• Christmas in St Mary’s (with a twist at the end)

    Christmas is a time of joy and celebration, and there is perhaps no better place to experience the magic of the season than at St Mary’s Cathedral in the Scottish Episcopal Church. With its stunning architecture and rich history, this beautiful space offers a truly special and meaningful way to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

    One of the highlights of a Christmas service at St Mary’s Cathedral is the music. The cathedral’s choir is known for their beautiful voices and their ability to bring the festive carols to life. The church also features a grand organ, which adds a sense of grandeur and majesty to the service. Whether you’re a fan of traditional carols or more modern hymns, you’re sure to be moved by the beautiful music at St Mary’s Cathedral.

    Another highlight of a Christmas service at St Mary’s Cathedral is the sense of history and tradition. The cathedral dates back to the 19th century and is known for its stunning Gothic architecture. The service itself is filled with rich traditions, such as the lighting of the Advent wreath and the reading of the Christmas story from the Bible. These traditions help to create a sense of awe and wonder that is so fitting for the holiday season.

    But perhaps the most special aspect of a Christmas service at St Mary’s Cathedral is the sense of community and togetherness. As people from all walks of life come together to celebrate the birth of Jesus, there is a feeling of unity and love that is truly special. Whether you’re a lifelong member of the cathedral or a newcomer to the community, you’ll feel welcome and included in the celebration.

    In short, Christmas services at St Mary’s Cathedral in the Scottish Episcopal Church are a truly special and meaningful way to celebrate the holiday season. With their beautiful music, rich traditions, and sense of community, these services offer a chance to experience the magic and wonder of Christmas in a truly special and meaningful way.

    If you’ve made it through this blog post this far and you have a slight sense that there’s something odd about it the you’d be correct. The post above, not in italics wasn’t written by me. It was written by a machine – specifically the ChatGPT bot that has recently been released to the world. You tell  it what you want it to write and it does it.

    This one was generated by the prompt, “Write a blog post about how wonderful Christmas services are at St Mary’s Cathedral in the Scottish Episcopal Church”.

    Now, it doesn’t sound quite like me and it isn’t the most exciting writing there is. Perhaps it is even slightly stilted. But it is a fairly convincing attempt at the problem I gave it to do.

    This technology is going to make all things new. Academia in particular is going to have to change very quickly in the way it assesses students.

    This is disruptive technology. It can be used to do funny things – I could just have easily got it to write the above post in the voice of Donald Trump.

    Thus: “Let me tell you, folks, this place is amazing. The music is absolutely incredible, with the choir singing all of your favorite carols in the most beautiful way. And the organ! Wow, what a sound. It’s truly something to behold…”

    But this isn’t just entertainment. It is something completely and utterly new. Nothing you ever read again comes with a guarantee that it was written by a human being.

    The world is changed. As someone once sent with a telegraph key, “What hath God wrought”?

9 responses to “New statement on Civil Partnerships from the Scottish College of Bishops”

  1. Beth Routledge Avatar

    No occasion at which the Cope of Glory — which has attended blessings in the very furthest flung parts of Diocese — has been deployed can ever be thought truly informal.

  2. Stephen Peters Avatar
    Stephen Peters

    I think I’d like to become a Scottish Episcopalian in exile. (And after all, France and Scotland do have a long historic connection….)

  3. PamB Avatar
    PamB

    I have long maintained that we should start by annexing the Diocese of Carlisle.

  4. Kelvin Avatar

    One of the things that surprises me a little is that I’m unaware of people from England registering a Civil Partnership and then popping up here for a blessing. Straight people regularly come to Scotland to get hitched.

    1. Anne Jones Avatar
      Anne Jones

      Perhaps they don’t know that it’s a possibility.

  5. Kelvin Avatar

    Parts of this diocese are further south than the cathedrals in Carlisle, Newcastle and I think, even Durham.

  6. Zebadee Avatar
    Zebadee

    Could there not be a new border say from the Humber to the Mersey? Did not the old Kingdom of Strathclyde stretch down to Preston on the west side of Englandshire?

    1. Beth Routledge Avatar

      I’m all for extending the border down to about Cornwall. No need to do things by half measures.

  7. Stephen C Avatar

    I reckon this is an advance…but it is not straightforward!

    I long for the day when we will affirm that there will be no difference between the way we treat gay and straight people
    And that Bishops might feel free to go to what ever functions they like!
    I am 61, and I have decided “Bugger it!” (I am an Australian after all) I am going to do what I think is right. There must be some privileges in getting old. If the Bishop (of Adelaide) wants to take me to the High Court and contest my tenure for contesting his discriminatory and arbitrator rules then so be it, let him do so!

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