Articles of religion

 

Members of the Church of England, in particular the clergy therein, have been required for most of the last four hundred years or so to sign up to the 39 articles of religion first set down in 1562, that is to say at the beginning of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Having occasion to take a look this morning, I found that the first article started in the way one would expect: 'there is but one living and true God, everlasting, without body, parts or passions; of infinite power, wisdom and goodness; the Maker and Preserver of all things visible and invisible...'.

Then picking out one out from the middle, article 22 puts various obnoxious Romish Doctrines in their proper place, that is to say in the outer darkness. Things like purgatory and the worship of relics (there spelt 'Reliques').

But I was amused to find that article 38 asserted the right of all good Christians to have property, despite what Anabaptists might say about it. A right only qualified by a duty to be appropriately charitable. A right which set us up right for the capitalism which came after.

While the last article, article 39, forbad swearing, except upon reasonable request by a magistrate, duly appointed. Thus reminding me of the connection between taking the oath in a court of law and common-or-garden swearing in a public house.