Mixing faith and politics | | |
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| The question of what role personal faith should play in political decision-making was raised at each of the three Faithworks Lectures, with comparisons inevitably being made between the US and the UK. | |
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Tony Blair
“Politics and religion – it’s not that they don’t have a lot of things in common and that there aren’t core issues that both of us are interested in, but it is just that if it ends up being used in the political process, I think that’s a bit unhealthy.”
“I don’t want to end up with an American style of politics with us all going out there beating our chests about our faith.”
Michael Howard
“In this country we have a tradition where people in different churches and even in the same church hold a whole range of political opinions. Churches in this country have never, as a church, said that we support this party or that party. I think that’s quite a healthy tradition and I would like that to continue.”
“I want the support of as many individual churchmen and women as I can possibly get, but on an individual basis not on the basis of a church endorsement.”
Charles Kennedy
“Although we might be careful about making our religious faith too much part of our political rhetoric – as they are so fond of doing in the United States – it is important we don’t compartmentalise what we believe.”
“It’s vital that we don’t excise all mention of belief from the political world.”
The role of the Church | | |
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| The party leaders were all eager to emphasise the unique role that religious groups, including the Church, play in society – morally, socially and spiritually. | |
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Tony Blair
“The voluntary sector, including the churches and faith communities, have always played a significant role in social action in Britain – in education, in welfare, in support for so many of the most vulnerable and needy in our society.”
“Nowhere is this more important that in your work with young people – where so many [churches] have the capacity to not only help, but to inspire and to enthuse…”
Michael Howard
“It is the responsibility of the Church…to be a force for good, to reinforce the difference between right and wrong and to help with all the problems we see in our society – from underage sex to drugs and drink addiction.”
“I want to encourage churches, to the greatest possible extent, to apply commitment, enthusiasm, values, and devotion to help the more vulnerable in our society.”
Charles Kennedy
“Of course the headlines are often about abortion, sexuality or blasphemy laws. But they are a distortion…the focus of most faith based organisations is more practical and more domestic. It’s a matter of battling poverty, here and abroad; or seeking to give our children a decent start – keeping them away from drugs and crime; and, at the other end of the lifespan, caring for our elderly and infirm.”
“Religious faith of all denominations can provide society with a moral compass – a sense of what is right or wrong that doesn’t shift in the winds of political expediency.”
Supporting the Church’s community work | | |
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| On the subject of supporting the community work carried out by churches and other faith-groups in the UK, the party leaders each insisted that this work needed to be recognised and built upon. | |
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Tony Blair
“I would like to see [churches] play a bigger not a lesser role in the future. I say this because of the visible, tangible difference you are making for the better in our society for so many people.”
“The only politics that works today is one based on partnership with the people. The days when Government could “do it for the people” are over. They can do it with the people or not at all.”
Michael Howard
“It is because I believe faith-based social action works that I am committed to giving a fairer deal to faith based organisations. If elected, my government will encourage faith-based initiatives through the removal of bureaucratic blocks.”
“We plan to change the culture within government so that we approach the voluntary and faith sectors as a first resort, rather than as a last one.”
Charles Kennedy
“…to rule out involvement of faith groups from delivering benefits to local people is an attitude that is out of date and patronising, and it is also an enormous waste. Society should put that commitment and that potential to good use.”
“I would rather that locally run groups receive grants from locally elected institutions rather than people like me sitting in an office in Whitehall. I certainly wouldn’t rule out such an approach, but my instinct would be to be against such an approach.”
Can the Church be trusted? | | |
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| The party leaders were asked to focus their speeches on the subject of trust and what role the Church and other faith groups have in helping to build a more trusting society. They were also asked how church-based community work could win the trust of local councils. | |
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Tony Blair
“There is a big difference between the perception of what you do…and actually what you do. A lot of the discussion about religion will be about declining attendance at church or whatever. But there will be relatively little coverage of the enormous work that is done in local communities up and down the country.”
“I hope [local councils] don’t take the view that because you’ve got your own faith that somehow you are not providing a decent service to the community.”
Michael Howard
“Sometimes it is true that there are some councils who are dead set against working with faith groups. They say we like your idea, but we don’t want to work with you…I understand that these problems sometimes exist. The best way is to build closer relationships with the councils.”
“Politicians need to trust faith communities and welcome their growth.”
Charles Kennedy
“There is the tendency in some local authorities to distrust voluntary groups that are linked to a religious group. Perhaps the source of this suspicion and distrust, which churches have to overcome, is that some feel that outreach work will be used at best to proselytise, and at worst, by splinter or fundamentalist groups to sow discord.”
“But if we want faith groups to play a wider role in society, we all need to recognise that the trust issue must be tackled. And by setting out the principle that social action by churches should have no strings attached – that charity must be all inclusive – the Faithworks Charter seems to me to play an important part in helping achieve that.”
Faith schools | | |
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| The subject of faith schools was raised at each of the three Faithworks Lectures. This is what the party leaders had to say about this often-controversial issue. | |
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Tony Blair
“I think that faith schools have an important part to play…and if you go and visit them, you will see a strong sense of ethos and values and purpose that isn’t narrow or bigoted at all, but is actually very liberating I think.”
“I myself don’t believe there is any inconsistent message in supporting faith schools and still wanting a strong sense of community cohesion. I believe that Muslim, Jewish and Chrisitan schools can contribute to community cohesion, provided that what is being taught in those schools is a sense of respect for other faiths and I think, by and large, that it is.”
Michael Howard
“I believe that faith schools should be allowed to flourish.”
“Conservatives…recognise that parents should have the right to choose faith schools. We will encourage new ones to be set up, existing ones to expand, and will provide taxpayer funding for parents currently forced to pay for wholly private schools in order to uphold their faith.”
Charles Kennedy
“It seems to me that if you have a faith school, or an organisation where employees are employed based on their faith, they should have an arms open faith. It should be willing to include people from other faith traditions or, for that matter, people of no faith whatsoever and give them an education opportunity or an employment opportunity.”
Marriage and the family | | |
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| All three politicians discussed the subjects of marriage and the family within their speeches and within the question and answer sessions that followed. | |
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Tony Blair
“We cannot call ourselves a fair or strong society until every one of our children, whatever their background, gets the chance to make the most of themselves…this will take significant investment in greater financial support for families…”
“I do believe that…support for families, through Government and voluntary organisations, does make a difference. “
Michael Howard
“…marriage is not yesterday’s institution. It’s an abiding institution that strengthens society and secures children.”
“Marriage is a separate and special relationship which we should continue to celebrate and sustain. Doing so does not denigrate those who don’t want to marry.”
Charles Kennedy
“I think that marriage is a very good institution indeed - spiritually, also practically and socially. But it is not for everybody.”
“I don’t think you should assume that those who are not involved in a traditional, married, nuclear family are somehow having a downgraded experience or that it somehow inhibits how they relate to other people.”
Religious diversity | | |
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| The three party leaders were also asked to address the issue of how the government and other voluntary groups should approach different faith groups that may not share all of the same beliefs, motivations and behaviour. | |
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Tony Blair
“I think that most people are perfectly able to cope with the fact that if you are a Christian church, you will have Christian values. But that isn’t to say that if someone is a Muslim that you shut your door to them. It simply means that Christianity is your faith.”
“This idea that you can combine your faith with a belief in the value of other faiths and in the wholeness and unity of society – we have to go out there and talk to people about it and get people to understand what is actually happening in communities.”
Michael Howard
“We therefore have in our heritage the very tools to enable a robust and vibrant debate to take place between differing faiths – and in such a way as to strengthen trust. We expect all faith communities to respect the historic values which order the debate. Since these values are common to all the major world religions, this should not be problematic.”
“For some, an attempt is made to overcome the distinctiveness of different faiths by looking for common denominators. However, any attempt to bundle distinctive faiths together as one homogenised ‘multi-faith sector’ fails to grasp the reality of the situation.”
Charles Kennedy
“I welcome the fact, the reality, that Britain today is a multi-racial, multi ethnic, multi-faith and therefore diverse society. It is a richer society as a result – culturally and financially. We need to hear more of that emphasis from leading politicians.”
“When politicians of different political ‘faiths’ gather round a table to work out a solution to a problem, they don’t cease being party politicians but they do try and work together. I don’t see any difference between that mindset and what we are talking about here.”
Other issues | | |
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| During the Faithworks Lectures, the party leaders also addressed specific topics that were not necessarily covered by each of the politicians during their speeches. | |
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Tony Blair emphasised the valuable work of churches in campaigns for aid, debt and trade in the international arena:
“As churches and faith organisations, you also play a significant role in the campaign against international poverty and injustice.”
You make a difference by your action and your example. You also make a difference by campaigning for governments, here and abroad, to put trade, aid and debt at the top of their agendas. The churches are among the most formidable campaigning organisations in history.”
Michael Howard was outspoken in his opposition to the proposals for legislation outlawing incitement to religious hatred, which were being debated at the time of the Faithworks Lectures:
“I am opposed to the Religious Hatred legislation presently before Parliament. I believe it has the potential to limit freedom of religious expression and have the opposite effect to the one intended.”
“We will only benefit from our religious diversity if we create the freedom for these religions to reflect their differences. And if we are to create this freedom, we must be vigilant in the defence of free speech.”
Charles Kennedy was eager to point out that the Church had a role to play in the ongoing debate about asylum seekers:
“Take the Open Doors initiative in Plymouth; like minded teachers setting out to provide asylum seekers with free language and life-skills training; helping them to integrate into the local community. It puts into perspective the tone of the current political debate about asylum and immigration being whipped up.”
“Asylum seekers are people in need of our help. This country does not turn them away.”
What next?
While the party leader’s views may help shape your decision on polling day, as a Christian you may be interested in doing more than just putting a cross in the box on Election Day. Go to www.faithworks.info/generalelection for some of the other ways individual Christians and local churches can get involved in this year’s General Election.
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