Our Christian principles are not dying out

THE Office for National Statistics revelation that less than half of us now claim to be Christian, does not come as a great surprise.

There is a steady increase in the number of churches now being closed as regular attendance decreases, with many ordained ministers of religion having to cover several parishes due to lack of qualified staff.

However, I do not believe that these figures indicate that our country has become less Christian, but that people’s views and beliefs are expressed in a different way.

The amount of money that is given to charity in general seems to increase year on year. One illustration is the BBC’s Children in Need appeal which this year raised some £35m although that was £4m less than 2021 due to pressures on the purse from inflation. Nevertheless, a sizeable chunk of cash.

I am not qualified to offer an opinion as to why churches and the Christian faith appear to be in decline, except to say that a lot is to do with their sales departments. Perhaps presentation needs to be reconsidered.

Maybe interpretation of traditional beliefs needs to be re-examined in light of the age in which we live.

On my journey through life, I do encounter and observe a lot of kindness, especially to those less fortunate souls.

Sadly, there is also a lot of unnecessary cruelty. That is the subject of another story, but does not detract from the fact that kindness is very much in line with the broad Christian doctrine as I understand it.

All Christian cathedrals, churches and chapels that are open continue to receive many visitors from all Faiths. People are interested in the history and atmosphere of the buildings.

The sad part is that so many churches, many with a fascinating history, remain closed for most of the week due to lack of volunteers to supervise. Here it is apathy that does not make use of such buildings for the community at large.

The principles which the Christian Church espouses are those which the great majority of people live by, so no, Christianity is not dying, it just needs the benefit of more decisive and dynamic leadership. It is all part of a changing world.