Doubting Irish vicar suspended

The Church of the Nativity - believed birthplace of Jesus and a tradition rejected by the Rev Furlong

DUBLIN, Ireland -- An Irish Protestant minister who does not believe Jesus is the son of God has been suspended from his post for three months to "reflect on his statements."

Andrew Furlong, Dean of Clonmacnoise and rector of Trim in County Meath, also does not believe in Christmas.

The 54-year-old has held these views for 30 years, but has kept them to himself until up to now.

His unorthodox Christian views which claim the church is out of date, were revealed on his Web site.

"I don't believe the traditional understanding of Christmas, that God took human form and was born as a babe in Bethlehem," he told Reuters on Monday.

Furlong, who was ordained in the Anglican Church of Ireland in the early 1970s, wrote in one article: "With the deepest respect for others and their beliefs, to my mind Jesus, and John the Baptist also, were mistaken and misguided 'end time' prophets.

"Jesus was neither a mediator nor a saviour, neither superhuman nor divine. We need to leave him to his place in history and move on."

Furlong said he believed a modern church needs to allow a diverse spread of views and allow members to challenge traditional teachings.

"Over the years the church has changed its view on many things -- slavery, divorce, birth control, the Latin mass," he said.

But his views have gone down badly with the Bishop of Meath and Kildare, Richard Clarke, who has ordered the priest to take a three-month leave of absence to "facilitate a period of quiet reflection during which he may reflect on his statements."

"My position is pretty uncertain. I am suspended and I may find at the end of the three months I will not have my licence renewed," said Furlong.

He will continue to live in the rectory in Trim, about 25 miles (40 kilometres) northwest of Dublin, and draw his salary from the Church of Ireland.