It's official! Well, that is, according to the report released by former senior judge, Baroness Butler-Sloss. The thin end of the wedge is getting thicker...
Baroness Butler-Sloss's two-year commission involving leading religious leaders from all faiths has concluded that Britain is no longer Christian and recommends that public life should be systematically de-Christianised.
Because of the rise of other faiths, including Islam, the report says that a "new settlement" is needed to give a public voice to those of all religious persuasions and none. This would gradually neutralise any Christian influence in our schools, taking overt Christian teaching from RE lessons and assemblies and challenging the existence of faith schools.
A case is also built for the reduction of the number of Church of England bishops in the House of Lords giving their places to a wide variety of input from other faiths and denominations.
There is also a recommendation for all national and civic events - including the next coronation – to be designed to reflect "the pluralist character of modern society".
The Thin End of the Wedge is Getting Thicker
For some time, we at Prophecy Today have realised that there is a 'thin end of the wedge' regarding subtle attacks on the Christian foundations of our society. All too quickly we are now down to the thicker part of the wedge that is being driven in by humanists and those with multi-faith persuasion.
Though this report does not have a direct impact on the laws of the UK it clearly demonstrates how far we have gone during just one generation. There will be many who have no concern for our nation's history and heritage who will draw strength from this report and the battle lines are being drawn up for the defence of the Faith in our nation.
This report clearly shows how far we have gone during just one generation – the thin end of the wedge has suddenly got much thicker.
Of course we ourselves have monitored with concern the declining numbers attending church and have noted the numbers of those of other religious persuasions increasing across the nation, but our use of the data must be quite different from that of Baroness Butler-Sloss's committee.
Is Britain a Christian Country?
In reality, Britain is not - and never was - a 'Christian country' in an absolute sense. The country has never been entirely full of born-again believers. Yet, when the leadership of the nation has upheld biblical truth and when our laws have been moulded to conform to biblical precepts, Almighty God has protected and prospered us so that the world around has recognised us as, at heart, a Christian country.
The basis of our constitutional position, as we have so often stated, is the central tenet of the 1953 Coronation Oath: the Queen's promise to "maintain the laws of God and true profession of the Gospel". Thank God that this promise and foundation stone remains in place during our Queen's reign. Not only is this Her Majesty's commitment, it is also the commitment of every member of the House of Commons and House of Lords, made through their own oath or affirmation on entering office.
Though a baroness can lead a committee to seek to erode this away, it is in accordance with our constitutional principles and laws that they themselves – including the baroness - have made this commitment. That far we are a Christian country – a backsliding Christian country perhaps, but nevertheless committed to the God of the Bible by strong personal oaths.
Britain is not and never has been a totally Christian country. But at the base of our monarchy and Government still lie strong personal oaths of commitment to the God of the Bible.
Who is Defending the Faith?
It is often said that the UK has an unwritten constitution, which gives the impression that our position is vague and therefore, to some degree, subject to matters of opinion. This is not true when studied from the viewpoint of the Coronation Oath and the many centuries of development of laws and customs that brought us to today. Yet it can be treated as vague if one has a mind to do so and if the nation is led by those who choose to ignore the central principles that were passed on.
Concerned by this, a few years ago I set about writing around to see if I could pin down who is responsible for the checks and balances of maintaining our constitutional position. Starting with the Palace I tried to ascertain how the Queen viewed her Oath and how she would seek to fulfil her vows especially when a new law came up that was against biblical principles. Many of her subjects have also urged her to lead the nation in prayer as did her father in the Second World War.
'There is No Mechanism...'
The answers I have received constantly refer questions back to the Government - most often to the Home Office. The Queen certainly takes her Oath seriously at a personal level but has assumed the role of a 'Constitutional Monarch' who defers to her ministers and signs without question whatever is passed into law through Parliament.
Finding the Home Office non-committal, the next point of enquiry was to try to find the governmental office responsible for constitutional issues, with the question as to whether there is any department in the government that specifically tests government decisions on their conformity to the Coronation Oath. This office has changed its name from time to time. Finally, I located the Constitutional Settlements Division at the Ministry of Justice at 102 Petty France, SW1H 9AJ. This is the reply that I received in full:
Dear Dr Denton,
Thank you for your letter of 17th January 2010. I apologise for the difficulties you have encountered in sending this letter to the appropriate department. We are the team responsible for Constitutional Policy and the relationship between Church and State, and have been asked to respond to your letter.
"The Government does not accept that The Queen has signed any Acts of Parliament which contradict the Coronation Oath. The Coronation Oath is a personal Oath, sworn by the Monarch during the Coronation, when she was asked 'Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the Laws of God and the true profession of the Gospel?' There is no mechanism or particular office in place to assist Her Majesty in upholding her Coronation Oath, nor would it be appropriate for such a mechanism or office to exist. (my emphasis)
The conclusion is that responsibility for maintaining the Oath and defending the Faith has fallen into an imprecise place between Monarch and Government and, despite the Oaths and Affirmations made on entering governmental office, no-one is designated to protect our sworn status before God that Britain will seek to be a Christian country.
Responsibility for maintaining our sworn national commitment to God has fallen into an imprecise place between Monarch and Government – there is no-one designated to protect it.
What to Do?
In reality, the only people who will be concerned for our Christian heritage are Christians. Baroness Butler-Sloss's committee has opened out an issue that will deepen even further in the coming days, raising many questions for Christians about faith in the public life of the nation. Should Christians still be defending the heritage that is being systematically attacked and dismantled, encouraging our national leaders to fulfil the solemn promise to God that was made on 2 June 1953? Or should we accept that the days of 'Christian Britain' are long over – and move on?
Should the Church fight for a voice and an influence in the public realm, or should we live quietly and seek to witness where we are placed? Should we defend the use of biblical laws and principles in civic life as what's best for the wellbeing of the nation, when the nation has forsaken God himself?
In my view, answers to these questions depend on whether they are tackled during or after the reign of Queen Elizabeth. A call to repentance across the entire nation has clear context whilst the present Coronation Oath is in force. Now is the time for the rallying cry to sound out to return to our national commitment to the God of the Bible. It may be different when this reign ends. Nevertheless, whether before or after, it remains the responsibility of Christians to seek God for what he is doing and what, by implication, we should be doing. At all times this is the bottom line.
Critical Years Ahead
This issue will not go away. I would suggest that the Lord God himself will not let it be ignored. If the day comes when the foolish recommendations of Baroness Butler-Sloss's Committee are adopted, then our decline as a nation will be under the Hand of God as much as our reaping the consequences of our foolishness. This is how critical the next few years will be at an escalating pace.
The Lord God will not let this issue go away. If the recommendations of this committee are adopted, our national decline will be under the Hand of God.
