His language was striking. There was a 'strident and bullying campaign' to ban faith schools. It was a 'scandal and a disgrace' that politicians are willing accomplices in the removal of Christianity from public life.
Lord Carey is, of course, quite right. But already his remarks have been taken out of context and refuted by the British Humanist Association, perhaps one of the very organisations Lord Carey had in mind when he talked about faith schools.
Andrew Copson, BHA Chief Executive, commented, ‘The myth of “Christianophobia” in England and western Europe is spreading, with stories of unjust discrimination often partial and exaggerated. Such claims are regularly unchallenged and sometimes propagated by politicians and in the media, yet our courts are increasingly finding little substance to claims of discrimination or marginalisation of Christians.’
Yet this is not what Lord Carey claimed. In fact he said, "What is happening in Western Europe is not persecution but a marginalising of faith which seeks to portray it as a matter of personal conscience only". The claim of bullying was not that Christians suffer from bullying, although recent surveys show that Christians in Britain do feel they suffer for their faith, but that the campaign against faith schools specifically was 'strident and bullying'.
Lord Carey also highlighted the series of instances of public stupidity such as the 'pantomime' at Christmas each year when some council or other decides to rename Christmas. And today we hear of another where a library refused to display a poster advertising a prayer meeting in case it offended people of other faith. To their credit the council responsible for this policy has agreed to review it after a range of faith leaders expressed dismay, and made clear that they would not be offended in the slightest.
It is absolutely clear that there is an increasingly aggressive secular movement to remove religion from the public sphere. Whether that is objecting to a state visit by the Pope or demanding that faith schools be closed down.
Some will claim that it is petty and divisive to engage in tit-for-tat battles with those who would like to confine faith to private property between consenting adults. However, Mouse is with Lord Carey when he said "if we behave like doormats, don't be surprised if we are treated as though we are".
This is not about being a group who are constantly moaning and complaining about the state of the country. Instead it is about promoting a positive vision about the role of faith in society.
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