We don’t do God. But should we?

By James Green

Despite the important role that it has played throughout the party’s history, Labour has long had an uncomfortable relationship with faith. Alistair Campbell captured this well when he famously said of New Labour, “we don’t do God.” Of course the Blair governments promoted faith in a variety of ways. But that comment stuck in the public mind because it represented a fundamental truth not only about the Labour Party but also about the country more widely. We are deeply divided in our attitudes towards religion. Some view it as vital, others as dangerous, many as simply irrelevant. But has the time come to reject Campbell’s cynicism and openly ‘do God’?

In latest edition of the Young Fabian’s magazine Anticipations former Prime Minister Tony Blair makes a powerful case for us to do just that. He argues that in the face of long held predictions about the demise of religion, the number of people who view faith as a central part of their identity is in fact growing. Much has been made of the continuing importance of faith in the United States but less discussed is its growth in the world’s emerging superpower, China. Blair offers some staggering statistics. There are more Muslims in China than in Europe, more practicing Protestants than in England and more practicing Catholics than in Italy. Faith is a central part of life in the Arab world too and whereas Europe’s birth rate is stagnant, the Arab population is set to double in the coming decades. The message from these statistics is clear. Far from being in decline, faith has rarely been more influential.

Of course the influence of religion is not only confined to the world beyond our borders. Many of the most challenging issues that we face in this country have a religious dimension. Tackling terrorism requires not only security measures but also powerful theological arguments. By vacating this space in the name of secularism, policy makers risk leaving a vacuum that can be exploited by those with malign intentions. But more than that, these debates go to the very heart of how we see ourselves. Do we adopt an aggressive form of secularism like France and risk undermining our own commitment to tolerance while alienating the very people we need to engage? Or do we find a way of balancing the values we hold dear with those practices, such as the wearing of the hijab and niqab, that can feel uncomfortable and foreign. The perceived tension between feminism and Islam is the topic of a fascinating piece in this edition by Muslim Women’s Network Chair Baroness Afshar.

But faith shouldn’t simply be confined to so called ‘religious issues’. It has much to say about the economic and social challenges of the day. Both Labour and the coalition have been working hard to address a widely held view that the bonds within and between communities have grown increasingly weak. As the Archbishop of Canterbury powerfully outlines, these issues have been a key focus of Christianity from its very inception. In our efforts to strengthen civil society it is vitally important that we learn from many of our most powerful and long-lasting civic institutions – those of faith.

Religion also has an important contribution to make when it comes to learning lessons from the recent financial crisis. As Rabbi Jeremy Gordon argues, Judaism offers important insights into how to better scrutinise our banks, set our taxes and ultimately structure our economy. As we look to build a fairer economic model out of the ashes of the financial crisis we could do worse than reflect on the views of our faith leaders.

Of course there are challenges when it comes to faith and it would be wrong to imply that religion cannot bring with it conflict and suffering. However, it is such a central part of the way society functions both at home and abroad that it simply can’t be ignored. In many ways religion continues to define our lives and it is vital that our politics and our policy reflects that. In that sense, at least, we must all ‘do God.’

An online taster edition of the spring edition of Anticipations is now available on the Young Fabians website. The full edition of Anticipations is only available to Young Fabian members. You can join the Young Fabians for as little as £5. For further information and to join visit www.youngfabians.org.uk.