Nick Cohen the British journalist, author and political commentator has published an article in The Guardian titled ‘Secular Britain is ruled by religious bureaucrats’ asking why is the church still such a force in our society when most of us disregard its clerics' teachings? Cohen states “The number of people who say they have no religion jumped from 15% in the 2001 census to 25% in 2011. If the remaining 75% were believers, this leap in free-thinking would be significant but not sensational. But those who say they are religious are not faithful to their creeds, or not in any sense that the believers of the past would have recognised. Church attendance is in constant decline. Every year that passes sees congregations become smaller and greyer. As striking as the fall in religious observance is the public's near total disregard for the teachings of the clerics and prelates, who could once claim to be society's moral guides. …When millions of people tell the census takers they are "Christians", therefore, they are muttering the title of a childhood story they only half remember. What is more, their spiritual "leaders" know it. …I can see no way of proving that allowing free debate proves happiness. It may well be that people are happier when their illusions and taboos remain intact. But if you prevent challenges to their beliefs, you are not treating them as adults; you are patting them on the head and saying that they cannot handle robust debates – infantilising them, in short. What applies to individuals applies to countries. Facing up to the truth about religious decline, and adapting our institutions accordingly, will doubtless cause pain to some. But it will allow Britain to become an honest and grown-up country that meets the first requirement of maturity by seeing itself as it is.” Inspired by The Guardian ow.ly/gpMLI image source Twitter ow.ly/gpMKT Britain is ruled by religious bureaucrats (January 2 2013)

Nick Cohen the British journalist, author and political commentator has published an article in The Guardian titled ‘Secular Britain is ruled by religious bureaucrats’ asking why is the church still such a force in our society when most of us disregard its clerics’ teachings? Cohen states “The number of people who say they have no religion jumped from 15% in the 2001 census to 25% in 2011. If the remaining 75% were believers, this leap in free-thinking would be significant but not sensational. But those who say they are religious are not faithful to their creeds, or not in any sense that the believers of the past would have recognised. Church attendance is in constant decline. Every year that passes sees congregations become smaller and greyer. As striking as the fall in religious observance is the public’s near total disregard for the teachings of the clerics and prelates, who could once claim to be society’s moral guides. …When millions of people tell the census takers they are “Christians”, therefore, they are muttering the title of a childhood story they only half remember. What is more, their spiritual “leaders” know it. …I can see no way of proving that allowing free debate proves happiness. It may well be that people are happier when their illusions and taboos remain intact. But if you prevent challenges to their beliefs, you are not treating them as adults; you are patting them on the head and saying that they cannot handle robust debates – infantilising them, in short. What applies to individuals applies to countries. Facing up to the truth about religious decline, and adapting our institutions accordingly, will doubtless cause pain to some. But it will allow Britain to become an honest and grown-up country that meets the first requirement of maturity by seeing itself as it is.”

 

Inspired by The Guardian ow.ly/gpMLI image source Twitter ow.ly/gpMKT