I welcome Terry Sanderson's comments and contribution to this debate, but he does need to check some facts. The consultation in question is not being funded by public money, but by the Labour Party. Its purpose is to provide Labour with a better understanding of the distinctive motivation of people of faith and belief. My independence in this process comes from the fact that I am coming at it within the faith sector, and not as a politician. Faithworks works with politicians across the whole spectrum, and would carry out a similar piece of work for other political parties if asked. Stephen Timms and Alun Michael have roles within the Labour Party around faith, they do not have government posts on the issue.

I respect much of what the National Secular Society does and know people of faith who are also secularists – indeed I myself believe in the separation of church and state, but the NSS needs to recognise that this consultation is not about faith taking over the welfare state or demanding a place of privilege at the table. It’s about the Labour Party listening to people who are motivated by their faith or belief.  Long before there was a national welfare system, welfare services were delivered almost entirely by people of faith. And where public service leads to genuine public benefit, why shouldn’t it receive public funding?  

We do not endorse unfair discrimination or services that aren’t inclusive. That’s why the Faithworks Charter was instituted – we have been urging politicians of all parties for some time to adopt this as the basis of a ‘faith standard’ which faith groups would have to comply with in order to be recipients of public funds. The Charter’s very purpose would help prevent what Terry calls “opening the door to the maniacs”.  

Yes, there are good faith services and bad faith services, just as there are good secularists and bad secularists. But our purpose is to help people to recognise the good that all people, including people of faith and belief, are contributing towards a healthy society. Since people of faith are apparently responsible for so many global ills that have happened in the past, will Terry be blaming us next for climate change or the credit crunch? Or will he recognise that day-in, day-out, up and down this country and around the world, people of faith are quietly getting on with making their communities better places, serving those around them unconditionally? For every example of faith-based welfare gone wrong, I can point you in the direction of a hundred examples of faith-based welfare gone right. 

I was heartened and encouraged by Terry’s description of me as a ‘decent bloke’! So despite apparently leading the country into a dead end around faith, I must be alright! Seriously, the rather clumsy approach that caricatures people of faith as ‘maniacs’ is really something I don’t expect from Terry – he’s a decent bloke too! The divide between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ isn’t as clear cut as Terry’s comments suggest. All of us are capable of acts of incredible decency and goodness – and all of us are capable of acts of hatred and bigotry.

Rather than debate this on a blog, I would like to formally invite Terry and the NSS to enter into a public and frank debate on the role of faith in society. Terry, if you’d like to take up this invitation, we can make it happen. Just as not all secularists are bad, not all people of faith are ‘wolves’!

ENDS