Dr Rowan Williams said that Britain is no longer a nation of committed believers[GETTY]Lord Williams of Oystermouth said that as a country, we are no longer "a nation of believers" and warned that a continued decline of widespread faith is likely.
However, Dr Williams, who left his post as leader of the Church of England in December 2012, said that Britain's "cultural memory is still quite strongly Christian".
He told the Telegraph: "A Christian nation can sound like a nation of committed believers, and we are not that.
“Equally, we are not a nation of dedicated secularists.
"I think we're a lot less secular than the most optimistic members of the British Humanist Association would think.
"A Christian country as a nation of believers? No.
"A Christian country in the sense of still being very much saturated by this vision of the world and shaped by it? Yes."
Although he said that widespread faith would probably continue to decline, he was hopeful about the "rediscovery" of Christianity by many.
He said: ""Given that we have a younger generation now who know less about this legacy than people under 45, there may be a further shrinkage of awareness and commitment.
"The other side is that people then rediscover Christianity with a certain freshness, because it's not "the boring old stuff that we learnt at school and have come to despise".
Dwindling church attendance is likely to continue [GETTY]A Christian country as a nation of believers? No
"I see signs of that, talking to youngsters here at Magdalene and in school visits.
"There is a curiosity about Christianity."
Earlier this week the current Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said that,if judged by empty pews alone, the UK could not be described as a Christian nation.
He said: "It is clear that, in the general sense of being founded in Christian faith, this is a Christian country.
"It is certainly not in terms of regular churchgoing, although altogether, across different denominations, some millions attend church services each week.
"Others of different backgrounds have also positively shaped our common heritage.
"But the language of what we are, what we care for and how we act is earthed in Christianity, and would remain so for many years even if the number of believers dropped out of sight, which they won't, in my opinion."
Dr Williams' comments come after much debate over the state of Britain as a Christian country and the role of religion in politics.
No comments:
Post a Comment