Cathedrals thriving for not ‘banging on’ about God

CATHEDRALS are doing better than churches because they don’t “bang on” about God, Sir Simon Jenkins has suggested.

The author and former National Trust chairman, who was at the Hay Festival discussing his new book on churches, said cathedrals were responding to a public desire for a more spiritual and less religious experience.

“There’s something about cathedrals that draws you in, which is not being drawn into parish churches,” he said.

“One or two sociologists have explained it; one said if you go to a cathedral now, it’s anonymous. It’s pillar worship – people can’t see you reading.

“No one shakes you by the hand, no one says peace be upon you.

“I asked a canon once why cathedrals are doing so well, he said ‘unlike churches we don’t bang on about God’. Which is very odd but also I sense rather true.”

Sir Simon highlighted the importance of the services they offered, saying: “Music is very important – evensong is the most popular service. People go for the music. They [cathedrals] don’t feel obliged to be religious. I think the churches, particularly cathedrals, are responding to people’s desire for something that they might call spiritual.”

He added: “People don’t bang on about God in cathedrals but they bang on about beauty, and that’s why I love them.”

Sir Simon also suggested churches should be restored to their original glory, particularly those whose statues were damaged or destroyed during the Reformation.

The writer praised the Victorians for their attitude towards restoring buildings, saying: “Why on earth are we leaving them in this awful state?

“Shouldn’t we be replacing those statues? What’s the point of a smashed statue? If someone gouged a picture in a gallery, the restorers would get to work putting it back to how it was before. We haven’t got an agreement on what to do with these magnificent buildings – we once did.

“I find something very sad about our inability to restore them”.

Intermission Ban ‘stupid’ intervals, says writer Intervals at the theatre are “stupid” and should be banned because they ruin the momentum and force people to drink the “worst red wine”, Steven Moffat has claimed. Speaking at the Hay Festival, the Doctor Who

writer said: “It’s a stupid idea… Stop having intervals and let people go to a decent restaurant afterwards.”