LETTERS PAGE

GIVE JESUS PEOPLE 'RELIGIOUS LIBERTY'

Source : 10/10/1985 Northampton Post

Dear sir, There is a church which owns property worth many, many millions of pounds.
Its ordinary members have little or no control over any of the assets of this organisation.
Very young children are taken into membership without their consent. Some of its members are confined behind high walls.
They promise obedience to their seniors, give all their property to the church, keep none of their earnings, must wear the clothing prescribed for them and are not permitted any sexual relationships whatsoever. Some of them are not even allowed to speak without permission.

This body is known as the Church of England.

I profoundly disagree with the theology of the Jesus Fellowship, but I shall listen to their critics with some respect when they produce one shred of hard evidence to show that members are not volunteers, that the Fellowship's ownership of property is more than usually immoral and that its funds are in any way misappropriated.
Of course it is very wicked of them to ban the "celebration" of Christmas, with all its attendant virtues - like overeating, drunkenness, big profits and hypocrisy!. Not taking part in all this debauchery is, as Michael Morris says, "the sort of behaviour that is not acceptable to the majority of people."
Christmas must be made compulsory for all - including Jews, Hindus and Muslims! How dreadful, too, that fellowship members are encouraged to rush headlong into ill-considered marriage and subsequent divorce - like the rest of us!
I believe that there are dangers and errors associated with the Jesus People - but a far greater danger would lie in their religious liberty being taken away by the self-appointed vigilantes of so-called orthodoxy.
That way go the religious minorities in Russia . so can we please leave these people alone.