THE country needs “a revival of religion” and a recovery of “Christian politics”, the Conservative MP Danny Kruger said within the House of Commons on Thursday afternoon.
The Christian influence on the political system was to instil the notion that “power should arrange itself for the good thing about all of the people under it,” and to “make space for other religions under the Christian shield”.
But Mr Kruger expressed concern about “two religions moving into the space from which Christianity has been ejected”, saying that he couldn’t “be indifferent to the extent of the expansion of Islam in recent a long time”.
He didn’t elaborate on this, save to say that he often found himself in agreement with Muslim MPs on social issues.
“It is the opposite religion that worries me much more,” he said: “a hybrid of old and latest ideas, and it doesn’t have a correct name. I don’t think that ‘woke’ does justice to its seriousness.
“It is a mix of ancient paganism, Christian heresies, and the cult of modernism, all mashed up right into a deeply mistaken and deeply dangerous ideology of power that’s hostile to the essential objects of our affections and our loyalties: families, communities, and nations,” he said.
This religion “must simply be destroyed, at the very least as a public doctrine”, he said. “It have to be banished from public life — from schools and universities, and from businesses and public services.”
Mr Kruger’s speech began on the subject of the Church’s past, and its part in British political history. “Our democracy is founded on Christian faith,” he said.
The C of E’s parish system meant that “we’re all members — all of us belong. Even in the event you never set foot in your church from one yr to the subsequent, and even in the event you don’t consider in its teachings, it’s your church and you’re its member.”
Mr Kruger made the speech as a part of an adjournment debate on “the longer term of the Church of England”. It took place on a Thursday afternoon when most MPs have left London. There were only a handful of members present for his speech.
“It isn’t any surprise that each the Church and the country itself are in a foul way, divided, internally confused, and badly led. The Church is riven by deep disputes over doctrine and governance, and is literally leaderless, with even the means of selecting the subsequent Archbishop of Canterbury unclear, confused, and contended.
“The country itself reflects that — unclear in its doctrines and its governance, profoundly precarious, chronically exposed to threats from without and inside. It is in danger economically, culturally, socially, and, I’d say, morally.”
Mr Kruger was a high-profile opponent of proposed changes to the law on abortion and assisted dying, and referred to each issues in his speech.
“Last month, within the space of three days in a single infamous week, this House authorised the killing of unborn children — of nine-month-old babies — and it passed a Bill to permit the killing of the elderly and disabled. I describe those laws in those stark terms not to impress further controversy, but because those are the facts,” he said.
Venturing into the sector of historical debate, suggesed that “uniquely among the many nations of the world, this nation — England, from which the United Kingdom grew — was founded and created consciously on the premise of the Bible and the story of the Hebrew people. In that sense, England is the oldest Christian country and the prototype of countries across the West.”
Responding on behalf of the Government, the Minister for local government, Jim McMahon MP, said that the Government recognised the importance of Christianity within the life and history of the UK.
“Anyone involved in local life knows just how essential are Christian places of worship and the individuals who support them. They run schools and toddler groups, support food banks and reach out to those facing homelessness,” he said.
“They offer comfort and companionship to those that are isolated, grieving or simply struggling to manage. The truth is easy: without them, much of our local life simply wouldn’t function. Their contribution will not be just appreciated, but indispensable.”
Mr McMahon, who’s a Roman Catholic, set out points of the connection between the Church, Parliament, and the Government. He paid tribute to the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Marsha de Cordova MP, who answers MPs’ questions on the Church of England within the House of Commons.
He also referred to the recent decision to increase the supply under which latest female diocesan bishops go to the front of the queue to affix the 26 Lords Spiritual. This provision recently enabled the Bishop of Coventry, the Rt Revd Sophie Jelley (News, 4 November 2024), to take a spot within the House of Lords.
In response to a matter from the Conservative MP for Romford, Andrew Rosindell, Mr McMahon said that he believed “very strongly” within the importance of the parish system.
