|TOP|According to a survey hosted by two Christian organisations, it has been revealed that the majority of Britons think that Christian values are good for the nation, even if they do not personally believe in God.

With research showing that 7 in 10 believe that Christian principles are still valid in today's society -- despite half of those being non-believers -- the results are aimed to encourage those who argue that Britain remains an essentially Christian country despite growing secularism.

Joel Edwards, the general director of the Evangelical Alliance, one of the organisations, said that millions of people recognised the positive benefits of Christian values.

"Forgiveness, respect, hope and trust are rooted in the Christian faith and they are the antidote to a culture that is being railroaded into an individualistic, rights-orientated mentality," he said.

|AD|Moreover, 74 per cent of those who participated in the survey agreed that children should be brought up with Christian values and 71 per cent agreed that Christianity should continue to be taught in schools.

In nearly every category of the survey, Wales emerged as the most God-fearing part of the country, followed by the North-West.

Theology professor Tom O'Laughlin, from the University of Wales in Lampeter, said the high numbers of rural communities as well as language were considerable factors for the Welsh in maintaining a close relationship with God, reports icWales.

He said: "A high proportion of Welsh people are rural, and rural communities are pillars of religious observance. In terms of transmitting values from one generation to the next, they tend to be more stable."

He added: "In Wales, belief and the Welsh language are closely linked. And the Bible is for many people the authoritative text of what the Welsh language is, as well as a religious book."

The survey polled 2,077 members of the general public in January and was carried out by CommunicateResearch for the Evanglical Alliance, an umbrella body representing one million Christians in Britain, and Premier Christian Radio.

In addition, Christian values are said to be “alive and well” in Hollywood, embedded in movies such as “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” “7th Heaven,” “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” and “Sue Thomas: F.B. Eye.” All four of them won the top honours at the 14th Annual Movieguide Faith & Values Awards Gala and Report to the Entertainment Industry held March 2.

“These award-winning films and television programs, not to mention all of our other nominees and winners, prove that Christian faith and values are alive and well in Hollywood,” said Dr. Ted Baehr, publisher of Movieguide and chairman of the Christian Film & Television Commission, which sponsored the gala.