I didn’t say so – I read it in the news. A group of over 50 leading scientists, authors and academicians recently wrote an open letter to the Prime minister to challenge him for referring to Great Britain as a jesus a gospel of love.
According to them: “We wish to object to his repeated mischaracterising of our country as a ‘Christian country’ and the negative consequences for our politics and society that this view engenders… Repeated surveys, polls, and studies show most of us as individuals are not Christian in our beliefs or our religious identities and at a social level, Britain has been shaped for the better by many pre-Christian, non-Christian, and post-Christian forces… We are a plural society with citizens with a range of perspectives and a largely non-religious society. To constantly claim otherwise fosters alienation and division in our society.”
A lot of people agree they are right, some think they are wrong while others couldn’t care less. I believe this indeed is food for thought.
Stating the obvious
One of the ironies of life as I have come to find out is that a lot of times, people don’t want you to say things the way they are. They want you to meander around the truth and make clever indirect references to the obvious. It is called “tact” and often hailed as wisdom.
It is like telling someone that he or she is selfish. That person will hate you for saying so but meanwhile, he/she is someone who thinks only of himself (or herself) and doesn’t care what happens to other people (as long as he or she is fine).
So as far as this matter goes, sad as it may sound, I think there is a lot of truth in their objection to calling Britain a Christian country.
If it is to be based on past history and a few residual Christian traditions here and there, they will be wrong to say that Britain is not a Christian country but if it is based on the lifestyle, interests, priorities and values of the majority of the people in Britain today, I would say, they are more right than they are wrong.
The Proof Is Everywhere
If you think they are wrong, go to most churches on Sunday mornings and see how few the congregants are.
In comparison, watch any game-show on the television (be it quiz, football or just any game) and see the multitudes that faithfully sit to watch, giggle and laugh in the name of having fun. It reminds one of what a church congregation used to be.