Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

For a religious school, it always struck me that in some ways CH was pretty relaxed when it came to religion. Only two chapel services a week (Sundays and Wednesdays), grace at meals, and that was it.

What CH gave me was a great education. I don't think I ever believed in a supernatural deity before going to CH, and doing Biology at A level and then at University reinforced that.

There seems to be a strange dichotomy here, a religious school that teaches science and reasoning very well (and therefore perhaps encourages atheism, albeit tacitly).

I wonder how CH affected the religious feelings of its pupils. Did you come out believing stronger, or less as a result of your education ?

Excellent topic Paul!

I was initially going to vote that I believed less strongly as I did not attend Church for some years after leaving CH.

On reflection though I think that I was just rebelling against being compelled to attend Chapel every day and twice on Sundays for seven years and enjoying being able to decide for myself.


A few years after CH I started attending Roman Catholic Masses and some years later converted from the Cof E.

I therefore think on balance that my education probably made no difference to my beliefs as I've always had a faith even if at times in my life I did not always follow it via Church.

Mid A 15 wrote:On reflection though I think that I was just rebelling against being compelled to attend Chapel every day and twice on Sundays for seven years.

You have got that spot on for me.... Since leaving school I have been a Christening, Weddings and Funerals attender. (mostly other peoples!)

Our whole life at home was centred around the Church - evangelical C of E! My father was an organist and choirmaster. I was under constant observation as to when/if I would Give My Heart To the Lord Jesus. I was supposed to read a Bible passage every day + a commentary called Scripture Union. Whenever possible, my mother would tune in the giant Bush radio to the broadcasts or crusades of Billy Graham!

But at CH, it seemed like a real break from religion. Nobody had me under observation, or cared if I Believed. I loved the work in the choir, and felt in touch with a different kind of spirituality.

Although the C of E music and the beauty of the Prayer Book is deeply engrained in me, I enjoy the challenge of Buddhist teaching these days. It seems to make sense.

Munch

I didn't come from a religious family, so I quite enjoyed all the pomp and ceremony involved with Chapel when I started at C.H., even to the extent of getting confirmed and becoming a server at Communion.

However, this all lapsed when I became a rather snotty teenager more interested in loud rock music and illicit smoking and drinking.

The only compulsory service for seniors was Compline on Wednesday evenings (apart from full school chapel at the beginning and end of term, and on a few other special occasions) and I'm afraid I even took to skipping this and going for a smoke instead.

My belief in organised religion never really recovered, so perhaps it's rather hypocritical that I chose to get married in church.

So all I can say is that C.H. probably caused me to find religion, and then to lose it again.

I went to church on sunday's as a child, but stopped when I got to about 10, my brother's rugby was on sunday mornings and we got dragged to that.

I went to chapel at school and occasionally listened-I liked the time to spend lost in my own world and to sing!!!!!

Since school, i go to church at christmas and occasionally easter, I would go more often if not for other commitments!

I think a lot of people will have after leaving school not gone to church as a rebellion against CH but over the years things change!

Good topic

I think it reaffrimed by belief in Christianity.

As a young child, the family went to church in a little village called Colgate where we would frequently nearly run the service (we often did the readings and along with a couple of old ders where the members of the choir!)

When I went to CH, I didn't find it pressurised but very natural - you could immerse yourself in chapel life as little or as much as you wanted. This suited me.

The only time I have really questioned my faith was when I was at university and there was an obnoxious Christian Union who essentially decreed that if you were CofE, Catholic, Methodist or anything other than happy clappy extremeism you were not a true Christian!

I've only been to church 3 times that I can recall since leaving CH in 1988. One memorial service, one double funeral & one wedding.

And one christening - forgot that one!

I grew up going to, and enjoying, Sunday School - especially on Mothering Sunday, when we would be given little bunches of pretty, but foul smelling, flowers for our mothers. I also belonged to a Brownie Pack and Youth Group, both of which were affiliated with local churches.

At CH (chapel every weekday and twice on Sunday) I loved the singing, particularly at Christmas, but as I matured (well, grew older at least) I began to question what I perceived to be the church's focus on power and control, rather than spirituality.

In short: CH had no direct effect on my religious beliefs, but probably prolonged my attendance at official services for three years or so. Actually, not so, as after leaving I joined a Ranger unit, which was also affiliated with a church.

Cheers

Caroline

My family also was of the non-religious variety. I joined in enthusiastically at Hertford, even to the extent of being confirmed (a bit of difficulty as my baptism had been Methodist. After leaving I came to realise how we had been brain-washed by the anti-catholicism of Miss Page (history) and eventually converted.

Can anybody help - as I sang the "Praise the Lord for our Foundation" hymn yesterday and got to the lines

Praise we thus the God of heaven
Christ our saviour and our host
With the Lord of spirits seven
Father Son and Holy Ghost.

For the very first time I wondered about these seven spirits. A bit late in the day admittedly! It must be a point in Theology which has passed me by.

Love

Munch

The "seven spirits of God" are mentioned in Revelation 1:4; 3:1; 4:5; and 5:6. The seven spirits of God are not specifically identified. It is therefore impossible to be dogmatic. Revelation 1:4 mentions that the seven spirits are before God's throne. Revelation 3:1 indicates that Jesus Christ "holds" the seven spirits of God. Revelation 4:5 links the seven spirits of God with seven burning lamps that are before God's throne. Revelation 5:6 identifies the seven spirits with the "seven eyes" of the Lamb and states that they are "sent out into all the earth."



There are at least three possible interpretations of the seven spirits of God. The first is that the seven spirits of God are symbolic of the Holy Spirit. The Bible, and especially the Book of Revelation, uses the number seven to refer to perfection and completion. If that is the meaning of the seven in the "seven spirits" then it is not referring to seven different spirits of God, but rather the perfect and complete Holy Spirit. The second view is that the seven spirits of God refer to seven angelic beings, possibly the seraphim, the cherubim. This would fit with the numerous others angelic beings that are described in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 4:6-9; 5:6-14; 19:4-5).



A third possibility is based on Isaiah 11:2 which says, “The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him — the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.” This could possibly explain the seven spirits of God…(1) Spirit of the LORD, (2) Spirit of wisdom, (3) Spirit of understanding, (4) Spirit of counsel, (5) Spirit of power, (6) Spirit of knowledge, (7) Spirit of the fear of the Lord. With all that said, I "lean" towards the first view, that the "seven spirits of God" refer to the Holy Spirit.

'Spirits seven' are also a better rhyme with 'heaven' than, say, Kevin.

The seven could also refer to the seven hills of Jerusalem. Revelation is widely interpreted as peice of subversive, anti-Roman literature, rather than an end-times vision. The whore of Babylon (for Babylon read Rome - the two were synonymous in contemporaneous judeochristian texts) rides a monster with seven heads (Rome, or the city on seven hills), whose number is 666, or 616 both probably refering to different spellings of Nero, who was responsible for the massacre of many early Christians.

The main point of revelation appears to be to give hope and resolve to the early Christians that they will overcome the tyranny of Rome. The lord of spirits seven could be referring to the seven hills of Jerusalem (i can't name them, but they are there, I'm sure) as a contrast to those of Rome. The Christian god is of Jerusalem (seven spirits), in contrast to the seven-headed beast of Rome. That said, I haven't read Revelation in a while and so am not sure if that would make sense in the context the term is used.