It’s okay to be a Christian and Labour

By Cat Smith

There always has been and always will be Christians in the Labour Party. Some of them are leaders but a lot of us are the foot soldiers knocking on doors, delivering leaflets and campaigning for our Labour candidates at elections. Mary Honeyball has been short sighted in her accusations and insults towards those of us who are Christians in the Party if she expects us to be out there campaigning for her to be re-elected in the next twelve weeks lead up to the Euro elections. As a Labour Party member I will be campaigning for our candidates, of course, but I do not have any enthusiasm to campaign for her and I am bitterly disappointed with her attitude towards Christians and faith more generally.

There has been a lot said in the past 24 hours in the Labour blogosphere around issues of faith and politics, and more importantly how the two interact. Christian values are about more than abortion rights and homosexuality. In fact, we don’t all agree on these things! Christian values are values of equality; we are all created equal, social justice and a redistribution of wealth. A classless society based on equal worth without discrimination. Our values are treating the earth with respect and sustainability; resources for the benefit of all people, both current and future generations. These values are also socialist values and a Christian Socialist politics is an entirely logical conclusion to come to.

It’s okay to be a Christian and Labour. In fact, perhaps without my faith I would not have my politics. It was through my Church I was lead into the social justice movement and in turn to The Labour Party and The Christian Socialist Movement. Through my involvement in CSM I am hearing my feelings echoed from our hundreds of members who are active in trade unions and CLPs up and down the country. Our Party needs to be a home for all, those of faith and those with none. Like the vast majority of Christians I would never force my beliefs on anyone, I respect anyone’s right to practice any faith or none. I only wish that Mary Honeyball would award me the same respect and not attack my faith as “a personal eccentricity” and attempt to make me feel excluded from a Party which shares my values. After all, we all share the same political values, Labour values, so let’s not fight about how we came to these values – let’s just pull together, weeks away from the elections, and treat others how you would wish to be treated yourself.