Christians are fighting to be heard in the United Kingdom. What has caused this surge of enthusiasm? I think a combination of things. Compared to the US, the UK is a pretty cynical, atheist society. A good example of this is the rising popularity of vehement atheist scientist Richard Dawkins and his new book (“The God Delusion”) and his TV documentaries, screened on primetime TV, trying to point out how intellectually deficient people of faith are and stating that religion itself is “evil”. Dawkins is quoted as saying religion is like “the smallpox virus, but harder to eradicate”. Apparently 42% of adults in the UK agreed with this statement.
But, the UK and other countries in western Europe are now home to refugees from conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, then from Afghanistan and now from Iraq. Many of these asylum seekers are Muslim and take it for granted that their devout faith can be integrated into their everyday life in the same way it was in their home country. So, what’s the cynical, atheist culture of the UK supposed to do with its new residents? The answer has been to switch into politically correct overdrive, promoting tolerance and integration and acceptance. The problem is, without a clear sense of its own identity (or maybe a confidence in its own identity?), the atheist British culture has swung to the opposite end of the spectrum, giving blanket support to every belief system under the sun, except the one the country was founded on. This is a confused situation, to say the least. Although 42% of adults agreed with Dawkins smallpox statement, a recent opinion poll also show that the majority of adults in the UK believe that Christianity has a positive role to play in society.
In an attempt to move beyond this mess, a new theological think tank was established this month, called “Theos”. From their website:
“Theos is a new public theology think tank. It aims to provide alternative perspectives to the orthodoxies of secular culture and impact public opinion about the role of faith and belief in society. Theos undertakes research and provides commentary on social and political arrangements. The word “Theos” and our descriptor, “the public theology think tank”, reflect our overall aim of putting God “back” into the public domain”.
The impact of “Theos” on UK society remains to be seen, but the effort to bring Christianity back to the debating table is a significant step in the right direction.
Philomena
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