Ed Jacobs calls on the Britain 2012 to decide if we are a Christian country or not.
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Ed Jacobs is a member of the Christian Socialist Movement and City Evangelical Church in Leeds
Amidst the on-going rancour now manifesting itself between what has simplistically been dubbed “the church” on the one hand and gay rights activists on the other over same sex marriages, and the report in last week’s Sunday Telegraph that the government intends to argue at the European Court of Human Rights that Christians do not have a right to wear a cross or crucifix openly at work, we are perhaps overlooking the core of the debate we should now be having, namely are we and do we want to be a Christian country, and if so, what should that look like in practice?
As a Christian, it has been heartening to hear the words coming from government of late.
Before Christmas we heard from the prime minister himself, in a speech marking the 400th anniversary of the King Jams Bible, pledging to “actively stand up and defend” the morals and values contained within the bible which have shaped our society.
Last month it was the turn of Conservative Party co-chair, Baroness Warsi, to argue at the Vatican:
“Europe needs to become more confident in its Christianity.”
Communities and local government secretary, Eric Pickles has also declared:
“We are a Christian country and we should not be afraid to say so.”
And even Nick Clegg’s plans for House of Lords reform envisage 12 bishops maintaining their seats.
But get beyond the words used by the politicians and the mood of the public as outlined in a series of recent YouGov polls give food for thought for all those engaged in the development of public policy.
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• 2012 – the year the world must wake up to Christian persecution 8 Jan 2012
• Faith leaders call for healing as world remembers 9/11 12 Sep 2011
• A “new” age of Christian persecution? 23 Jan 2011
• Beware of pushing Catholics out of the progressive club 18 Sep 2010
In recent polling (pdf) for the Sunday Times, for example, 36% of respondents felt Britain had become too secular compared with 31% who felt the balance was about right as it stood and the 17% who felt it was too religious.
Forty nine per cent feel religion continues to provide “critical guidance for the way we live our lives”, compared to 40% who object to this statement, while 38% said they believed in God, compared to 33% who said they didn’t.
As a Christian, I’m not going to argue that policy makers should listen only to the voice of Christians, particularly on critical issues of conscience.
Indeed, the fact that the proportion of people who, according to YouGov, believe in God as compared with those who don’t is so close it doesn’t provide a right for Christians to have their beliefs forced on other people.
As an Evangelical Christian who seeks to share God’s love, that love is accepted best when people have the opportunity to hear the Gospel, have questions answered then reflect on it themselves. Imposing faith on them does nothing other than to build a sense of resentment.
But equally, those not of faith, those who argue for a secular society, must recognise also that as a society all is not black and white and that Christians have equal rights to them to contribute to the national debate over many issues surrounding poverty, same sex marriages and abortions to name just a few without being labelled “bigots”.
At the heart of the problem is that we seem to drift from one policy issue to another without posing the critical question, namely are we a Christian country or not, and if so, what does that mean?
During his conference speech last year, Ed Miliband argued there was a need for a new society. In establishing what that new society for 21st-century Britain should look like, those of faith need to be at the very top table of the debate, shoulder to shoulder with those not of faith, establishing the very morals, ethics and values we in Britain want to be driven and bound by.
It’s time to decide.
Let’s not give the pretence of us being a Christian country as argued by Cameron et al if we are not prepared to put meat on the proverbial bone.
32 Responses to “Are we a Christian country or not? It’s time to decide”
Newsbot9
Actually, I strongly argue that in America, it’s far easier to pass blatantly faith-based policies. Because if you try and say they are, you’re met with a cry of “separation, separation!”. It prevents rational discussion, rather than aids it.
(For my own part, I’m against state schools and think religious institutions and charities which can’t fill a single set of criteria for a government contract simply need not apply)
Urban
We are not a secular county – we are a Christian country, with Christian values built into the fabric of our history and core values, laws and we should be proud of this. Thankfully these tolerant christian values also allows freedom of speech and society that helps and supports all sectors of society together – this is our true strength in the uk.
All countries and religions, and ploiticians, should and can learn tolerance and respect for different view points and show compassion in both words and actions to bring harmony and peace. We have more similarities than differences, share history and certain values, we all should focus on what we can give, how we can help others of any religion and by talking to each other, intergrating and learning from each other we can bridge the divisions and work together to be a society for all.
Mr. Sensible
I believe in the principle of a seperation between Church and State.
fran
Why does it matter so much to you ?? It’s a fool’s errand you’re on anyway because people can self declare anything they like about their religious beliefs for all sorts of reasons. Every statistic you quote has to be viewed in that light and vestigial belief makes it likely that a whole lot of people claim an affinity to Christianity which is quite moribund. Depending on your point of view this state of affairs may be a cause for concern or celebration or it may not matter at all and I think most people in Britain today fall into the last category. Only those with robust religious conviction (Christian or otherwise) would want their country defined primarily by religion at all and that group, or groups are not mainstream so why should they get to decide ?
Nor should having a religion excuse political naivete in expecting politicians to get too literal about the concept of a Christian country. Of course they will pay lip service to religion/s but politics is about power and ultimately politicians know that religion has largely lost its social if not its moral force. Politicians will use religious tradition when it suits them politically as Cameron and Pickles seem to have done in your article and as Blair and others have done in the past. I would say that the political tolerance of organised religion is just about equal to the religious tolerance of the secular and the word tolerance in this context has little real currency implying the minimum accomodation to the views and values of another. We need to go a lot further than that to arrive at a framework for the common good and I certainly wouldn’t start from where you seem to want to.
David B
I want to see a secular country, not least because secularism is the best guarantee of freedom of religion.
It is perfectly proper for employers to stop people wearing jewellery of any sort in the workplace in hospitals or machine shops, where it might be a vector for germs, or damage both heavy machinery and the wearer of the jewellery, and perhaps for other reasons, too.
David B