the likes of Bishop Adam Smith who lifts up the general riff raff that comprises a congregation, and gives the false impression that their deliberate misadventures are exactly what Jesus Christ would have expected – and god demanded. He seems to justify this anti-working class position by being “ever so nice” – whilst he sets about doing it. Exposing what he is doing, by comparison, appears to be “rude”.
The Church suppresses and disempowers the working class in every narrative it constructs. The Workers are viewed as the scum of the earth by the middle class that runs most of the UK’s institutions. The Church today remains silent as the capitalist countries it’s supports brings the world once again to the brink of war. The Church is the devil incarnate which expresses itself through the self-serving literature it’s conspired to print and circulate. The Church calls this lie “freedom of expression”. Of course, it is only freedom of its own expression. Perhaps the biggest joke is that those without theological degrees are considered “unqualified” to see all this! Oh dear, no working 90 minutes a-week (on Sunday morning if the CofE priest can muster a congregation) with a free house and income tax exemption for me, then! Abolish this subterfuge – and the Workers will be one level nearer freedom.
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 