Songs of Praise is to remain Christian despite calls for it to be turned it into a multifaith programme, the BBC’s first Muslim head of religion has pledged. Aaqil Ahmed said that it was vital that religious programming promoted “diversity” but insisted that Songs of Praise would always remain Christian.
“The faith card for Catholics aims to offer a daily reminder of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. We can’t summarise the whole of our faith in bullet points, but we hope that the card simply inspires people to do, read and learn more.”
He went on: “The card is also designed to give Catholics confidence to share their faith – often people need help knowing what to say. Faith is a not a private matter. This is something that Pope Benedict reminded the Catholic community in his recent letter announcing a Year of Faith, beginning in October 2012.
Elizabeth Hunter, director of the religion think-tank Theos, said: "If it does spark more casual conversations about faith, that would be a good thing.
"Religion is a really important part of many people's lives and it shouldn't be a taboo subject, but something we're as ready to discuss (and probably disagree on) down the pub as work, sport or relationships."
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A multifaith Songs of Praise? Not on my watch says BBC religion chief
Songs of Praise is to remain Christian despite calls for it to be turned it into a multifaith programme, the BBC’s first Muslim head of religion has pledged. Aaqil Ahmed said that it was vital that religious programming promoted “diversity” but insisted that Songs of Praise would always remain Christian.
Theos in the Media
1 million Catholics to be given faith cards
3rd February 2012
Martin Beckford | The Telegraph
“The faith card for Catholics aims to offer a daily reminder of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. We can’t summarise the whole of our faith in bullet points, but we hope that the card simply inspires people to do, read and learn more.”
He went on: “The card is also designed to give Catholics confidence to share their faith – often people need help knowing what to say. Faith is a not a private matter. This is something that Pope Benedict reminded the Catholic community in his recent letter announcing a Year of Faith, beginning in October 2012.
Elizabeth Hunter, director of the religion think-tank Theos, said: "If it does spark more casual conversations about faith, that would be a good thing.
"Religion is a really important part of many people's lives and it shouldn't be a taboo subject, but something we're as ready to discuss (and probably disagree on) down the pub as work, sport or relationships."
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