Tony Blair: Solve world's problems with faith!

[Stew]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7327623.stm

Former prime minister Tony Blair is to call for faith to be given a central role in tackling the world's problems.

In a speech at Westminster Cathedral, Mr Blair will say failure to engage with religious groups will drive believers to apathy or fundamentalism.
Mr Blair, who recently converted to Catholicism, will outline the role of his Faith Foundation for young people. Anti-war protesters from Stop The War Coalition have pledged to drown out the speech with a "wall of sound". Catholic peace group Pax Christi also plan a silent protest before the speech.

Since stepping down as prime minister last summer, Mr Blair has become a Roman Catholic and is now a Middle East peace envoy. He told the BBC last year his faith had been "hugely important" to his premiership but said he had been wary of talking about it because "frankly, people do think you're a nutter". In his speech this evening, he will warn that while societies across the world are adapting to meet the challenges of globalisation, religion is coping less well. It faces an internal division between fundamentalism and those who believe religion is a spent force. He will describe the aims of his Faith Foundation, due to be launched this year.

Mr Blair is one of a series of speakers on faith and various aspects of life in Britain, which also includes the Conservative frontbencher William Hague and BBC director general Mark Thompson. The archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, said "It is important that the Catholic church engages with society in a positive and creative way and provides a public space for debate about religion. "The role of faith in our society cannot be ignored and I hope that the debate these lectures stimulate will highlight the crucial role faith can play in contributing to the common good. " But the Stop the War Coalition say they want to hold Mr Blair to account over his role in the Iraq war with their noisy protest. Pax Christi says its silent vigil will "call to mind and to public attention, Tony Blair's involvement in the Iraq War and ongoing occupation". It also opposes his involvement in the decision to replace Britain's Trident nuclear weapons system "and other aspects of his premiership that have created global polarity".

He really seems determined to become the religious nutter he says he feared being seen as while he was in office. It wouldn't bother me if he was dissolving into insignificance, but he isn't! It seems that he's been getting even more international responsibility since he left office (ironic really, as he long since lost any credibility he had in the UK).

I really hope this is just a phase of post-official popularity that will die down, because the last thing the world needs is Blair whizzing around the globe spending his new-found millions on poking his own brand of religious nutcaseism into every place he thinks might need it.

[supernothing]

Great eh! The solution to the Israel/Palestine conflict = MORE religion.
Cheers, Tony

[Hammer]

Anon Vs Tony Blair?

At least Blair doesn't have the direct power anymore (well...except in the Middle East...and US Unis...and a major bank...etc), and hopefully once Bush is out in November he'll loose a good more bit of influence.

It's no wonder that Brown is trying to build bridges with Sarkozy.

In ten years time we'll probably all be cursing him as much as we curse Thatcher.

[Draven]

See, he really is a religious nutter now. It seems to be like sexual repression, once it comes out you just can't help it.

[Semprini]

I can only hope people have learned their lesson from his time and PM and simply ignore him.

The role of faith in our society cannot be ignored and I hope that the debate these lectures stimulate will highlight the crucial role faith can play in contributing to the common good.

"...while glossing over the fact that it's to blame for many of the world's problems", he tried not to add.

[Stew]

Originally Posted by D.G.E.

See, he really is a religious nutter now. It seems to be like sexual repression, once it comes out you just can't help it.

I wonder if before we went to war with Iraq Blair prayed to God, because if he did God gave him some pretty shitty advice.

[LesMTS]

He seems to be suggesting that people engage with religion so that religious people don't feel marginalised, not that religion should come back to the heart of society. Having more breathing room for open debate between faiths and between the faithful and those without religion is surely a good thing, no?
Deeply religious people exist, that's not going to change any time soon. If collisions of faith cause problems, pushing the issue under the carpet is just going to exacerbate them. Space for dialogue is important.
Blair's a twat, but I see nothing scary here.

[thetruemayhem]

Let's get all the problems of the world sorted with self-delusion!

t.

[LesMTS]

Originally Posted by thetruemayhem

Let's get all the problems of the world sorted with self-delusion!

t.

It's absolutely irrelevant for the time being whether we think they're deluded or not.
Like I said, deeply religious people exist. In their millions. That's not going to change in our lifetime. And ignoring them or patronising them because we think they're "deluded" is not going to help friction stemming from faith, which is very real, one bit. Faith is core to some people.
If Blair wants to create space for dialogue and debate, more power to him in that regard.

[TSR]

i agree with Les (this time )

as long as he's going to acknowledge all religion, not just christianity

[PrincessGarnet]

Originally Posted by Stew

I wonder if before we went to war with Iraq Blair prayed to God, because if he did God gave him some pretty shitty advice.

actually i remember seeing an interview where he said he did do that. It was around the time he was converting to Catholicism. It really shocked me as I didn't even know he was religious.