to think there is nothing wrong with saying britain is a christian country

[Slutbucket]

I have no strong opinion about David Cameron but I don't think h e has said anything wrong in describing Britain as a christian country. Our main holidays are Christmas and easter, the head of state needs to be protestant and much of our history and traditions are based around the christian religious calendar. We are moving to a more secular society but I can't see these traditions dying out. I live in a very multi cultural area where all festivals are celebrated. I have friends from many cultures who are not alienated by the christian festivals. Many send Christmas cards as a mark of respect (and some just celebrate Christmas because they like the festival) some people are not religious but will celebrate these festivals in some form ie buy an Easter egg for their children, celebrate pancake day.

Birmingham

I disagree.

Many,many people follow the Christian calendar out of habit and because they have to,not because they believe in it.Many of us are afflicted with church schools in the same way.

Getting utterly fed up with the Tories telling us how things should be.

National identity- what tosh.

Agree with Snow.

Lets not forget the hypocrites who go to church too and who are about as Christian in how they lead their life as me- an atheist.

The census puts 60% of the population as self identifying as Christian. and that was after fairly major campaigning by anti-religious bodies, but no PR by the various churches.

So yes, it's a predominantly Christian country now, and one with a very Christian past.

What situation in Birmingham?

But I have put CofE down in the past(often there isn't an theist alternative) on various forms out of habit.Many do.

snow, I am pretty sure you don't have to attend church to call yourself christian.

Point of information: it's not the christian calendar. It's a very slight modification of the pre-christian roman calendar, the most recent modification of which was in 46BC. All the Gregorian reform did was change the rules on leap years.

Merry have you not heard the news, about the schools in Birmingham or are you trying to be funny

You don't have to do or be anything to call yourself a Christian. However, that also means that the term 'Christian' on its own is pretty amorphous and doesn't tell you much about an individual's beliefs. (This is also true of other belief systems).

Athrawes- rather offensive I think- although I don't think you mean homophones...
As for those who think Christianity is for old people, and that no-one goes to church any more, our local catholic (yes, CHRISTIAN - how ignorant to consider Catholics to be non-Christians) church was full to the doors twice on Easter Sunday with folk of all ages, many of whom had also attended services on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

I can never understand where the likes of longfingernails get the idea that the BBC is anti-Christian. It has more religious broadcasting than any other broadcaster - just look at the schedules for last weekend if you don't believe me. If they are anti-Christian, what on earth does that make the commercial channels?

I'm not at all convinced by that 57% statistic for people who identify themselves as Christian. Does that mean true Jesus as son of God salvation and resurrection beliefs? Or worshipping in a Christian Church? Or Christian because thay were once, erm, Christened?

LFN needs to give her head a wobble over most things.

No I do not know anything about schools on Birmingham. Have just googled and apparently there is an investigation into an attempt by somebody to make schools more Muslim, but there is also suspicion that the whole thing is a hoax.

What I find offensive about what Cameron said is that he is very cynically saying it not out of conviction, but because he hopes that it will appeal in particular to the type of anti-Moslem sentiment that the likes of the Mail and Express love stirring up, and therefore that it will get him votes. It is also, of course, the sort of thing that that type of paper will leap on with glee and use to fan the anti-Moslem flames yet further. It is in fact the reverse of Christian love and toleration.

Another factor with Cameron is the sheer hypocrisy of it. He is presiding over a government which has spent the last four years doing its best to shaft the poor, the disabled and the vulnerable whilst helping its friends make as much money as they can. His party is currently engaged in a campaign to demonise food banks and those who use them because they know that it shows up just how low the government has sunk in terms of conduct which, frankly, is about as unChristian as you could possibly get. But when it suits him, he is happy to proclaim the virtues of Christianity purely for his own electoral advantage.

If Christ came back tomorrow, the reality is that Cameron and his supporters would monster him as a dangerous lefty.

Ha Merrymouse! great hoax.
IMO if we decide we are no longer a Christian country which welcomes other faiths, we run the risk of having to yield to the views of the strongest faith group - those who do want their lives delineated and run according to their beliefs; the most active and vocal practitioners. And who would they be?

I myself am pagan, and I agree with another poster, Lithia, the winter solstice and Samhain are all older than Christianity. However I celebrate Christmas with/for my children.

I don't think it matters that England is a Christian country, I like the fact it's diverse. You can learn about so many other cultures, without having to leave ground zero x

He is completely correct and I cannot see why people are making such a fuss.

The attempt at multiculturalism by Labour has utterly failed on a national scale, there is less inclusion and acceptance and more segregation than ever. I acknowledge and accept that there are local exceptions to this general trend, of course.

I really don't get what the problem is in stating a fact about Britain being a Christian County. I think it's just people slating what DC has said because they don't like DC, rather than the Christian thing. I actually think it would be nice if Britian WAS visibly more Christian. I live in London, and I have to say there is not a lot of evidence.

'we run the risk of having to yield to the views of the strongest faith group'

why on earth would we do that?

I agree with Tim Minchin 100%. I also think it's time to either get rid of the monarchy or make a division between church and state. The state should be secular.

Cameron staged his little Christianity act a) to appease the church leaders who publicly appealed to him to do something about the woeful poverty in the UK and b) to appeal to floating voters who are frightened of and prejudiced against some nebulous 'Muslim threat'.

The man is a sickening cynic and a hypocrite too. As Mexican says upthread, Christian is as Christian does and I don't see Cameron acting in any kind of Christian manner, not in public towards the citizens of the UK anyway.