Using Me!

In the news today Dec 12th

The Archbishop of Canterbury has accused Members of Parliament of treating religious faith as an “eccentricity” practised by “oddities”.

He then goes on to refer to the Catholic church as an “eccentric option”.

Pot…Kettle? Kettle…Pot? That’s some awesome hypocrisy!

Anyway he claims that all three party leaders have a moral sense of some “spiritual flavour” which is wrong on two counts. First, as I’ve discussed before, morality is instinct while ethics are rationalised. Secondly this is a failure of logic. The three party leaders may indeed be religious but one cannot draw that conclusion. They are equally likely (or possibly more likely since we don’t see photos of them attending church in the press) to be Humanists (or many other things). An underlying evolution-driven set of morals or ethics shares most of its points on the ethical-plane with every religion. Where any particular belief falls in the union of any number of sets most of us are guilty of identifying that with our belief set. Easily done and forgivable, except where it’s done by someone influential in public.

By the same logic I could interpret a subset of any Christian’s actions to define them as Humanist Utilitarians. Anyway these three men could hold any beliefs, it’s by their actions I will judge them.

The Archbishop’s speech seems intended to draw politicians into being forced to say which side they’re batting for. Well no sensible politician will do so. We see it all the time. They freely but coyly admit to believing in some spiritual greater power because this is the safe ground. They may or may not believe it. They may be born again christians, closet muslims, satanists or atheists but that’s what they’ll tell the press.

More deeply it seems intended as a threat to the three parties. Basically Rowan is saying, if you come out as an Anglican my flock will vote for you. Come out as anything else and we’ll vote for someone else.

Secularism anyone?

Update: Nick Clegg is indeed an Atheist as Euan pointed out. Times Online Story.