the good people of Hanley

[Too Few Lions]

don't know if anyone else has seen this stoty, but a vicar in the UK is taking the Church to court over his treatment in his parish, where he feels he was hounded out by the village locals. The Church are claiming he's employed by god not them, so they can't be held accountable.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1236270/Four-year-campaign-abuse-parishioners-forces-village-vicar-family-home.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/8907253/Vicar-sues-God-over-campaign-of-hate.html

All quite amusing, and I'm not sure how much of it is true and how much he may have made up, but I do like the idea of living in a village where the local vicar is made to feel unwelcome, 'this is a heathen village for heathen folk, your god isn't welcome here...'  

If what he says is true, it does sound like he's received some fairly harsh treatment from the local villagers, some of which can't be justified, but I guess he should also just count himself lucky they didn't build a wicker man outside of the rectory!

[OldGit]

Some of these christians are so lovely ...

[Too Few Lions]

Some of these christians are so lovely ...

apparently the whole experience has turned the ex-vicar into an agnostic! 

[Ecurb Noselrub]

The diocese seems prepared to fight his claim because it may set a precedent for other vicars having rights that previously had not been recognized. The claim of the diocese that the vicar is "employed by God" seems strange in light of the fact that the Church of England is the established church, with the Queen at it head. I find it interesting that there is a "faith workers" union.  All of this is strange to me as an American, but I'd like to see how it all plays out. 

[Crow]

"this is a local church for local people" sounds very familiar to the Tubbs and Edward sketches from a League of Gentlemen.

[Sandra Craft]

The Church are claiming he's employed by god not them

There's a job interview I would have loved to have seen.  On the subject of jobs, it's a little weird that one article claimed he used to be a police dog handler and the other that he used to be a Navy Chaplin.  Could he have been both?

If what he says is true, it does sound like he's received some fairly harsh treatment from the local villagers, some of which can't be justified, but I guess he should also just count himself lucky they didn't build a wicker man outside of the rectory!

I'm not quite understanding what the problem is with the villagers -- did they want somebody local as vicar, or no vicar?  In any case, that's a nasty bunch of people.