In the lead up to Easter Prime Minister David Cameron wrote an article in the ‘Church Times’ expressing his faith and belief that the United Kingdom can rightly be called a ‘Christian’ country.
This brought a swift reaction from the British Humanist society which instigated a letter to the Daily Telegraph on Monday criticising the Prime Minister for making such a statement and refuting this claim. . The letter signed by fifty notable academics, scientists and authors accused the Prime Minister of being divisive, claiming that Britain is now a secular rather than one based on Christian principles and belief.
There’s no argument that the UK has become much more secularised with far less people attending church or classing themselves as ‘Christian’. We are, in fact, by now a pluralistic society where tolerance and acceptance of those of all faiths and none is very much part of our way of life.
Historically, however, our Christian heritage and traditions of justice, mercy and tolerance is ingrained into much of the fabric of our society. From our past those such as Barnardo, Wesley, Wilberforce and William Booth of the Salvation Army instigated massive social change which exist to this day. It’s also true that those who held no allegiance to any faith also contributed to the good of others and the mix has served us well.
Whether we categorise the UK as a Christian country or not is not of great importance. We cannot, however, deny from where we have come for within our past there is undeniably the centrality of the Christian faith which has influenced our legal system and form of government. The aggressive secularism of recent years will always raise its head when statements relating to faith such as the one made by the Prime Minister are reported in the press and media.
As far as Christians are concerned what is of much more importance is that we serve others in the name of Jesus. To work with all of good will in seeking to create a fairer and more just society and world and to show the love of our Risen Lord at every opportunity – remembering that as the Bible says ‘ here we have no continuing city’ for the kingdom is yet to come!
Help keep news FREE for our readers
Supporting your local community newspaper/online news outlet is crucial now more than ever. If you believe in independent journalism, then consider making a valuable contribution by making a one-time or monthly donation. We operate in rural areas where providing unbiased news can be challenging. Read More About Supporting The West Wales Chronicle
