The Deputy Bishop of London vents on his low opinion of the island of Jersey:

The Deputy Bishop of London has claimed Jersey was “in the grip of freemasonry” and that there was a “conspiracy of silence” on the island.

The Right Reverend Peter Broadbent, Bishop of Willesden, also said there was not much nice or defensible” about Jersey politics or society.

I had a lot of fun writing about “island Freemasonry” of a different kind in my novel The Ten Weeks and its sequels.  But this incident, from here, is what hopefully Freemason parents (and Christian ones too) should be teaching their children:

“We need to say the blessing, especially with our ‘friends’ here,” Carla observed.

“We do,” Madeleine agreed. The three girls bowed their heads. Carla glanced a Madeleine, who replied by making the sign of the cross and praying the same grace she did at home, only in English.

“That means you’re Catholic,” Charles observed. “You know, in our realm, it is illegal to be under the Pope’s authority. Who knows, you might be an agent of the Jesuits. However, as long as I have anything to say about it, if you come in looking like you do now, we’ll overlook your pernicious church association.”

“And what does that have to do with it?” Joyce asked, finally getting into the conversation.

“This land you sit on is under our family’s authority,” Charles declared. “We are the masters of all that enter.”

“‘The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness therein,’” Carla quoted.

“Ah, yes, the Bible,” Charles said. “For you, it is the Word of God. For us who have joined ourselves to the Lodge, it is but a piece of furniture, a symbol, if you please…”

“You’d be better off if you followed it,” Carla observed.

“You Christians are all alike,” Charles retorted. “‘I am the way, the truth, and the life.’ How can you know it? What do you have to show for it? When the Lodge ruled from one side of the Island to the other, we had order and prosperity. Now look at it. The Serelians set up this screwy church of theirs—but they still elect their Senior and Junior Wardens. It’s just the Lodge with a cross and candles at the front. Even the Verecundans are abandoning the faith—you know that better than anybody, Little Miss Muffett,” he said, looking at Carla. “Going to the US won’t help either. It’s the biggest Masonic nation of all. You travel anywhere—I hitch-hiked around last summer. You see all of these monuments to the Ten Commandments, ‘In God We Trust’ on the money. It’s even Florida’s motto. But they have no state church. Why? All of their leaders are Masons. Look at an American dollar bill—the eye in the pyramid’s right there, along with that motto. They know all of this is pure symbolism, just like in the Lodge. When the Masons no longer run the place, and people start taking all of this seriously—one way or the other—they’ll start fighting like we do.” Charles—and everyone else—could see the anger welling up in Carla.

Finally she said, “Is that what you’re taught at home? And in the Lodge?”

“He’s taught at home to keep his mouth shut,” a voice came from the adult table. It was the Count, obviously able to hear his son’s speech.

Evidently someone missed this bit of education in Bishop Broadbent’s upbringing.