Hindu, atheist, Anglican, and ‘nontheist Quaker’ – the religion thread of the general election
A Hindu, an atheist, and an Anglican walk into a polling booth. It could be the start of a joke, but when it comes to the religious beliefs of the leaders of the top three UK political parties, this is the choice facing voters at the general election in the UK next week. The Hindu, prime minister Rishi Sunak, Conservative. The “pro-faith atheist”, Sir Keir Starmer, whose wife is Jewish and whose family attend London’s Liberal Jewish Synagogue, eating challah “pretty much every week”, Labour. And the Anglican, Sir Ed Davey, Liberal Democrat. Meanwhile, Nigel Farage, Reform UK’s frontman, recently announced that he has stopped attending church, blaming the Church of England’s “surrender” to the “woke agenda”. Journalist Andrew Bradley paints the picture of the rich tapestry of religious tradition on full display in this election. His article is here >>
General Election 24: The Muslim Vote
In the last of our series on the voting patterns of different religious traditions in the UK, Catherine Pepinster reports on the Muslim vote, charting efforts to encourage the community to register, and looking at the issues that will sway the vote. In December, “The Muslim Vote” movement was launched, reflecting anger about the situation in Gaza, could have a significant impact on the Labour vote. 44 per cent of Muslim voters rank the Gaza conflict as one of the five most important issues ahead of the election. Read “General Election24: The Muslim Vote” here >>
Election briefing: Signs of hope for the planet in manifesto pledges on climate change
Faith groups across the globe are passionately engaged in climate change campaigns, with a deep desire to save the planet. Representatives of faith organisations and campaign groups, based in London and some working internationally, told a Religion Media Centre election briefing, that they saw signs of hope in several of the parties’ manifestos. They noted different pledges on the date by which net zero may be achieved, and different approaches to fossil fuel excavation. They also identified many ambitious commitments to make faster progress on renewable energy sources, with windfarms and solar energy providing the UK’s electricity supply within five years. The briefing heard a plea for the next government to continue efforts to broker international agreements and prioritise an end to the dumping of raw sewage into rivers and the sea. Our panel included the Bishop of Oxford, Steven Croft; Dr Timothy Howles, Associate Director, Laudato Si’ Research Institute; Amandeep Kaur Mann, founder and director of Eco Sikh UK; Jamie Williams, Senior Policy Advisor with Islamic Relief Worldwide; Oliver Pearce, Chief of Policy at Christian Aid; and George Lapshynov, researcher at Theos. The briefing has been recorded and will be available on our YouTube channel and as a podcast with links here. The accompanying article is here
All our election coverage is easily available on one page with links here including articles on The Christian Vote, The Sikh Vote, The Hindu Vote, The Jewish Vote and The Muslim Vote; and links to our series of briefings on election issues and voting patterns. The last briefing is next Tuesday 2 July, on faith groups and how they will work with the incoming government. Details from [email protected]
Other news
40 year anniversary of “The Sea of Faith”
“The Sea of Faith”, a TV series and title of a book by the Cambridge philosopher and theologian Don Cupitt, is to be remembered and explained in a series of events to mark the 40th anniversary of their publication. His ideas grappled with the decline of Christianity as science, cosmology and historical criticism challenged the understanding of the Bible, metaphysical ideas of the divine and the foundations of organised faith. Explaining his legacy, Professor Elaine Graham writing in the Church Times, says he set out to explain the relevance of faith and “his central message was that the churches needed to revise and adapt their teaching to address these challenges, or face a substantial loss of credibility followed by an inevitable decline into irrelevance”. The idea of God as a transcendent being became instead the ultimate reality and religion was regarded as not a set of beliefs in a metaphysical truth but a matter of inward integrity. The anniversary events start in Cambridge on Monday 1 July. Details here
Methodist conference marks 50th anniversary of ordination of women ministers
The Methodist church of Great Britain’s conference is underway in Leeds for a week long session which starts with the induction of the new president Rev Dr Helen Cameron, and the new vice president, Mrs Carolyn Godfrey. This weekend, the 50th anniversary of the ordination of women as presbyters will be marked with a specially written prayer during the Sunday service and an address by the Rev Ruth Gee, a former President of the Conference. The Bible that was presented on the 40th anniversary will be on display throughout the Conference.
Every teacher in Oklahoma is ordered to teach from the Bible
Reuters reports that Oklahoma’s Department of Education has ordered every teacher in the state to have a Bible in their classroom and to teach from it. Ryan Walters, Oklahoma’s superintendent of public instruction, also said special attention will be afforded to the Ten Commandments. He is quoted saying that teaching from the Bible will ensure “historical understanding is there for every student in the state of Oklahoma” and that the Bible is one of the “foundational documents of … Western civilization.”. The announcement challenges US Supreme Court rulings that state sponsorship of religion is unconstitutional.
German church lost 400,000 members – absolving them of paying a church tax
400,000 people formally left the Catholic Church in Germany last year, down from 522,821 the previous year. But 1,559 people joined and another 4,127 rejoined. AP reports that there were 20.35 million members of the church at the end of 2023. It suggests many people have left after sex abuse scandals and tension over progressive changes including the approval of same sex blessings. It is also a fact that in Germany, church members pay a church tax but if they register they have left, no tax is due.
Israeli, Jewish, Palestinian and Arab students all discriminated against at Harvard
Two Harvard University task forces have found discrimination and harassment directed at Israeli, Jewish, Palestinian and Arab students. They started work after unrest in the aftermath of the Israel / Gaza war. Behaviour included intolerance, shunning, harassment and intimidation on campus. The Religion News Service report says The situation of Israeli students on campus was described as dire with teachers discriminating against or harassing students because they are Israeli or have pro-Israel views.. Palestinian students felt “erased” on campus, and Muslim women wearing hijab or keffiyehs reported verbal harassment, being called “terrorists” and even being spat upon. Recommendations include the promotion of clear information on the policies and procedures for filing formal complaints, provide additional prayer spaces for Muslim students and hiring a visiting professor in Palestinian studies.
More CofE dissent and threats over same sex marriage
“Thinking Anglicans” has helpfully assembled all the various documents from organisations within the church on the question of allowing same sex blessings and same sex marriage. They are from the Society of St Wilfrid and St Hilda, the Church of England Evangelical Council., the Church Society, and The Alliance, signed by bishops clergy and laity. The temperature is rising because the general synod is meeting in a week’s time in York, to discuss a report which says decisions are being shelved until February.
Huge mural on JW3 community centre depicting famous Jews of London
The Times reports that a mural 27 metres high and 12 metres wide will be painted on the side of the JW3 Centre in north London, depicting “London’s liveliest Jewish stories”, featuring 150 famous Jews who have lived and worked in the capital. Theu will include Brian Epstein, the Beatles manager; Nicholas Winton, the Kindertransport hero; Marjorie Proops, the newspaper agony aunt; and Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis.
