One of the few things I like about King Charles is that he basically realized decades ago that his “kingdom” was and is a pluralistic, multifaith society and that he could not and should not be an “evangelical” Anglican. He’s gotten so much pushback on his embrace of and respect for other religions, but he has built up a lot of credibility across many faiths. His heir, not so much. But did you know that right-wing nutcases think that Charles has “gone woke” because he isn’t Islamophobic or preaching a reactionary pseudo-Christian message? Well, that’s what Queen Elizabeth’s former chaplain believes.
Karl Stefanovic has continued his run of inviting divisive guests onto his controversial podcast, The Karl Stefanovic Show. The latest episode, uploaded to YouTube on Tuesday after Stefanovic’s exit from the Today Show was hastened following backlash over his chat with far-right activist Tommy Robinson, features the Queen’s former chaplain, Dr. Gavin Ashenden.
Ashenden had harsh words for British monarch King Charles III, who he lashed over the decision to abandon the label of Defender of the Faith, used by the royal family since the 16th century, and replacing it with ‘Supreme Governor of the Church of England and protects the space for Faith within the multi-faith nation’.
‘Evidently we have a woke King. Coincidentally, we have a King who can’t think straight despite having had the best possible education,’ Ashenden told Stefanovic. ‘He has got caught up in something that pleases him, which is the idea that all religions and all spiritual realities are of equal value. And if you can somehow mix them together, it’s good for society. There’s no evidence in history of this at all.’
Ashenden said that by failing to have ‘fresh thoughts’, King Charles is part of a process that he says is, ‘unravelling everything that has held us together’.
‘He’s like a blind and deaf lion tamer, who can’t see things are quite dangerous,’ Ashenden said.
When asked what the late Queen Elizabeth II would think of her son’s reign, Ashenden did not hold back.
‘I think she would know it’s a disaster. She was a very intelligent, alert woman, full of integrity,’ he said. ‘I think one of the reasons we loved her, is that we felt that we were dealing with a woman of integrity. When the world is run by people with integrity, the world is safe. We loved her because she was a model of how this thing needs to be done. Unfortunately Charles… is just falling short of what’s expected of a King.’
Ashenden served as an honorary Chaplain to Queen Elizabeth II for almost a decade, between 2008 and 2017. He resigned from the position in early 2017, indicating that he wished to freely speak on theological issues without drawing the Queen into controversy.
I mean, I also think Charles’ reign is a disaster and that he’s falling short of many aspects of his job… but not because of how he handles religious issues. “…The idea that all religions and all spiritual realities are of equal value. And if you can somehow mix them together, it’s good for society. There’s no evidence in history of this at all.” Excuse me? The US, Canada and many European countries are multifaith societies with thriving Muslim, Hindu, Jewish and Christian communities. There is plenty of evidence that multifaith, diverse societies are a great thing. This guy sounds super-pissed that Charles regularly shows respect for all religions and that he isn’t launching bizarre modern Crusades.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
