CHIEF RABBI ELECTION ROW
In an unprecedented move, the Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom attacked the Labour party and Jeremy Corbyn for failing to tackle antisemitism. EXPLAINER [...]
Soul Survivor festivals legacy
The office running evangelical Christian Soul Survivor festivals is closing, but its influence among teenagers has shaped future church leaders. By Tim Wyatt EXPLAINER [...]
Fact Sheets
FACT SHEETS
Anglican Cathedrals in the British Isles
Thousands of people are expected to visit English Cathedrals this Christmas for special services, carols and nativity plays.
Figures produced by the Church of England in […]
Faith manifestos
by Tim Wyatt
Faith groups in the UK have produced manifestos, wish lists, expectations and requests […]
“The re-emergence of religion in the public square is one of the biggest and most significant paradigm shifts of recent times.”
GRAHAM WARD
Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford
There are 7.5 billion people in the world and an estimated 85% identify with a religious group. The biggest religion is Christianity, accounting for about one-third of the earth’s population. The next is Islam whose adherents make up about one-quarter of the world’s inhabitants. There are about one billion Hindus, 500 million Buddhists, 14 million Jews and many smaller faith groups http://www.pewforum.org/.
Understanding religion and belief is and will remain central to public life and debate, however significant the growth of secularism. Tens of millions of people in the UK continue to identify with a religious faith and we all have frequent encounters with people of all faiths and beliefs. Religious literacy is essential to understanding the world in which we live and our daily interactions across all levels of society, in the public, private and voluntary sectors.
The media plays a key role in developing and enhancing this understanding. The Religion Media Centre has no editorial line nor does it promote any one religion, or religious belief in general. Instead, it exists to provide accurate, timely and relevant information to the media, enabling the public to be better informed and promoting decision-making based on fact, not prejudice or stereotypes.
Religion and Media festival
Exploring Belief, the second Religion and Media festival, was held at the JW3 Centre in north London on 30 April 2019. The keynote speaker, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, said: “The media has not covered religion as well as it might; not given it space, time or quality of knowledge that it should have done. And yet religion is essential in understanding what is going on in the world.” An audience of media professionals, academics, faith representatives and others, listened as the theme was picked up with panel discussions on how religion is understood; the stories still waiting to be told; and the impact of social media on the transmission of religion. Punchy, provocative polemics included the story of a young Jamaican Muslim rapper, Tanya Muneera Williams, who was spat on and abused by a gang. How has the media, she asked, contributed to the normalisation of hate? Read a full report of the festival here
Faith has been a major part of this #GeneralElection19
We've been working hard to put together resources that shed light on the issues at hand, providing clarity and accuracy
See some of these resources below ⬇️⬇️⬇️
'Silence and Words: Unexpected Responses to a Gay Bishop', by @caro_starkey and Grace Davie https://bit.ly/2qzXNCG
Lots of Meetings in London today with @RelMedCentre @ruth_peacock then @faithbelieforum then @Theosthinktank @TheosElizabeth #lotsofcoffee