[Archived] The Bishop of Blackburn's Christmas message

[bob fleming]

So just the U.N. , Archbishop of Canterbury, the Government and the Pope left to have a pop at us now.

I thought the Queen did well today at 3.00. Just filled the time up with talk about Will and Zara. It must have been tempting to just speak up for Keano.

What would Jesus do?

Jesus Saves. Garner nets the rebound.(lfc copyright)

Actually that's just cheap. Today of all days.

Didn't Jesus turn the tables over in the temple when he found corruption on his own doorstep?

Then again I don't profess to know much about the Bible, but I do know what's going on at Blackburn Rovers. Maybe the Bishop of Blackburn should do a little bit of homework before opening his mouth on a subject he clearly knows nothing about.

[roversmum]

You would expect a Bishop to have a bit of nous about him. This one seems to spend a fair bit of time spouting off about things he doesn't know about. He's obviously after the Archbishop of Canterbury's job ...

[Baz]

I think the Bishop of Blackburn needs to recognise the suffering of the people of Blackburn, not multi-millionaire Steve Kean. Wonder what his thoughts are on Kean calling fans doughnuts, or speeding and weaving between lanes on the M6 whilst drunk - then having the audacity to try to stick the blame on Rovers fans.

[ABBEY]

No wonder it's called banging your bishop

[Majiball]

Must say I'm very surprised by this statement and can't help but think the club made a phonecall. If anyone goes to his church I'd have a word and explain it all to him, he might change his mind.

[bestierover]

Must say I'm very surprised by this statement and can't help but think the club made a phonecall. If anyone goes to his church I'd have a word and explain it all to him, he might change his mind.

Not to be pedantic but I believe that it is a Cathedral, Blackburn being the only remaining town (not city) in the country to have one.

Anyway, he is clearly speaking of goodwill to all men. He has no real knowledge of the situation but would always condemn what he perceives as touching upon bullying. Shame he hasn't considered the fans perspective or the possibility that Kean is not a "good man".

[booth]

This is the Bishop who asked for prayers for the killers of Baby P.

Someone should tell him that sometimes it's better to say nothing at all.

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/3999735._Pray_for_child_abusers____Bishop/

[Andy]

You would expect a Bishop to have a bit of nous about him.

Debatable.

This is an adult man who dedicates his life to singing to, worshipping and praising an imaginary friend, who has a big beard and lives in the sky.

[stuwilky]

Not to be pedantic but I believe that it is a Cathedral, Blackburn being the only remaining town (not city) in the country to have one.

Brecon and Chelmsford are towns with Cathedrals aren't they? There are a few others that I can't think of right now!

Id prefer to talk about this than football :-(

[daveoftherovers]

Dear Bishop,

I don't care what you, or your imaginary friend say, please go back to covering up pedo's and saying nothing about your massive land bank etc.

[Amo]

OH FFS.

It's not as if anyone's cut his brakes (ohwait he's banned ololol). People are simply telling - if vehemently - to get out of the club that he's destroying.

Also, whatever happened to Matthew 7:1, your grace?

[perthblue02]

OH FFS.

Also, whatever happened to Matthew 7:1, your grace?

I don't know but JA has him lined up for Kean to sign only going to cost us 200K + Agents fee of 1.6 million, heard Kean rates him as the next Gerrard and he's only 26 been setting the Portuguese 5th division alight this season.

[Roversider]

Dear Bishop,

I don't care what you, or your imaginary friend say, please go back to covering up pedo's and saying nothing about your massive land bank etc.

If you wish to insult the Bishop perhaps you might try to understand what he is actually trying to say and not expose your ill-informed, bigoted, ill-educated views. Some of us on here are practicing Christians and find comments like yours unnecessary and offensive.

I want Kean out and the best way to alienate others is to fit the caricature of Rovers fans that is put about by a set of other football managers.

However, in the spirit of the season I presume that you chose your words without intending to cause offence to others.

[Steve Moss]

If you wish to insult the Bishop perhaps you might try to understand what he is actually trying to say and not expose your ill-informed, bigoted, ill-educated views. Some of us on here are practicing Christians and find comments like yours unnecessary and offensive.

I want Kean out and the best way to alienate others is to fit the caricature of Rovers fans that is put about by a set of other football managers.

However, in the spirit of the season I presume that you chose your words without intending to cause offence to others.

Roversider- You obviously don't know the rules. We Christians are supposed to accept being insulted, abused and mocked. If we protest, we're religious extremists attempting to suppress the free expression of others.

But since I'm not a very PC Christian, keep up the good work.

[bob fleming]

I absolutely do not hold myself up as an example when we're talking commandments isn't the ninth one generally understood as you must not lie?

[EwoodDawn]

I absolutely do not hold myself up as an example but isn't the ninth commandment generally understood as you mustn't lie? I really don't think our Bishop has watched Kean's pressers.

[bestierover]

Brecon and Chelmsford are towns with Cathedrals aren't they? There are a few others that I can't think of right now!

Id prefer to talk about this than football :-(

You are correct. I stand corrected. Several exist. My memory of school days must be rapidly fading. Either that or one of my teachers was a little bit wrong.

Come to think of it, quite a few were.

[Ferrit]

Bishop in talking ###### shocker.

Stick to doing what you do best son, and it isn't worrying about (crap) football managers.

[daveoftherovers]

If you wish to insult the Bishop perhaps you might try to understand what he is actually trying to say and not expose your ill-informed, bigoted, ill-educated views. Some of us on here are practicing Christians and find comments like yours unnecessary and offensive.

I want Kean out and the best way to alienate others is to fit the caricature of Rovers fans that is put about by a set of other football managers.

However, in the spirit of the season I presume that you chose your words without intending to cause offence to others.

Roversider, your minority views are all very well, just to put you straight I am none of your throw away comments, and I have seen, with my own eyes, what people will do to other human beings in the name of faith.

So, I am entitled to my views just as you are entitled to yours, however, I don't care to ram my opinions down people's necks and play the persecution card, every time someone cares to disagree with me.

Let's be clear, if your faith helps you, then fine by me, you can dance round Stonehenge bollock naked for all I care, whatever floats your boat.

Also, when a genuinely I'll advised person decides to use his position to spout off drivel, he opens himself, and his organisation, to further scrutiny and a reaction.

please stop being so sensitive.

Today, it's my turn.

[Steve Moss]

Today, it's my turn.

And if your aim is to convince, as opposed to wind up, then you might consider your case undermined when you chose to insult those with religious beliefs.

Is it about Kean or is it about your compulsive need to insult Christians?

[stuwilky]

If you wish to insult the Bishop perhaps you might try to understand what he is actually trying to say and not expose your ill-informed, bigoted, ill-educated views. Some of us on here are practicing Christians and find comments like yours unnecessary and offensive.

I want Kean out and the best way to alienate others is to fit the caricature of Rovers fans that is put about by a set of other football managers.

However, in the spirit of the season I presume that you chose your words without intending to cause offence to others.

Did you?

Let he without sin cast the first stone.

IMHO, the bishop should worry about other things rather than OUR football club. I think he should make more of an effort in other issues affecting his diocese.

[JAL]

Having attended the christmas service on friday evening,thoughts were that the people in there are completely detached from your normal ordinary life in Blackburn town.

When do you ever see these people about in town ?

[spam95]

Hear,hear Daveoftherovers!

[perthblue02]

Could the bishop's invisible friend be the one who keeps telling Kean what a wonderful job he is doing, when he's walking round the "village"

[Roversider]

Roversider, your minority views are all very well, just to put you straight I am none of your throw away comments, and I have seen, with my own eyes, what people will do to other human beings in the name of faith.

So, I am entitled to my views just as you are entitled to yours, however, I don't care to ram my opinions down people's necks and play the persecution card, every time someone cares to disagree with me.

Let's be clear, if your faith helps you, then fine by me, you can dance round Stonehenge bollock naked for all I care, whatever floats your boat.

Also, when a genuinely I'll advised person decides to use his position to spout off drivel, he opens himself, and his organisation, to further scrutiny and a reaction.

please stop being so sensitive.

Today, it's my turn.

Is that ill-advised? I am not so sensitive, Christians have been abused for centuries but somehow we survive, faith is a good thing.

I think that a choice to insult a whole faith group because one member proposes a truce on personal attacks on Steve Kean might actually be more counter-productive than you think. The Bishop of Blackburn (and I am not a member of the Church of England by the way) has only used his Christmas message to appeal to basic humanity and not to take the levels of abuse to that of cruelty. I have no evidence that there is a connection between the Bishop and paedophiles (I assume that is what you meant by pedos) and it is a strange and particularly weak counter argument that you used. As for the reference to Land Bank? If you became a member of the Church of England you might get a say in how it is used, personally I would always want the wealth of the Church to help the needy.

I want to see Steve Kean go and you are free to rant all you like about the Bishop, Christians and the whole world of faith. Evil is carried out by men and women who sometimes hide behind their 'faith' or 'anti-faith' as an excuse. We all have to consider our actions and whether we can sleep peacefully with our conscience, all our actions.

Christmas is a time for peace and goodwill to all men and that is what the Bishop proposed, is that such a bad thing? We can all make a solid argument for a change of manager with dignity and without surplus abuse.