More to living a Christian life than following a set of rules

THE Prime Minister’s view that we’re still a Christian country has attracted a large number of comments as to whether we are or not. This now includes one from the previous Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams (The Yorkshire Post, April 28) whose points I’m inclined to agree with.

Essentially the answer depends on what you consider the term “Christian” means. If you believe that it just refers to keeping a set of rules or laws, then it’s possible to say that our constitutional roots have a Christian basis. But it would be much more difficult to argue that currently most people in the UK actually follow the moral and ethical code of the Judeo-Christian tradition. Indeed, I doubt if many bother to keep more than two or three of the 10 Commandments (Exodus 20 vs 3-17).

Crucially, when it comes to the Biblical definition of what a Christian is – someone who believes in and follows Jesus – then it’s clear that only people can be Christians, not countries.

Unfortunately the number of people in the UK who accept Jesus in this way is now fairly small.

And so we are losing the spiritual help to keep the Christian moral code that David Cameron is so keen on.

From: David Treacher, Nelson Road, Hull.

DAVID Cameron has said that this is a Christian country. But some people in this country are not as Christian as they could be, standing by while people are having to pay the bedroom tax or being evicted or having to be forced to use a food bank or sleeping on the streets in shop doorways.

From: John Watson, Hutton Hill, Leyburn.

HOW I agree with Keith Wigglesworth (The Yorkshire Post, April 29) when he says food banks are catering for the wrong people.

I agree with him entirely when he says benefit money is being spent on the wrong things.

How can there be poverty in this country with a benefit system that is nearly bringing this country to its knees?

I suspect a lot of it goes on cigarettes, beer, and big screen televisions. I have just read a book about a young lad growing up in the back streets of London living on very little with few benefits but never complaining.

I suspect that a lot of so called poverty-stricken individuals in today’s world would be classed as wealthy by that young boy.