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Peter Hitchens, You have called for a moral renewal led by a 21st century John Wesley- surely the only real moral force in the UK is now centred around either Islam or Catholicism?
Asked by Londontowner on Sep 12 2007 9:45:43 PM and supported by 8 members
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Wesley started life as a High Church Anglican, a very long way from the form of religion he inspired. I have no idea where his much needed successors will come from. The Church of England is in a pretty bad way, but so, as far as I can see, is the Roman Catholic Church in Britain. The only successful Christian churches seem to be of the ultra-evangelical, happy-clappy kind, and their appeal seems limited to me. I do not wish to be sectarian about it, and would welcome the appearance of someone with the intellectual integrity and moral force of Wesley from practically any direction. But I think that Britain would become a very different sort of society if the religious revival came from Islam. Those who wish to preserve many important characteristics of this country, and who also wish for remoralisation ( a number which I think will grow as social decay deepens), should at least consider if they ought to consider their fashionable rejection of Christianity. If they don't, then they should not be surprised if Islam takes this role. By driving Christianity out of the public square, English atheism has not destroyed religion. A Muslim Britain, as the unintended consequence of the secularist war on Christianity, would be a pretty spectacular example of the Unintended Consequence.
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