T A Padre

[got1]

I remember a C of S chaplain saying at a xmas service in the Shot that he wouldn't take another one at xmas as they were to many people there against there will.
The normal form in them days was for the "jocks" to do xmas rear party and get new year off. So he had a captive audience at xmas.
I think what upset him was he didn't understand when you wore gaiters and stood up, you stamped your feet to send your trousers down over the top of your gaiters. Tiled floor, ammo boots say no more .

ps He ranted so much that some of the WRAC were in tears.

[sneaky beaky]

I've just read this thread from the beginning.
What is wrong with the C of E.? They are our Church of England.
Who else is better qualified to conduct a Remembrance Service for fallen British Soldiers?
I don't understand Harry's hostility to the only religion that is English!
I also have to stress that I am not in any way religious. Do not believe in Jesus Christ but I do think that there is some Divine Being that "looks after us". As Harry well knows - I am a Freemason. Is that a religion.? Some people think so. I don't.
Welcome Padre.
Your views are a welcome relief to some that we have to endure!
Sneaky

[TA_Padre]

Thanks sneaky.

I was taught to be cautious so have made a slow start to the forum and have effectively worked on the 'listen, watch and keep silent' model until felt I could exist without causing offence.

IGTW,

Padre

p.s. Regarding Jesus bit. That depends on your understanding and definitions of 'GAOTU' I guess but that's a conversation for another day perhaps?

[Sticky Blue]

Welcome bish... One of our ex guys went outside and became a bish with one of the Commando Units and he is a top bloke. I know what HH means about the 'stuffy god squad' type of padre, chaplains we have all had to endure at enforced church parades. This guy was a breath of fresh air at a funeral service I attended recently. He said it how it was and was anything but high church. Another great bish is Rev Mike recently of HMS Ocean. A Lambretta riding, parka wearing, straight talking guy. If the brown hits, he is the sort of bloke you'd want near you to give you a slurp of the communion pusser's!
There was a bish in Deal who was a right lad. He drank and swore and farted and did everything the lads did when with them. He turned up at the single lads parties and had a whale of a time. When a tragic incident occured he was the first person a few of us went to and he told it like it is "Look lads, he's dead. He'd not want you lot moping around like a bunch of girls. Go out, get hammered, trap and remember the good time with him. In fact, hold on, I'll get me coat and come with you. First round is on me". He stayed for a couple of wets and slipped away. The funeral was respectful and a proper service but he meant what he was saying and didn't make it a morbid affair.
Each to his own, I'm an agnostic but the church does have a place at any remembrance service (if it's good enough for the Queen and Whitehall it's good enough for me) and that is to say a couple of prayers for those who did believe who fell and are no longer with us. A couple of prayers (Naval Prayer and he Corps Prayer) a quick hymn and on with the arms upto shoulder height drums beating, colours flying and bayonets fixed (ohh errr I've gone all lumpy in me lovats at the thought of a parade!). Me, I pray for them because they might have been god squad, not for myself... I'm beyond help anyhow

[anglo-saxon]

Padre: Welcome to the forums, mate. Stick to your guns and say it like it is. That's what democracy is all about. As for C of E: A great many people died in opposition to the Catholic regime (although the prots burned their fair share, too). It's part of what makes England, England. I'm not much into organized religion, myslef. I consider myself a Christian and attend the Alliance Church of Canada with my family. It's the least stuffy, most palatable, yet most challenging denomination I have ever belonged to. Anglican over here is too "high church". C of E in the UK was far less stuffy. Anglican here actually reminds me (apart from core doctrine of course) of Brit Roman Catholic. Very drab and not my cuppa at all. Also, the people at Alliance are not "churchy". By that , I mean they don't show up to church simply out of a sense of duty or for appearance' sake. They are genuainely there either because they believe, or they are "searchers".

On the lighter side: Some of the things my Mrs comes out with just crack me up. She really has a way of slaying me with some of the things she says. Last year the movie, "Luther" was on TV. As it came on, I shouted to the Mrs who was in the I'M A SCAMMER SPAMMER!!!, "Luther's on". To which she replied...

wait for it...


"Luther van Dross or Luther the Devil?" "No, wait, that's Luthifer, isn't it?"

Bless 'er!

[got1]

I was brought up CoS and was forced to go to Sunday school then church then back to church in the evening, no playing out on Sunday just walks after dinner with the grand parents. It made me a bit anti, and as soon as I could refuse I did. A lot of religon I think is brought about by fear. I was convinced that God lived behind the organ pipes.
When I joined I really appreciated that nobody nobody seem to mind what you were,CoS, CoE, RC etc. and you attended church on special occasions as a parade.
I now only go to weddings, funerals etc and don't really care what church it is as I go out of respect to them that I know.
The only thing I would add is when your in trouble, you have got to ask somebody for help so it might as well be him up there.

[TA_Padre]

Well, there's a philosophical view that God is the person that man (generic term, not being sexist but can't be PC either) 'invented' so that there was someone to plead with when things were pear-shaped and to praise when they weren't. This fits in with the First World War adage which said atheists were atheists right up until the point when the other side started firing!

Think there is some truth in the philsophy and the reality but when one looks at a new baby the sense that there is more than perhaps we would like to admit to (especially if we've had religious stuff rammed into us or been forced to do church) and that this is benevolent and good.

There is a bit of theology which is called 'general revelation' and this works on the theory that there are some things which naturally point us to a benevolent creator and others that make us aware of something totally opposed. I just happen to believe that the shorthand for both, respectively, is God and the devil and that this is a starting point.

The main thing is, that when it hits the fan, that there are people who will lsiten, pray and come alongside. That's where Chaplains come in. And better still, we have someone too (this big benevolent but fair God).

Thanks for comments, all contributions are useful and always encouraging and very helpful to me as I learn to find a place in the army family.

[TA_Padre]

THought I'd bring the forum up to date on this erstwhile God-botherer.

I have now manged to complete Phase 2 followed by phase 1a and will, before the end of the year find myself having completed 1b too!

The fitness bit is taking time to crack but the weight is coming off and the body is getting leaner and less soft so great joy on that front. Need to get it cracked if I'm to be deployed next year though.

I'm doing CMSR stuff within ATR setting and enjoying being Padre to a signals Regiment and bottom line is - I love it! Definitely the best thing I've done and it's living up to all my expectations.

Thought I'd post this to keep those who've pm'd me and the rest of this community up to date.

Regards to all,

P

[harry hackedoff]

Bless you my children, for it is written……
For no good reason I was trawling through some old posts when I happened upon this little gem shining like a diamond amongst all the pig shit!

Why are there not more posts like this?

Nice to see you were trained at all Bish, never mind being trained to be cautious

Our own Padre, Revd Tim H began life as a wartime RM Cdo before he succumbed to the Dark Side and it`s evil ways Yea, verily even unto the Parasite Regiment and even unto the very heart of Darkness which is called Hereford, much was the shame upon the house of H:oops:
To atone for the sins of his youth, Rev Tim took up the cloth on his retirement from a real job and what a top blork he is! Most of the adventure training stuff I get involved in happens on Tim`s busy day but soon he will retire and that means only one thing!
He`ll be effing blessing everything left right and centre!

All together now, tup thuree,

There is a green hill far away. where on our Saviour died,

And three for He`s a jolly good fellow, for he`s a jolly good fellow, freeze a jolly good fellow and so say all of us
And so endeth the lesson Bless you my children

[sky ninja steve]

just a quick question but if a muslim joins the british army does the MOD supply them with say that book they read i think its called the qran or something like that and all their other stuff like mosk and prayer mat and the like??

[Hostage_Negotiator]

Probably got more chance of that than you becoming familiar with a dictionary or spell check!

[TA_Padre]

When Muslims join up they don't get given a Koran but there are provisions made for them to leave their place of duty for special events where an Imam (their holy man) has come to officiate. This happened for the only islamic member of my course at the factory last year as it was ramadan.

For the rest of the course the bloke was permitted to vanish to a quiet place for a few minutes to do his daily prayers (Salat), of which their are five a day.

There are now chaplains for other faiths in the British Army. These are functioning as civil servants at the moment and service islamic, hindu and sikh faiths.

This is part of the armies diversity and equality approach as we are definitely underepresented in the thnic minority department (unless you count jocks in there of course).

In one of the establishments that I am a part of a prayer/quiet room has been provided away from the garrison church for members of other faiths to carry out their own devotions/prayers/whatever.

HTH,

P

[TA_Padre]

Thought I'd add this:

There are also a few buddhists within the army now. The Gurkhas of course are mainly hindu but also contain an sprinkling of buddhist believers.

The intersting thing is that buddhists joining the army have to see military action as a lesser evil in the fight against 'greater' evil and therefore can resolve internal conflicts over the taking of life. Odder still is the fact that I have met islamic soldiers whose families and friends don't know what they do because it would be viewed as acting agisnt the family.

Being of an other faith in the forces is often quite difficult spiritually and socially. Something the 'Christian' majority are not faced with.

P

[TA_Padre]

Nice to see you were trained at all Bish, never mind being trained to be cautious"

I listen to everything, watch everything and tend to keep my gob shut as per the instructions within the peculiar system in which we find ourselves!

Happy New Year Harry

[Brian-]

Couple of questions about religion:

1. Is there a different oath for non-religious types? I put Atheist on my application form so if I swear to 'God' it won't mean anything.

2. What happens to people like me in training when the troop goes off to church on a Sunday?

Cheers.