Secularists, such as Richard Dawkins, who try to rubbish religion are encouraging intolerance, the archbishop told a congregation of 2,000 at Westminster Cathedral.
“Faith is never a solitary activity nor can it be simply private,” he said.
“Some today propose that faith and reason are crudely opposed, with the fervour of faith replacing good reason. This reduction of both faith and reason inhibits not only our search for truth but also the possibility of real dialogue.”
Good for Archbishop Nichols. But the headline in the Telegraph is misleading, because it suggests that the new RC leader is the initiator and aggressor, who has “launched an attack” on “secularists.” First off, his criticisms were aimed at secularism, as a belief system, not so much at secularists as people, such as notorious atheist Richard Dawkins.
But more importantly, who started this fight anyway? I think the bias of the editors is represented here, for the newly appointed head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales isn’t so much launching a pre-emptive attack as DEFENDING the legitimate place of Christianity in public life. And of course, the archbishop is absolutely right. Religion can’t (or shouldn’t or must not) be relegated to the private sphere of life, as has been happening more and more in the secuarlized, de-Christianized western world or global north.
I wish the Archbishop of Canterbury were equally outspoken on this crucial point.
David Handy+
[i] Off topic comment deleted by elf. [/i]
This is a conflict between worldviews. And the secularist worldview does not get a pass simply because it is secular.
On the day of the release of the chilling 2,600 page report on systematic, ongoing child abuse by the Irish RC clergy and religious, Vincent Nichols attacks the intolerance of the secularists. One would like to say “unbelievable”, but it isn’t, is it?
My deleted post directly addressed Nichols’s remarks as quoted or paraphrased in the article, so it can’t be off topic. It wasn’t nice, but neither was the behavior he asked to be forgiven. We cannot avoid this so easily.
Will you delete lapinbizarre’s post as well?