THE Archbishop of Canterbury has accused the Government of treating all religious believers as “oddities” and “eccentric”.
Dr Rowan Williams said ministers were wrong to think that Christian beliefs were no longer relevant in modern Britain and he criticised Labour for looking at religious faith as a “problem” rather than valuing the contribution it made to society.
The Archbishop also suggested that the “political class” was too remote from the concerns of most people, who still had God in their “bloodstream”. In his only interview in the run-up to Christmas, he called on ministers to be more willing to talk about their own beliefs.
'Dumbledore' Williams, left, pictured at a Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry reunion picnic in London's Hyde Park. Nothing oddball or eccentric there.
Dr Williams told The Daily Telegraph:
The trouble with a lot of Government initiatives about faith is that they assume it is a problem, it’s an eccentricity, it’s practised by oddities, foreigners and minorities. The effect is to de-normalise faith, to intensify the perception that faith is not part of our bloodstream. And, you know, in great swaths of the country that’s how it is.
His comments risked reigniting the public row between the Church of England and Labour over the state’s treatment of faith groups. A Cabinet member was recently forced to deny there was a “secular conspiracy” to silence them.
The Archbishop’s claims that religion was seen only as something for minorities echoed those of a Church-backed report, which accused the Government of paying “lip service” to Christianity while “focusing intently” on Muslims.
Asked if he believed political leaders should be more open about their religious beliefs, the Archbishop replied:
I don’t think it would do any harm at all. I think part of establishing their human credentials is saying, ‘This is where my motivation comes from. I’m in politics because this is what I believe.’ And that includes religious conviction.
Despite the Church of England’s influence and its position as the established religion in the country, there have been repeated claims in recent years that Labour has tried to keep faith out of the public sphere.
The tendency was summed up by Alastair Campbell when, as spokesman for Tony Blair, the former prime minister, he said:
We don’t do God
However, fears over the development of home-grown Islamic terrorism led the Government to pour more than £50 million into projects aimed at preventing radicalisation in mosques.
The Archbishop’s claim that the Government only saw religion as a problem was backed by the Rt Rev Stephen Lowe, the former Bishop of Urban Life. He said:
He’s absolutely on the ball. Religion is seen as being a problem because of the connection between radical Islam and terrorism that has tainted all religions.
What seems to be forgotten is the contribution of religion in the mainstream to social action. It’s quite clear that within the Government and the Opposition there are people of faith. The problem is that somehow the connection between what they see as their private faith is allowed to marginalise the significance of the contribution of faith communities to the life of this nation.
In the interview, the Archbishop also dismissed Pope Ratzinger’s bold invitation for disaffected Anglicans to cross over to Rome as “theologically rather eccentric”, and predicted that few would take up the option because they could not accept papal infallibility.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
December 12th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
Ones religion should be like ones defecation habits.
A totally private affair and never to be discussed in public.
December 12th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
The reason for ‘the contribution of religion in the mainstream to social action’ is a government which would rather hand social services over to superstitious halfwits than bear the cost of professionally run, publically accountable services staffed by the best applicants for the jobs.
The result is rather a lot of people who suffer, or even die, because of faith-based ignorance. If the churches had even a streak of morality they would turn down the money and privilege they get from pseudo-charitable ‘social action’ and stick to what they do best, which is, frankly, nothing.
December 12th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
What the hell planet is he living on? There has never, in living memory, been a government more eager to suck up to the godidiots, and give them tons of my effing money, than this one.
He appears not to have noticed that Alistair Campbell’s “We don’t do God” was a big fat effing lie.
I am all for politicians declaring their faith, as long as they do so before asking me to vote for them.
December 12th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
religeon in their bloodstream? yeah, well i would certainly regard it as a virus of some kind.
December 12th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
Pushers of the god scam, such as Dumbledore Williams and Joseph Ratzinazi, are mirror images of their role models, Al Capone, Albert Anastasia, and Bernard Madoff. Osama bin Laden and Benjamin Netanyahu are not aberrations who violate the true spirit of religion. They ARE the true spirit of religion.
December 12th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
Another of the Archprick of Canterbury and the Nazi pope’s role models: Simon Legree.
December 12th, 2009 at 7:25 pm
Wonder where he got the idea that the government doesn’t support religion. If Gordon Brown had been able he would have had the first Roman Catholic in the Lords. Even Ratzinger thought that might be going too far after the Child Abuse debacle.
Religion is all over us and particularly on the BBC. Which, I see from the current Radio Times, p 157, that Michael Lyons, Chairman of the BBC Trust asked his audience what they thought of the decision not “to allow atheists on Thought for the Day.”
I do hope we tell him. This “do not allow” is censorship, it isn’t Thought for the Day and is “Religious Thought for the Day” and if he needs to ask his audience what they think of that decision then maybe he is in the wrong job.
December 13th, 2009 at 1:40 am
The Archbishop also suggested that the “political class” was too remote from the concerns of most people, who still had God in their “bloodstream”.
So faith really is a virus…
December 13th, 2009 at 6:24 am
I once had God in my bloodstream but I’m better now.
December 13th, 2009 at 11:44 am
Beardy-Weirdy and Fedoraed Fantasist meet Hooded Hallucinator.
December 13th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
If people are left with God in the bloodstream, then we need to give those poor souls a vaccination!
December 14th, 2009 at 9:31 am
Bishop admires Taliban ‘faith’ http://www.politics.co.uk/news.....347037.htm
They’re not all bad, at least they take their religion seriously…..