About

Another dangerous word – along with ‘usual’ and ‘everybody’

So I enjoyed my Lent visit to Coupar Angus to talk ‘about’ God, Dawkins and Nigella.  Not that we ended up talking much about either Dawkins or Nigella.  But I have a regrettable habit of doing that.  All talks which I give to Probus and other groups have the same title – ‘A lovely place to go home from’.  But the title is all that they share.  It comes, by the way, from one of my former but favourite parishioners – Vera.  After we had been to America in a group together, I asked her how she felt about the New World with all its pulsating vigour, land of opportunity,  etc.  ‘A lovely place to go home from.’  Exactly.

At Coupar Angus, I plunged into what I hope was a lively conversation with Alison Peden – feinting left and right around the ‘So Bishop do you believe in God?’ question.   It seems to me that this kind of friendly but challenging conversation – where two people try to ‘push’ one another to say what it is that they believe – is far better than lecture.

But as I hoped and – to be honest – expected, the clearest and most authoritative statement of faith came from the lady on my right.  What part of her faith could she not deny?  ‘There is nothing which they can take away from me.’

Spring, by the way, has retreated from Blogstead and we have had snow today.  At our Clergy Meeting today in Auchterarder, several people arrived almost struck dumb by the beauty of the drive through Glen Devon and Gleneagles.