The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, and the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, have helped launch a new think tank, aiming to change the climate of opinion about the importance of faith in society.
The ecumenical think tank called Theos has been modelled on mainstream secular think tanks, such as Demos and the Institute of Economic Affairs. It will undertake research and provide theological commentary on social and political arrangements.
In their joint foreword to "Doing God": A Future For Faith in the Public Square, Dr Williams and Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor argue that religion has rarely been so important in society, or so badly misunderstood. And they claim that society is experiencing a period of collective confusion about the most important questions in life. “As a society, we must decide how we will respond to this moment of collective confusion - can we go on living as before? Or, like Tolstoy, will we reassess the importance of faith to individuals and society?”
“Many secularist commentators argue that the growing role of faith in society represents a dangerous development. However, they fail to recognise that public atheism is itself an intolerant faith position. If we pay attention to what is actually happening in the United Kingdom and beyond, we will see that religiously - inspired public engagement need not be sectarian and can, in fact, be radically inclusive. This report argues that faith is not just important for human flourishing and the renewal of society but that society can only flourish if faith is given space to makes its contribution and its challenge.”
The Theos report attacks institutional atheism and argues against consigning faith to the private sphere. It claims that religion will play an increasingly significant role in the UK because of three trends, the return of civil society, the pursuit of happiness and the politics of identity.
Speaking before the launch of the report today (Tuesday) the Director of Theos, Paul Woolley, said:
“In the 1980s and 1990s think tanks challenged the status quo and helped change the climate of opinion in society. And we want to do the same. We want to provide alternative perspectives to the orthodoxies of secular culture.”
“It is clear that society is embarking on a process of rapid de-secularisation. It is no longer considered bold, brave and brilliant to argue that religion is an infantile delusion. Interest in faith is increasing across Western culture. Religion is firmly on the agenda of both government and the media.”
“Theos steers an independent course between political parties and is non-denominational. We stand against the prejudice in secular society that religion in public life or debate is dangerous or irrelevant. Faith is personal but it can never be private. If William Wilberforce, Keir Hardie or Martin Luther King had kept their faith private, the world would be a more divided and unjust place than it is today.”
