'Easter is a time for staying in bed, eating chocolate and having sex' (From The Argus)
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'Easter is a time for staying in bed, eating chocolate and having sex'
1:20pm Friday 6th April 2012 in News By Ben James
Easter Sunday is a time for staying in bed, eating chocolate and having sex.
But that’s not our opinion. It’s not even the view of the Brighton and Hove Humanist Society.
That’s the opinion of Father Phil Ritchie from All Saints Church in Hove.
He added: “The problem with the church is that we stay inside our building and occasionally come out and say ‘Why don’t you come to our church, it’s cool and funky’.
“To be honest, it’s not.
“I would love more people to come at 10am on Sunday and I would welcome them to All Saints.
“For Christians this is the most important day of the year. All life and all hope flows from it.
“But there are plenty of ways to celebrate without coming to a draughty Victorian building. So why not stay at home, have a lie in, have sex and eat some chocolate.”
Father Phil’s fresh take on the religion’s holiest day comes as congregations continue to fall across the area.
Annual figures for Sunday worship in the county show a steady decline of about two per cent.
For the Church of England’s Diocese of Chichester, which includes Brighton and Hove, Worthing, Arundel, Bognor and Chichester, an average of 39,100 attended each Sunday in 2008.
In 2009 that went down to 38,100 before falling again to 37,300 in 2010.
Comments(26)
MuammarQaddafi
says...
3:14pm Fri 6 Apr 12
Maxwell's Ghost
says...
3:28pm Fri 6 Apr 12
fedupwithgreens
says...
9:13pm Fri 6 Apr 12
fedupwithgreens
says...
9:15pm Fri 6 Apr 12
MuammarQaddafi wrote:Dont need to sit down and do that,iv only got to open my creaky wallet on a daily basis
Easter Sunday is also a day for sitting down and sorting through your increasingly limited options for how to get out for an affordable Bank Holiday weekend and/or summer activity.
thewhitehawker
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10:36pm Fri 6 Apr 12
championshipgull
says...
11:48pm Fri 6 Apr 12
thewhitehawker wrote:Just like whitehawk then
With the creepy dodgy people who work and get supported in churches its not surprising no many people wants to go there .
Morpheus
says...
9:24am Sat 7 Apr 12
Hotbeans
says...
11:21am Sat 7 Apr 12
championshipgull wrote:Thousands also leave too, see exchristian.net. Mainly those that realise truth is more important than comfort.
Well that’s more than we get at football and that’s not counting the new evangelical churches, I hear they are packed with thousands every week and growing.
fedupwithgreens
says...
12:30pm Sat 7 Apr 12
Morpheus wrote:Too risky,might fall pregnant. Would rather take contraception as you never know
According to the news this morning Christians are being urged to wear a cross at all times. So if they do this whilst having sex and eating chocolate it should be OK.
nicole/bob
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12:41pm Sat 7 Apr 12
willy harris
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2:33pm Sat 7 Apr 12
Sussex jim
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3:01pm Sat 7 Apr 12
MuammarQaddafi wrote:I can't think of a better summer activity than having sex on the lush grass of the south downs or a nice secluded Sussex beach (perhaps while listening to Mungo Jerry or Dawn): but only with your current partner of the opposite gender. Roll on the suitable weather.
Easter Sunday is also a day for sitting down and sorting through your increasingly limited options for how to get out for an affordable Bank Holiday weekend and/or summer activity.
Sussex jim
says...
3:06pm Sat 7 Apr 12
Morpheus wrote:Many Christians wear a cross.
According to the news this morning Christians are being urged to wear a cross at all times. So if they do this whilst having sex and eating chocolate it should be OK.
Unfortunately, many others wear a chip on their shoulder.
All 9 of me
says...
3:49pm Sat 7 Apr 12
nicole/bob wrote:it's also a day for the atheists to contemplate why you believe in an invisible sky person
Two weeks ago, Peter Tatchell, a confirmed atheist, who is reported on the internet as having once said "not all sex involving children is unwanted, abusive or harmful", was a guest speaker at All Saints. As a longstanding member of the congregation, I strongly objected about this forthcoming event, but to no avail, so I decided there and then to leave this Church. I certainly do not regret my decision! Good Friday is a day of reflection on the suffering and sacrificial death of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Not the best time for our Parish Priest to choose to be flippant about the faith... What is happening to the Church of England? I am so sad and upset.
All 9 of me
says...
3:51pm Sat 7 Apr 12
NUTTER.
1,000,000,00 people + imaginary friend
RELIGION.
nicole/bob
says...
7:22pm Sat 7 Apr 12
Also, congratulations to the Rvd Archie Coates, vicar of St. Peter's Church in Brighton, for his lovely and inspiring Easter message in today's Argus. Maybe he could come to the rescue of All Saints in Hove...
Old Ladys Gin
says...
9:54am Sun 8 Apr 12
All 9 of me wrote:Love it!
1 person + imaginary friend
NUTTER.
1,000,000,00 people + imaginary friend
RELIGION.
Cyril Bolleaux
says...
12:40pm Sun 8 Apr 12
fedupwithgreens
says...
2:22pm Sun 8 Apr 12
Old Ladys Gin wrote:Right on the nose!!!!
All 9 of me wrote:Love it!
1 person + imaginary friend
NUTTER.
1,000,000,00 people + imaginary friend
RELIGION.
HoveRocksActually
says...
5:10pm Sun 8 Apr 12
nicole/bob wrote:Good grief! I'm pretty sure if I looked hard enough on the internet I could find a report quoting Fireman Sam reciting Mein Kampf.
Two weeks ago, Peter Tatchell, a confirmed atheist, who is reported on the internet as having once said "not all sex involving children is unwanted, abusive or harmful", was a guest speaker at All Saints. As a longstanding member of the congregation, I strongly objected about this forthcoming event, but to no avail, so I decided there and then to leave this Church. I certainly do not regret my decision! Good Friday is a day of reflection on the suffering and sacrificial death of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Not the best time for our Parish Priest to choose to be flippant about the faith... What is happening to the Church of England? I am so sad and upset.
Phil Ritchie is a young, energetic, amusing and insightful man, father of three, husband and highly respected member of the local community. Put your prejudices aside - Peter Tatchell visited All Saints to give a talk on equality in marriage. I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess it was THAT, which you took offense to.
By the way, I'm an athiest and yet I go to church. Freaky, huh?
Tazzy1
says...
6:13pm Sun 8 Apr 12
Cyril Bolleaux
says...
6:51pm Sun 8 Apr 12
HoveRocksActually wrote:I disagree on Tatchell. He should not have come to All Saints. He is an atheist Marxist and an enemy of religion. He has disrupted sacred ceremonies ordaining priests and opposed the Pope visiting the UK. Hardly a model of toleration and freedom of speech.
nicole/bob wrote:Good grief! I'm pretty sure if I looked hard enough on the internet I could find a report quoting Fireman Sam reciting Mein Kampf.
Two weeks ago, Peter Tatchell, a confirmed atheist, who is reported on the internet as having once said "not all sex involving children is unwanted, abusive or harmful", was a guest speaker at All Saints. As a longstanding member of the congregation, I strongly objected about this forthcoming event, but to no avail, so I decided there and then to leave this Church. I certainly do not regret my decision! Good Friday is a day of reflection on the suffering and sacrificial death of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Not the best time for our Parish Priest to choose to be flippant about the faith... What is happening to the Church of England? I am so sad and upset.
Phil Ritchie is a young, energetic, amusing and insightful man, father of three, husband and highly respected member of the local community. Put your prejudices aside - Peter Tatchell visited All Saints to give a talk on equality in marriage. I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess it was THAT, which you took offense to.
By the way, I'm an athiest and yet I go to church. Freaky, huh?
nicole/bob
says...
11:23pm Sun 8 Apr 12
Whilst I respect Peter Tatchell's views as an atheist, I totally disagree with him but totally support his right to voice his opinions in a democratic society...it is a pity that he and his supporters do not take the same approach with those who have opposing views!
It was totally inappropriate for him to be speaking in All Saints Church. Just two weeks prior to his visit, he actually said on national television: "The Church of England should be disestablished. It is unfit for purpose". Hardly the words of a friend of the Church I have been worshipping at for the past 30 years.
I also totally object to the Gay Gospels (a book which suggests that Jesus was in a practicing homosexual relationship) being openly sold in All Saints on that same night.
nicole/bob
says...
8:24pm Mon 9 Apr 12
1."He did not blame the Argus for publishing his slightly unguarded advice"
2. "I am going to stop giving advice for a while - I am going on holiday". Nice one, but isn't that precisely what a vicar is supposed to do and to simply light the blue touch paper and retire to a safe distance is simply not on.
3."Ooh, I hope the nationals don't pick it up"...well they did, not just the Sun but the Mail (check out their reports on the internet and subsequent comments by many readers)
4."The most insulting thing is some of the other papers said I was 48 but actually I'm a very healthy 44 year old". How vain and superficial is that. What we were actually hoping for was some kind of retraction for his gross and offensive remarks on this most holy of days...in fact we have received the reverse.
Compare and contrast his trite and frivolous comments with those of Archie Coates, vicar of St Peters Church Brighton reported in last Saturday's Argus entitled "Why the Easter story is still as relevant as ever"
Finally...for the Argus to suggest that our priest's "advice" actually increased the congregation is ludicrous...by definition, more people attend church at times like Easter and Christmas compared to other times.
Bob, Hove
PS...just wonder how many people will be attending next week?
nicole/bob
says...
10:43pm Sun 15 Apr 12
We many long served congegationalists have decided to no longer attend this so-called church as a result of this and his earlier invitation to Peter Tatchell to speak at our once great church.
Shame on him.
Bob, Hove
championshipgull says...
2:33pm Fri 6 Apr 12