ITEMS OF INTEREST June 9, 2008 Issue

ITEMS OF INTEREST

with contributions from Ruth Gledhill, Craig Silverman, Brian Bethel

THE PRIMARY CAUSE of unhappiness in Britain is not lack of material wealth but a loss of faith in God and religion, a group of MPs [Members of Parliament] said May 12. In a new report on well-being, a cross-party group of Christian MPs echoes concerns raised by the [MP] David Cameron, who has emphasized repeatedly the importance of action to improve society's sense of "well-being." They say that the Christian voice is not being respected properly because it comes across too often as "negative."

[MP] Steve Webb ... said: "Over the years, many of us who are MPs rooted in the Christian community have been concerned that our voice in the public square can come across as being too negative. We are easily identified by what we are against, but less clear what we are for." He said that, despite material wealth, society lacked a sense of well-being. He argued that this had been caused by the erosion of religious values. ...

Mr. Webb said: "The problem is, our ideas tend to be limited: throwing money at the problems doesn't work. ..." [MP] Gary Streeter ... said: "I think many policymakers sense these things, but don't know what to do about it. ..."

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