If I were Prime Minister: I would privatise religion
 

Mon Dieu! Zut alors!

Joey Barton.

"If I were Prime Minister I would privatise religion. All public money would be withdrawn from religion. Taxpayers money will cease to sponsor religion in any and every form.


I would dis-establish the Church of England. There should not be an official state religion. Church of England bishops will lose their right to hold unelected positions in our House of Lords.


I would cease to subsidise the livelihoods of Church of England bishops and priests.

Land and buildings which were given to the Church will be returned to state. If the Church of England want to continue to use their land and churches then they must pay commercial rent to the Government for the privilege of using what will revert back to state property."


Indie.

Re: If I were Prime Minister: I would privatise religion
 

Urgh.

I agree with Joey Barton and feel grubby. Someone pass the bleach and wire wool please.

Re: If I were Prime Minister: I would privatise religion
 

Likewise. Must be the first statement of sense to emanate from his lips.

If religious leaders want to play politics then they need to loose their privileged position in the tax and governmental system.

Re: If I were Prime Minister: I would privatise religion
 

Agree entirely.

Meanwhile Eric Pickles and company are handing out cash purely for the promotion of religion in some misguided attempt to improve moral standards because, clearly, without religion it's impossible to be moral and ethical.

Re: If I were Prime Minister: I would privatise religion
 

Gets my vote :D

Re: If I were Prime Minister: I would privatise religion
 

Then it gets pushed back on by the C of E bishops on the House of Lords. Us and Iran, the only nations with clergy appointed to 'democratic' governments. Awesome company to be in.

Re: If I were Prime Minister: I would privatise religion
 

I think the state would have a hard time claiming that C of E churches are "State property". And the existence of the Lords Spiritual really is the least of what's wrong with the House of Lords. Aside from that, separation of church and state is not a bad idea.

Re: If I were Prime Minister: I would privatise religion
 

I am not sure religion really encroaches on the state that much in a meaningful way. We have relatively liberal abortion laws, Gay Marriage has been made legal, blasphemy isn't illegal and whilst people seem to have many reasons to dislike Miliband I haven't heard his atheism being held against him. You don't have to pass a faith test in the UK in the way American politicians do. Cameron made comments about his faith a few years ago and no one cared. Blair seemed to have actively avoided the issue of his religion.

We have the symbolic links obviously but do they really harm anything? The House of Lords may have some bishops but that doesn't strike me as any more ridiculous than all the other people will chuck up there. If you're going to have an unelected chamber then who cares if it's bishops instead of party donors?

Re: If I were Prime Minister: I would privatise religion
 

Yes - they annoy people.

Re: If I were Prime Minister: I would privatise religion
 

Wales disestablished the church back in the 1920s, and the world didn't fall in.

Re: If I were Prime Minister: I would privatise religion
 

The CofE has very little sponsorship from the State, return of VAT on repairs to listed buildings is the only thing that comes to mind.

All Parish Churches are maintained, on the whole, by its parishioners so you lot can get hatched, matched and dispatched there as is your wont.

Churches, not just CofE play a huge part in society, looking after vulnerable children and adults, feeding the poor and holding many social and educational events. Church schools whether you love em or hate em are always way oversubscribed and pupils from all walks of life and different faiths value their educational ethos.

Some have estimated that if the churches didn't do this work, taxes would have to rise considerably, not to mention that the state wouldn't be able to cope with the required demand.

Like many other churchgoers, I donate a not insignificant portion of my income to enable my church to provide such services to the community, I do this because I want to and because part of my and my churches mission is to transform communities.

I was always told never to discuss religion and politics but felt compelled to comment due to the obvious ignorance about church finances which are nothing to do with the state

Re: If I were Prime Minister: I would privatise religion
 

The Welsh people disestablished the church in all but name, long before that, when they decided they'd rather go to chapel instead.

Re: If I were Prime Minister: I would privatise religion
 

The State and religion should be separated. A crowbar may be necessary though.

Re: If I were Prime Minister: I would privatise religion
 

If only to play devil's advocate (or is that angel's advocate in this case). It has been suggested that the reason why religion is so crazy in America is precisely because it is "privatised".

Re: If I were Prime Minister: I would privatise religion
 

I always thought it was crazy. simply because they're just crazy anyway.

Re: If I were Prime Minister: I would privatise religion
 

It could have something to do with the country being founded by persecuted religious fanatics in the first place.

Re: If I were Prime Minister: I would privatise religion
 

I think "fanatics" is a bit strong. They didn't try to bomb or shoot their way to prominence - they simply decided that their way of life was best served by opting out of established European society.