It’s funny how we assume Britain is becoming a nation where few believe in anything apart from where they stand in the social strata. It is easy to become cynical and find that most people avoid the subject of religion like the plague and talk endlessly about where they are thinking of going on holiday, their new car(s), extension or their next house move.
However, if you take the time and talk to someone in depth you may find some intriguing insights into the heart of the nation.

People need fulfillment and our society sees fulfillment and success as material gains but for true happiness a person needs fulfillment in several areas.

The first is material where they need a decent place to live, the ability to feed themselves and their family well and an income with which they can have the freedom to make decisions.

The second is emotional - in their home they need to feel safe and at peace. People need somewhere they can be themselves without being judged, somewhere they can switch from the person they are at work to the person they are inside. Where they can bop to music if they want, experiment with cuisine or argue about things they feel important and express their true opinions.

The third is spiritual - they need to feel secure in their beliefs. Why do they work? What is the point of everything? What happens when we die? Why do bad things happen?
All three of these are of equal importance but all vital for complete fulfillment. Many people are fulfilled in the first two but empty in the spiritual department - yet, they are seeking answers.

What we have in Britain that perhaps we have not been able to enjoy so freely for centuries is the freedom to choose what we believe.
Most of us will have childhood influences on our beliefs and many of these are based on perhaps fear. The ‘if you do not go to church, you will be bad in God’s sight’ or ‘ all other religions apart from the one you are born into are wrong’. The God we believe in is portrayed as a controlling father figure who loves us but will abandon us if we do not follow regimes and rituals imposed by the church - whatever church that is.

Yet, deep inside most of us feel there is something more than what we are. That there is a plan, perhaps something or someone higher than us. How we find what that is and what we feel comfortable with is more the question.

Most ‘churches’ are based on man-made rituals. They may once have had their origins in the Torah, Koran or Bible but they have been built on and expanded to become something of a trial to those perhaps attending for the first time.
When to stand, which entrance to go in, when to sit, when to respond, the position of prayer, all these things mask what is essentially an expression of our desire to find out more, to please and to gain spiritual fulfillment.

Churches - and I am speaking mainly about the Church of England here as this is my experience-can be in danger of putting newcomers off as it is hard to feel you belong in a place where the essence of its being is cshrouded in ritual, ceremony and certain cliques which can make newcomers feel like outsiders.

Most religions have at their heart the desire to serve the power of good. Prophets like Mohamed, Jesus, Moses, Buddha and others were strong people who gave us their message and spoke from their hearts in a manner which has had an effect on the lives of many followers. Their words are treasured, read from daily even in our modern world and put into a modern context.
Some people take the words of these good people and use them to further their own causes,taking parts of phrases and changing them to mean something which they were never intended to.
These prophets spoke of God and goodness, love and gentleness, not of violence and fear.
Jesus came from God, Buddha spoke of gentleness and seeking higher values, Mohamed preached respect and goodness, most gods of other religions speak of protection in different areas of life and treating others well. Yet, entering a church, you may feel a closed door, that you cannot possibly become part of the community because you do not know the rituals and ceremonies involved.

What we need to do at times is take a step back, listen to our hearts and that innermost part of us which tells us that there is something more, there is definitely a God, that He is with us constantly and part of what makes us human. Then we need to have the courage to seek that closeness which belief gives us, to practice the teaching of the teachers and really listen and see if they offer us a way forward. Soon the old values become less meaningful and we judge people not by their outward appearance but by their acts, their grace and goodness and their humility and desire to help others.

The people who have truly touched others have been those who have done things out of pure goodness - God driven certainly even if they have not been aware of it- but they have done extraordinary deeds which have shown a flash of brilliance and make you stop and think ‘ where did that come from?’

Sometimes, they have acted out of character -the unexpected praise or reward from someone who is normally reticent and fearsome, the quiet act of bravery or the smaller acts which simply make us feel better. All these come from the power of good and to some extent, religious beliefs per say have little to do with these acts but they come from the power of good, the sense of putting right wrongs and helping your fellow man.
If there was no power of goodness, we would derive no pleasure from helping others, making an unsung donation or giving a gift which really helps simply because we have the ability to do so.
Yes, these acts give us pleasure and a certain smugness but they would not if we were not fulfilling something deep inside ourselves - the power of goodness or God.
Just as there is apower of good, there is undoubtedly a power of evil but what we have, more than previous generations before us, is the power to choose.
We no longer go to our church because we feel we have to but because we want to. The rituals and ceremonies are not as important - whether we learn them and get them right or not- we are no longer bogged down with the need to do everything correctly because we understand that Man has faults- one of which is imposing rituals on others.

We will not be condemned by our fellow man if we do not go to church but if we do and it is the right one for us, we will feel fulfilled and part of something far greater than us.

Also, we feel small. You can have a job where the weight of responsibility can seem great - whether you are a cleaner or the manager of a huge corporation we all have responsibilities and duties to perform. We are bound by timescales, hours of duty and job descriptions but in a church, you are a small part of something far greater than what we do to earn money.

It is good for us to put everything in perspective and realise that, while we are easily replaced at work - whatever our current role- our deeds and beliefs are for keeps. It is coming to that point where you are happy that is the question for many. Does going to church make you a better person? Of course not but it does make you more of a team player - if you support a football team and never go to a match, are you a genuine fan? It also helps you answer questions and investigate ideas with others, which is important.

Something struck me recently and this was the fact that, while church goers sometimes seem judgmental of others, there are probably more sinners in a church than outside it because church goers still do bad things even with the knowledge of the sin. Religion is alive and well and always will be because the sense that there is something more than this life is strong in all of us if we search deep enough. Knowledge of God is part of us because it is part of our origin, our being and our person.

Being human is good, we have brains, we are meant to question, investigate and make choices.This is what makes us unique and special and part of celebrating our humanity is the belief in something greater than us - God is part of us and allowing that part to flourish is important.

What we need to remember is that churches are largely man made building and ran by people with different motives, abilities and foibles. The Church of England came into existence only because Henry V111 could not get a divorce if he remained a catholic so he created a new church. Yet both catholics and C of E church goers believe in largely the same thing but differences have grown due, not to God but to Man’s influence. I am sure there are differences in branches of other religions too. Yet, what we must remember is that church is a way of expressing belief, but our lives, deeds and how we view the world and others is more a true measure of our religious beliefs.