Archbishop's speech in blasphemy debate

Speaking in the House of Lords on during the debate on the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill, the Archbishop acknowledged that the current law was "unworkable" but questioned the Government's timing in its intention to remove the common law offence of Blasphemy from the statue books without giving thought to how it might be replaced "which essentially provides for a protection not exclusively of the Christian faith, but of the fabric of society".

Referring to the letter which the Archbishops of Canterbury and York sent to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government – Hazel Blears MP – Dr. Sentamu said:

"The Church of England has signalled for more than 20 years that in our view the Common Law blasphemy could, in the right context, be abolished. It is not our intention to oppose abolition now, as proposed by the Government, provided we can be assured that provisions are in place to afford the necessary protection to individuals and to society.   The offences against incitement to religious hatred are new on the Statute Book and have yet to be tested in the courts.   Is this the right moment for abolishing the Common Law offences against Blasphemy? ......It is extraordinary to think that at a time when religion and religious identity has come to dominate global and domestic concerns, parliamentarians seek to stick their head in the sand by attempting to relegate considerations of religion and faith from matters of public policy into the private sphere...The increased significance of issues touching on religious identity, both in this country and internationally, which has underlined the importance of not lightly changing laws that, though their day-to-day importance may be small, nevertheless carry a significant symbolic charge".

Dr. Sentamu also challenged those who sought to use the debate to promote a perceived secularist agenda, arguing that any action by the Government: "should not be capable of interpretation as a secularising move, or as a general licence to attack or insult religious beliefs and believers.... if there is an elephant in the room which no one is addressing, then the elephant is that of perceived secularism.

The mover of the motion in the other place seems to assume that religion no longer matters and as such there is no need for a blasphemy law in a society which he believes is secular. To employ an analogy my Lords this is akin to saying because a child is consistently late for school there is no need to have clocks. A persistent lack of punctuality does not do away with the need for time. The place of Christianity in the constitutional framework of our country, governed as it is by the Queen, in Parliament, under God, is not in question in the current debate.  The relationship between Church and State, reaffirmed by the Government last July in The Governance of Britain, will continue to provide a context in which people of all faiths and none can live together in mutual respect in this part of the Realm." 

The Archbishop of York also warned the Government not to unpick the fabric of society which he said has been weaved together by the Christian faith:

"Of late the Government and others have concerned themselves in trying to discover what it means to be British and what the essential elements of Britishness might be. Whilst we may agree that virtues such as fair play, kindness and decency are part of our nation's make up, do they qualify as those things which makes us quintessentially British? My Lords, it is my belief that such virtues and those associated with them which form the fabric of our society have been weaved through a period of more than 1,500 years of the Christian faith operating in and upon on our society. The Christian faith has weaved the very fabric of our society just as the oceans around this island have shaped the contours of our geographical identity.

"Whilst it is of course true to say that such virtues of kindness to neighbour, fair play and common decency are not unique to the Christian faith, just as they are not unique to Britain, it is equally true to say that these virtues have become embedded into our social fabric and heritage as a result of the Christian faith and influence on society. In my first speech in your Lordship's house I said that: "We urgently need, as a United Kingdom, to reaffirm, fan into flame, and live those values which we owe to the Christian legacy. Without wishing to appear syncretistic or patronizing, in my experience and friendships I have seen that these are values that are also held dear in the traditions of Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism and also amongst those who say they have no faith, but are people of good will."

"My Lords, it was The Venerable Bede in his Ecclesiastical History who writes of the way in which the Christian faith played a major socialising and civilising role by uniting the English and conferring nationhood on them, turning this land from a nation of warring tribes into one of united purpose. This is why it is particularly important that the Government provides clarity over precisely why the Common Law offences are being abolished and what the implications of their removal are for the position of the Christian religion - in relation to both the State and society more generally."