Head of the church and the state? No problem
The government has roundly rejected a petition which called for the monarch to be relieved of one or the other of his or her duties as Head of the Church of England and Head of State, also making clear that disestablishment of the Church of England will only happen if the Church itself wants it.
The Government supports the Monarchy and the continuation of The Queen as Head of State as fundamental elements in our constitution, personifying both national and Commonwealth unity. It is continuing to assess the scope for amending the laws on succession including the Act of Settlement 1701, but it has made clear that change cannot happen overnight and that it has no immediate plans to legislate. No changes are contemplated to The Queen’s position as Supreme Governor of the Church of England nor to the Church of England’s established status; disestablishment would only be considered if the Church itself indisputably favoured it.
http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page21819
Humanist celebrant and comedienne, Sheela-na-Gig, aka Jeanne Rathbone, responds! “Britain is a theocracy. It is official”.
http://sheelanagigcomedienne.wordpress.com/2009/12/27/britain-is-a-theocracy-it-is-official/
Jean knows as well as everyone else that the position of the Queen as Head of the Church of England is (a) a historical quirk resulting from Henry VIII getting rid of the control of Rome (b) has no impact on real life, as the Queen doesn’t exercise any significant power in either her role as Head of the CofE or as Head of State.
You only have to look at Iran today, or Ireland in most of the 20th century, to know what a real theocracy looks like.
Of course, it would be more comfortable for most Humanists if the monarch was not also the Head of the CofE and it was therefore disestablished. On the other hand, there is an argument – not sure whether I accept it – that the unique status of the CofE in this country provides a bulwark against the growing influence of more fundamentalist religious groups (ref America).
Surely the right of CofE bishops to sit in the House of Lords, where they can exercise real influence on the law (notably on assisted dying), is a much more important issue to contest. And politically it’s almost certainly more achievable.