Canterbury Tales

 

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby resigned the other day, after being accused of passivity when faced with evidence that the late John Smyth was a serial abuser of underaged boys and young males. The abuse seems to have been some kind of bizarre and sadistic beatings. The fact that the archbishop was “Woke” hasn´t escaped the notice of conservatives on the web. Ahem, are these the same conservatives who root for the pre-Vatican II Catholic Church or the pre-Civil War Southern Baptist Convention? Yeah, whatever whenever.

Smyth was an evangelical and is even described as a “fundamentalist” by some. So was Welby in his youth, when he apparently attended some of the summer camps where the abuse took place! I believe Smyth (who was a lawyer) was involved in a law suite against a pornographic/necrophiliac novel about Jesus. In other words, a based culture warrior of the kind the right loves to love.

The truth is that abuse of this kind is rampant in conservative churches and organizations: evangelical, Mormon, Catholic, scouting, and so on. Note also the connection to hazing in British upper class boarding schools (apparently, Smyth´s victims were relatively privileged). I wouldn´t be surprised at all if there is abuse – but probably of a different kind – in “Woke” denominations. It´s a common claim that the work environment in churches, charitable organizations or volunteer movements is more toxic than average. That being said…

The Smyth affair is obviously a case of hallowed patriarchy coupled with rampant hypocrisy concerning "homosexuality" in the upper class. Or rather paedophilia.