Rev William Taylor
The following 'letter to the editor' was written by Rev William Taylor and appeared in The Times yesterday (16 October). It was one of a number of letters that appeared in response to an opinion piece by Matthew Parris on 13 October. In that article Parris argued that 'when advocacy is driven by the advocate's belief that he is obeying God's command, we ought to be told, and are often not. Religious convictions should be declared as financial interests are.'
The atheist (or secularist) position, with its accompanying ethical codes, is just as much as 'faith position' as that of the Christian. To 'believe' that there is no God is equally as much a position of 'faith' as to 'believe' that there is no God.
If the 'religious' are to declare their hand in public debates then so ought atheists.
Rev William TaylorRector, St Helen's Church
Bishopsgate, London EC3
William Taylor served in the British Army as an officer in the Royal Green Jackets for five years before being ordained. In 1995 he joined St Helen's, in the heart of the City of London, and he became rector in 1998.
His point is well made and absolutely right. Moreover it stretches beyond this area of interest. Some time ago I pointed out that a local commentator on welfare reform, Goretti Horgan, was being described as an academic. However she is also a political activist, associated with the far-left Socialist Workers Party. She has been interviewed in the media on a number of occasions as an 'academic expert' but her political activism is rarely mentioned. Indeed I can only recall hearing it mentioned once on the radio and that was after I had raised the issue.
The same is true of journalists, who may well hold strong political views or may be assertively secularist. I can think of two mainstream media figures whom I first encountered many years when one of them was an election candidate for Sinn Fein - The Workers Party and the other was her election agent. There are others in the media who at one time had a strong religious faith but have now abandoned it and have now become very anti-evangelical. Yet these things are not 'declared' in the way that Matthew Parris wants.
There seems to be a 'liberal consensus', which is actually very illiberal, that Christians should be subjected to high levels of scrutiny and transparency, even when others are not.
Rev William Taylor's comment is actually rubbish. There are no 'accompanying ethical codes' to atheism. Atheism is simply a lack of belief in God; it is the open starting point.
ReplyDeleteOf course atheists can be biased like anyone else - and those working in media should avoid this, or ensure that this bias is known to the reader.
The difference is that the Christian can not avoid being biased - their convictions are absolutely fixed, and constant. Atheists' are not.
You are wrong in that the core conviction of the atheist, that there is no God, is absolutely fixed.
DeleteAs regards ethical codes, he referred to the ethical codes (plural) of atheists. Most atheists will have some ethical code and if they have made a conscious decision to be atheists then that core belief will undoubtedly shape, in some way, their ethical positions.
DeleteEvery person who is not a follower of the Lord Jesus is fighting against Christianity and those that are, are not because Christianity is the only religion based on love. John, 14:27.
ReplyDeleteChristianity the ONLY religion based on love? I dont see much love being bandied around between Christians in Nth Ireland especially on the 12th July when the marchers celebrate a war over the Catholics over 400 years ago. How is that showing love? God in his infinite wisdom created so many different religions to test us and see how we can love others even though they may be different, whether it is through race, colour or religion. If we pass this test and show love to others that are different to us then we may enter the kingdom of heaven. To say there is only one true religion shows a real lack of the understanding of Our Lord Jesus Christ and what he taught us. Take a look at the parable of the Samaritan
DeleteGoretti Horgan is also an pro-abortion extremist, to describe her as an academic is "academic" in the extreme.
ReplyDeleteI always remember G.K.Chestertons view on atheism - “For when we cease to worship God, we do not believe in nothing, we believe in anything.”
The problem with getting atheists to declare their beliefs is that there would be no room for the main debate.