In article for the Mail on Sunday, Dr Rowan Williams said that the fascination with Darwin and religion showed that people in Britain still cared about religion. He also quoted polls which showed that the majority of people believe religion and Christianity should have in influence in public life.
Dr Williams said that many people valued the contribution of church schools and churches to their local communities.
“If we really were as secular as some claim, none of this would be true … The truth is that in the greater part of the country, saying people couldn’t care less about the church or the Christian faith just would not fit the facts.”
The Archbishop also spoke out against the culture of political correctness which has led to a number of high-profile cases of Christians facing discrimination in the workplace.
“Whatever nervous or silly bureaucrats may think, it’s nonsense to say that some vast percentage of the population will be traumatically offended by someone using Christian language, asking them if they want to be prayed for and so on, or that people of other religions are offended by public recognition of Christian festivals.”
He claimed that most people wanted a society and a government that takes Christian values seriously and that Christian values had given society its values in regards to human dignity, leading to things such as the law of habeas corpus and the campaign against slavery 200 years ago.
Most of all, he said that the Church was there to give comfort to those in distress. He used the example of hospital chaplains who support those going through times of struggle and fear.
He said that the Church gave people comfort and value in a society which looks down on failure.
“When everything around us seems to say that failure is unthinkable and we must never be seen to be at a loss or out of control of the situation, the Church says failure is normal and happens to everyone, and we don’t have to succeed to be loved.”
He added that during the days before the recession people had got used to the idea that they have a right to get anything they wanted. He added that this had led to a society that sets people against each other and tells people they can become angry if they do not get what they want.
