The Curmudgeon

YOU'LL COME FOR THE CURSES. YOU'LL STAY FOR THE MUDGEONRY.

Saturday, December 23, 2006

A Great British Tradition

Only eighty-two per cent of those questioned in a Guardian/ICM poll say that they see religion as "a cause of division and tension between people" which, according to the Guardian's interpretation, "paints a picture of a sceptical nation with massive doubts about the effect religion has on society". This seems a slight overstatement. Most of us who live in the real world see many things as causes of division and tension between people, including politics, sex, race, money, family life, driving, shopping, sport and public transport; but, possibly excepting the first and last, few people have too many doubts as to the social necessity of these various blessings.

Only seventeen per cent of people think Britain is best described as a Christian country, with sixty-two per cent subscribing to the bizarre opinion that Britain is better described as "a religious country of many faiths". Apparently sixty-two per cent of Britain's people have never looked at a British coin, on every one of which is depicted the head of the Church of England, monarch by the grace of God and defender of the faith. The Guardian claims this ignorance as a symptom of "Britain's generally tolerant attitude to religion", although it does not appear that anyone was asked whether, in their opinion, "a religious country of many faiths" is a Good Thing or not.

Most amusingly of all, a spokesbeing for the Chuch of England said that the "impression of secularism in this country is overrated", which doubtless explains the pressing need for faith schools, not to mention the Archbishop of Canterbury's warnings against the ways of the Heathen Chinee. Also, "it is more difficult to go to church now than it was" because "people work longer hours - it's harder to fit it in." That must be why churchgoing was so popular in the Middle Ages - working hours were shorter, so people could fit it in better.

According to the Guardian, "most people have no personal faith", with sixty-three per cent of those questioned saying they are not religious. Intriguingly, this figure includes "more than half of those who describe themselves as Christian", which constitutes encouraging evidence that the great British tradition of otiose hypocrisy shows little sign of fading.

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