On air: Does society need faith?
| 17:24 UK time, Friday, 17 September 2010
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The Pope has taken no time in giving us some profound issues to contemplate. Here are several lines that grabbed my attention - in particular his warning of 'a jungle of self-destructive and arbitrary freedoms'.and 'a truncated vision of man and of society'. Is this sound advice to all societies? Read on for the quotes that caught my eye...
"Even in our own lifetimes we can recall how Britain and her leaders stood against a Nazi tyranny that wished to eradicate God from society and denied our common humanity to many, especially the Jews, who were thought unfit to live.
As we reflect on the sobering lessons of atheist extremism of the 20th century, let us never forget how the exclusion of God, religion and virtue from public life leads ultimately to a truncated vision of man and of society and thus a reductive vision of a person and his destiny.
Today, the United Kingdom strives to be a modern and multicultural society. In this challenging enterprise, may it always maintain its respect for those traditional values and cultural expressions that more aggressive forms of secularism no longer value or even tolerate.
Society today needs clear voices which propose our right to live, not in a jungle of self-destructive and arbitrary freedoms, but in a society which works for the true welfare of its citizens and offers them guidance and protection in the face of their weakness and fragility."
Your thoughts?
