All-in wrestling...

When I was a kid you could tune into shots of large men in brightly coloured lycra on the telly every Saturday afternoon: Big Daddy, Giant Haystacks, Mick McManus, Jackie Pallo and Kendo Nagasaki were household names in the UK throughout 70s. British wrestling was enjoying its moment in the sun. By the late 80s British wrestling had fallen out of popularity; stories about staged moves plagued the sport, viewing figures began to fall and eventually the sport's main arena in the UK, World of Sport, got pulled. British wrestling had failed to keep pace with the times; it had become irrelevant to all but its most committed fans.

I've been involved in some wrestling today. Firstly, with a new fridge freezer I had delivered this morning. It's a bit of a beast at 2m tall; I'm thinking of getting buried in it come the day my time is up. This afternoon I spent nearly two hours trying to adjust the doors so that they hinged on the left rather than the right. Despite assurances in the manual that this was a simple and easy to perform manoeuvre, I was bleeding, sweating and swearing after only 30 minutes. The tone and content of the manual make this adjustment sound like something my 74 year old mother could do with one hand; nothing could be further from the truth.

My second bout of wrestling was with the news that the Church of England has declined to allow its churches to be used for civil ceremonies, despite a new law allowing that, which comes into force on Monday. As a single gay man, this has little relevance to my life right now. When I was in a long term relationship, I was not big fan of civil ceremonies to prove my status. But hey, horses for courses; there are those to whom it does matter and I support them.

The legal office of the Church of England does not consider it discriminatory and has responded, stating:

A gentlemen's outfitter is not required to supply women's clothes. A children's book shop is not required to stock books that are intended for adults. And a Church that provides a facility to marry is not required to provide a facility to same-sex couples for registering civil partnerships.

I guess there will be those who will try to challenge this because it matters to them. However, I think that the number of people to whom this matters diminishes by the day. The church has repeatedly failed to move with the times and, through its actions, becomes more irrelevant to our lives with every year that passes.

As an atheist, I happen to believe that the deceitful manual to my new fridge freezer, with its sunny and optimistic tone toward door adjustment, is closer to the truth and than the bible. I think that British wrestling from the 1970s, with its staged moves and bright lycra, is more relevant to my life than the Church of England (or, for that matter, the Catholic Church).

As attitudes toward homosexuality change (and undoubtedly they have done and continue to), many of the official bodies that claim to speak for Christianity become more obsolete by their old fashioned attitudes and unchristian behaviours. The day is fast approaching when the church, through its failure to keep pace with the times, will become irrelevant to all but its most committed fans.

And while we're waiting for that day to come, why not enjoy some vintage wrestling with Giant Haystacks and Big Daddy

Today's run at 16:11
Distance	4.29 km	Time	21:34
Pace	5:01 min/km	Cadence	80 spm