The consistent message coming from the Coalition Government is that faith communities are at the heart of the Big Society. So how does the second National Inter Faith Week in England and Wales fit into the overall picture? This annual event is taking place between Sunday November 21st and Saturday 27th 2010 and is a joint venture between the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) and the Inter Faith Network for the UK (IFN).
A CLG spokesperson has advised me that the government is providing financial support for a number of Inter Faith Week events, as well as “Faith in Action” grants of up to £6,000 for inter faith activity generally. Ministers will be attending inter faith activities around the country and the Secretary of State will host a special reception on November 25th. In addition to all of that, the CLG is currently providing financial support to the Inter Faith Network as an organisation.
Baroness Warsi, Conservative Party Chairman, and Andrew Stunnell, Communities Minister, have both spoken out in support of the contribution faith communities can make to the Big Society. But are they glossing over some of the negative effects faith groups can have on communities - such as the polarised environments created by faith schools and the manner in which inter faith groups may be hijacked by people with various agendas of their own? And is the inter faith dialogue model still fit for purpose in the diverse society in which we live today?
As Sir Winston Churchill said, ‘Jaw jaw is better than war, war’, and over the years inter faith dialogue has made a significant contribution towards a greater understanding between the faiths. However, in the UK today we live in what is predominantly a secular society. Various surveys indicate that the proportion of people in the UK who do not hold religious beliefs is steadily increasing. The 2006 Guardian/ICM poll showed that 63% of people said they were not religious. If the majority of the population is not religious, then perhaps it is right to be concerned about the government’s faith bias.
Maybe it's time to revise the inter faith dialogue model. My suggestion is that the concept of a worldview may be far more relevant because it is not necessarily embedded within a religion, race or culture. The worldview may be applied at both an individual and a society level, reflecting a consistent framework for how people understand the world and order their lives. Since we live in an increasingly secular society within a global village, maybe a Worldwide Worldview Week would be a more appropriate way forward. At a local level, the implications of this could be that Christians, Muslims, Pagans, Atheists, and anyone else who wanted to attend, could air their views and join together in local projects. It could be a far more appropriate focus for the Big Society. A fuller discussion of this issue may be found at the following link: http://www.suite101.com/content/national-inter-faith-week-and-the-big-society-a311984
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