Letter: Garrick attitudes in the Church of England

Sir: Your leading article ('Lands of make-believe', 13 July) does take us into the realms of make- believe, because it recommends a situation where some people would be priests if some think they are, even although others do not. That suggestion fails to grasp the nature of the church. But then priesthood itself is incomprehensible to those outside. You do reveal the nub of the issue, which is whether the world dictates the church's agenda or whether the church alone can be its own arbiter of truth. A church as confused as you want it to be is no church.

However, you rightly point out the wrongness of the present proposed legislation, which is, after all, what the vote is about. It is very clear, therefore, that the issue is what sort of national church, if any, should exist in future, and whether those who want a different sort of church should be allowed to have it, whatever division this makes necessary.

If there is no longer any agreed authority, there can no longer be one church. Recognition of that is the only way out of a situation of make-believe.

Yours sincerely,

M. E. GLASSWELL

Little Sampford,

Essex

13 July