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Cameron and status of the Church in today's Britain

Today is Good Friday - but what does that mean for a deeply secular Britain? A new poll looked at religious attitudes in 65 countries, and it found that Britons are more hostile to religion than almost any other nation. And yet, this week, David Cameron has been speaking out about the importance of his Christian faith. He says Britain should be proud of its status as a Christian country. Natasha Moriarty looks at the Church of England in Britain today.
The study by Gallup International found that most British people feel either negative or indifferent about religion - only one in three Britons are positive about it.
One in five believe religion plays no part at all in British life.
Cameron "evangelical"
But it looks as though the British prime minister is trying to change that. This week, David Cameron announced that he is 'evangelical' about his Christian faith.
Writing in the Church Times, the prime minister said -
"I believe we should be more confident about our status as a Christian country, more ambitious about expanding the role of faith-based organizations, and, frankly, more evangelical about a faith that compels us to get out there and make a difference to people's lives....
"Many people tell me it is easier to be Jewish or Muslim in Britain than in a secular country precisely because the tolerance that Christianity demands of our society provides greater space for other religious faiths too.
"People who advocate some sort of secular neutrality fail to grasp the role that faith can play in helping people to have a moral code."

Mr Cameron started talking about religion last week, during an Easter reception at Downing Street.
Allying Jesus Christ Himself with a former Conservative Party catchphrase - 'The Big Society' - David Cameron boldly said that "Jesus invented the big society 2000 years ago."
Martin Hatter is from the Bristol Secular Society, a pressure group which calls for the total equality of religious and non-religious groups. He thinks religion has no place in the political dialogue
"I would take issue with his comments that Britain should be proud of its Christian roots, I don't think Britain has Christian roots, it has pagan roots. The danger is one of alienation - if you favour one religion over another it causes all kinds of problems for social cohesion."
Mr Cameron insists that religion has brought him his "greatest moments of peace" , and he wants to remember the "countless acts of kindness carried out by those who believe in and follow Christ."
Gay marriage
Those comments might come as a shock to Church leaders. The last few months have seen the government and the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches battling over the question of gay marriage.
The row over the legalisation of gay marriage has not made the Church more popular with Liberal Britons - it's been seen to muffle their message of love and justice.
But Mr Cameron's stance has also alienated people - in particular, some of the Conservative party's core Church of England voting bloc.
Some commentators are cynical about the timing of Mr Cameron's religious messages
Andrew Marsh is from the group Christian Concern. He says: "Christians will be saying, yes we recognize fine words but where is the action that follows up on those words? We have a government that has sidelined and ignored the huge concerns of Christians over the redefinition of marriage - and in legal documents to the EU court of human rights has suggested that the wearing of the cross is not a visible form of the Christian face and is therefore not protected, well we have huge challenges."
Meanwhile, bishops and ministers have also taken to the airwaves to criticise the Conservative Party's dismantling of the welfare state - something the church embraced in the 1940s as a modern alternative to Christian Charity.
Christian activist Symon Hill says: "Let's look at the teachings of Jesus - how Jesus sided with the poor and challenged injustice. How does that relate to David Cameron's policies that are massively increasing poverty in Britain? Instead of whipping up rhetoric about the Christian past let's think about what Jesus would say about looking after the poor in Britain."
Dwindling congregations
Mr Cameron says he wants to spread the Christian message. If that works, it would be good news for churches. The typical Anglican parish is seeing its congrations get older and smaller - there are fewer services, less cash, and an overstretched ministry.
Reverend Dick Wolff describes the congregations at his United Reform Church in Oxford: "I look after two churches. In one the age range is almost entirely over 65, in the other the average age is probably something like 50, so it is quite different."
In a telling symbol of the state of modern Britain, a Good Friday re-encactment of Christ's crucifixion was banned by councillors in Oxford. They mistook the Passion play for a live sex show.
Where Easter Weekend would have once seen young and old alike piling into church pews, now the longest queues are likely to be in Tesco as secular Britons line up to buy their chocolate eggs.
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