Religion, law and the constitution
Balancing beliefs in Britain
“We expect politicians to be leaders and to encourage us to do great things, but what happens is that politicians actually follow. They listen to focus groups because they want votes, so they’re actually listening to the common denominator which is often rather unattractive. They’re not listening to great souls who challenge the way we behave and are visionaries.”
We all talk about the Holocaust still. There have been God knows how many horrors since, but that has been a constant reminder to the world, it always come back to that.
“You couldn’t look at European legislation and say that it’s all good or all bad. I think there’s a lot of work to be done in reforming the way in which the European institutions work. “
“I find our culture a bit quick to rush to judgement; we seem to be becoming increasingly judgemental. Maybe it is the result of email and the internet and Twitter, people are very quick to give you a 140-character judgement on something.“
“One should not forget that democracies can be persecuting societies and within my lifetime, homosexuals and people of a different colour were submitted to quite serious persecution. I am glad that public opinion has changed. But since that public opinion governs a democracy, it is entirely dependent on how liberal that opinion may be.”
“Democracy has significant problems for minority groups especially where these groups lack the resources or acumen to advocate effectively for their interests.“
“I think that oftentimes it is better for the State to empower actors within the society than to do it themselves, because the State is not an adaptive, lithe creature; when it steps in, it’s a big step. So oftentimes I’d like to see it step in by empowering actors in the arena, without the State actually sticking itself into it.”
“When there is a threat to independence, you have to raise it as an issue because making an independent judgment is crucial. I don’t really know if our judiciary are independent to be honest. If they are appointed by their profession they are independent, but if they are appointed by the Government, there is really a breakdown of that expected independence. “
“The responsibility of being citizens and recognising that every other citizen has individual rights just like them, to take part in civil life and contribute to community life as much as they are able to do so.”
“I think an elected second Chamber would be a retrograde step. It is one Parliament, not two Parliaments, two Houses which complement each other. They shouldn’t be rivals. The elected House should have the last word. “
“I feel I have to speak on behalf of the weak and the vulnerable. If you are lucky enough to have a public platform, as I did, you have an obligation to speak for people who cannot defend themselves.”
“The question is whether freedom of expression has got weaker or stronger, in my opinion, it hasn’t changed. And it shouldn’t change. Only the people who make a decision to express their artistry, will change probably. Because we’re all human, even if someone will die we still have got choice. “
“I think the balance in terms of freedom of religion and belief is probably right. There is obviously the argument about where to strike the balance, but I think on the whole it is good. I think Britain is a tolerant place as far as religion and belief is concerned. “
“We do protest about the abuse of human rights in the world but in terms of gender and sexual discrimination in Britain, the Church has not always had a good record. Wales, however, has had an Equality and Diversity Minister since devolution and that has helped all of us to think more deeply about these things.”
“I feel quite proud to be part of a culture that at least aims to uphold human rights and respect people’s differences, and welcome diverse people and religions.”
“I think we are seeing law changing to reflect the increasingly secularisation of society. I think that your generation and my generation will be the last to remember a time when shops were shut on Sundays and Good Friday was observed by people as a Holy Day when nothing was open, even if they weren’t regular participants in acts of worship.”
“Given our unique system politically, compared to the USA for example, I think our system has lots of benefits. I enjoy being part of it and being part of what I regard as a very reasonable society in the whole.”
“What does my faith teach about power? It teaches that it is dangerous. It also teaches me, as a non-conformist that the Church should not be in power. “
“Society is people. If you live in this country that is everybody, not just your own little social circle. You need to understand how everyone else works in order to live your life as an adult. How are you going to understand how everything else works if you’re not exposed to everything else?”
“I’ve never been in a situation where there was a moral imperative to break the law, but if I felt that following the law was going against my beliefs I wouldn’t.”
“If we respect each other we seek to understand why they do things, why they behave in a certain way, and I think as long as we are open to understanding, accepting and respecting other people we will be able to live in a much more comfortable society. “
“For me, human rights are about more than granting asylum. It is about treating people well, including people who are here. Making sure everyone has enough food is more important than the kind of prison this man would go to in Greece. “
“I think that what is needed is a greater interfaith element, bringing together people of different faiths in connection with law and society. That would help us to become a more just society, one which is not necessarily more homogeneous in that everyone is doing the same thing, but one which is more inter-linked so that everyone feels that they have the same sort of stake in it.”
“One has to recognize that once we do with the basics, all the rest of it are matters that individual citizens have to work out in the lives they choose themselves. You can’t compel people to be good, you can restrain them from being bad. You can encourage goodness, but you can’t compel it.”
“Sometimes there is social nervousness about putting your own view in the public sphere because of the fear of repercussions from people who disagree with you. So, when you send letters to newspapers, for example, generally I wouldn’t want to include my email address if I can avoid it, because I don’t want to have it bombarded with email. Our society is becoming less and less polite and tolerant of the views of others. “
“I think in comparison with other countries Great Britain is a tolerant and equal society in relation to religion and belief. It is difficult to have a completely equal society in terms of attitudes. It would be almost impossible, but I think we do a very good job of it. “
“I know of no sensible alternative to democracy and it certainly generally enables me to live in accordance with my faith and belief. It also brings individual and collective responsibility which is often hard to accept and I don’t think people always feel represented by the system we have now.”
“I wouldn’t have a problem with the government saying that there was a role for faith groups to appoint representatives to either a consultative or decision-making chamber. I don’t have a problem with a role for faith in government, I have a problem with only having a role for one faith. “
“I think being an Agnostic is easier probably than having a strong belief in this society. I don’t really know lots of people who have strong beliefs. I think it is probably easier sometimes, maybe, to have non beliefs. “
“Public opinion is good check on a lot of power, it doesn’t always get it right, but I don’t think that any system would. You have to look at how often it gets it right compared to how often it gets it wrong, especially in relation to countries where there isn’t freedom of the press.”
“The media is very powerful in our society generally. My main reservation about Christian religious voices in society is that they are not allowed sufficiently by the media. We talk about freedom of the press, but the press itself is very good at censoring views which it doesn’t want to promote.”
“I think everyone can participate in the political system if they have the talent and if they have ideas of what the majority wants.”
“Maybe Christians are properly and appropriately represented in public authorities, but the system causes that many hide their faith. They may be there, they may have a faith, but it is not always safe to express it. That is the problem I think.”
“I don’t think that the Church of England is God’s final answer as to what the church should be, but it’s where I am, where I am comfortable, and however attractive the other options are, they don’t tip the balance.”
“Terrorism being used an excuse for the suspension of human rights is a very worrying development. Detention without trial, increased use of surveillance; prevention strategies that are clumsy at best and Islamophobic at worst – all of these contribute to the problem, not solve it. “
This project is running in association with:
