Letter from the Vicar (February 2010)
Dear friends,
What is the place of religion in the modern world? As the twentieth century progressed religion came to occupy a position of less and less importance, particularly in European culture. The number of people worshipping regularly declined and the secure place that religion once had was lost.
The normal attitude of most Europeans towards belief became indifference. It is important to note, however, that, to quote the title of a recent book, Europe is an exceptional case, the decline in religion that has occurred in this country and continent has not been matched in other parts of the world. Elsewhere religion thrives, even in the United States of America which shares and even exceeds our levels of prosperity. When I spent some time on study leave in the States a few years ago the contrast was put thus: “going from Europe to America is like going from the Arctic to the tropics, religion wise.” And so it was. As an English journalist I met over there said to me, “In England you would rarely be asked the question, ‘do you go to Church?’ Here you will be asked, ‘which Church do you go to?’”
But even in Europe the last twenty years or so has shown us how important it is to take religion with the utmost seriousness. We have seen how religion affects both the personal and social lives of people and communities. Even though Alistair Campbell said “we don’t do God”, the truth is that many people do ‘do God’ and that their doing of him is a vital part of their lives. Religion remains in the lives of a great many people in our world a very powerful and important force. It can be a force for great good, though it is plain to see that when it is distorted and corrupted it can become a force for evil. I believe that it is vitally important that in this coming decade we appreciate the significance of the motivating power of religion.
Recently the Archbishop of Canterbury said that that the establishment often treats religious leaders as slightly quirky and eccentric. I think he was quite correct in this evaluation. But to treat religion and its leaders in this way is to make a great mistake. If anything the motivating force of religion in politics is likely to increase rather than diminish in the years ahead. It is important that those in power seek at least to understand it.
It is also important that we Christians seek to understand people of other religions and to regard them as fellow travellers, rather than competitors, on the journey of faith. This country, this world, is, whether we like it or not, multi-religious and if there are few adherents of other faiths here in Weymouth that does not mean we should ignore their presence in the wider community. But how much do we know or understand of the other religions of our world, of our country? Not as much as we should, I suppose. To that end, during Lent this year I shall be giving teaching sermons on four of the great faiths and on some Thursday evenings we shall also have the opportunity to hear from their adherents. Please take this opportunity to learn and to reflect on the religions of our world today.
Yours sincerely,
Richard Franklin
February 2010
