Faithworks defends faith-based public services

Christian ministry Faithworks has hit out at a new report by the British Humanist Association (BHA) released this week, which claims that religious organisations do not offer any distinctive benefits in the provision of public services.

The 'Quality and Equality: Human Rights, Public Services and Religious Organisations' report also argues that government plans to give religious organisations a greater role in the provision of public services "runs the risk of lowering standards, increasing inequalities, introducing 'parallel services' and damaging social cohesion".

Faithworks' leader Malcolm Duncan has rejected the report's findings, arguing that the BHA "has fallen into accusatory and exclusive language".

"The report attempts to consign faith to the edge of society, attacking and misrepresenting who we are and our motivation for what we do," said Duncan. "Its language caricatures the faith sector, assuming the worst of us rather than acknowledging the best.

"The way ahead," he added, "is not to dismiss faith, but to embrace it whilst at the same time celebrating the rights and responsibilities of humanists and secularists."

The BHA report also warned of discrimination in the work place because of exemptions to equality legislation enjoyed by religious organisations, and questioned whether faith-based organisations would provide public services irrespective of religion, belief or sexual orientation.

Hanne Stinson, BHA Chief Executive, said: "We are publishing Quality and Equality to draw attention to our concerns about the current policy to make religion a central feature in the provision and delivery of a wide range of public services.

"Through the report, we want to make clear our position that the most fair and most inclusive services - for service users of all faiths and none - are secular services."

Polly Toynbee, President of the BHA, said: "It cannot be right that any provider of public services is permitted by law to discriminate in employment policies or in the manner in which it provides statutory, state funded public services."

The Quality and Equality report is calling for a change in legislation to ensure that service users are not discriminated against on the grounds of religion or belief, as well as to ensure the implementation of equality-based employment policies.

Faithworks' Duncan responded to the demands of the report, stating, "There are thousands of projects and groups in the faith sector that already do what the BHA are suggesting.

"We are pursuing the way ahead - a faith standard that assures public benefit and the correct use of public funds."

He added, however, that there were still many areas on which the BHA and Faithworks could agree.

"Just as there are good and bad examples of faith projects and work, there are good and bad examples of humanist and secularist projects," he asserted. "I wholeheartedly agree with the BHA's conviction that there should be a level playing field for faith groups and non-faith groups."

He continued by saying that the BHA report was a "caricature" of the contribution of secularists as well as people of faith.

"As a Christian, I am as committed to a clearer separation of the roles of church and state as the BHA. As a human being, I am as committed as they are to the dignity of all human beings. As a social activist, I share their abhorrence of discrimination.

"However, this report suggests that the only way to create a healthy balance is by banning faith communities from the public square."

Duncan said that such a position would only cause people of faith to "fear" secularism and do little to help them understand it.

He invited the BHA to enter into a "balanced dialogue" on some of the issues raised in the report "in the hope that by listening to one another and understanding where we agree, as well as where we disagree, we might actually move forward constructively and positively together".

"Our communities deserve the best of our experience and wisdom, not the worst," he concluded.