Defend The Faith, Ya Wuss
The heir to the British throne, Prince Charles, doesn't like the idea that the monarch is also designated "Defender of The Faith". "The Faith" refers to the Church of England. A few years ago, Charles -- who's an Islamophile and reportedly prances around at home dressed in Islamic robes -- suggested that the 500-year-old title be changed to "Defender of Faith."
As this
Wall Street Journal editorial notes, the newly elected Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has, in no uncertain terms, thrown cold holy water on Charles' suggestion and bluntly reminded him of his future legally-mandated obligations as a monarch.
Whether Charles "likes it or not," the archbishop said, "he is Defender of the Faith and has a relationship with the Christian church which he does not have with other faith communions." In other words: Tough tittie, Chuck. This a remarkable statement given that
archbishops of Canterbury have watched their Ps and Qs ever since
Henry II, following the rules of
Jeopardy!, ordered the murder of
Thomas à Becket in the form of a question. "Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest, Alex?"
This spiritual rebuke comes on the heels of a politcal rebuke last month.
Downing Street let it leak that Charles is kept in the dark regarding foreign policy because he's in bed with terror-linked Arab royals, openly opposed to plans to disarm Saddam and vociferously anti-American.
The British monarchy's symbolic power is based soley on tradition; more precisely, it's based on the political and religious traditions of the United Kingdom. If Charles, driven by a mindless multicultural fervor, seeks to strip away those traditions, the monarchy will cease to exist. I suspect the archbishop and the prime minister understand this and will do whatever is required to protect the British crown from another simpleton Windsor king.
