Why is the BBC is grossly over-emphasising the importance of religion in the lives of its viewers?
The Corporation is being influenced far too much by individuals and groups with a vested interest in this, to the detriment of those with opposing views. The Bishop of Manchester in particular and his many religious colleagues understandably take every opportunity to puff up the importance of religion and claim that the nation is yearning for more and more religious broadcasting: that is their raison d’etre. The Church of England (including its Synod) has been pressing the BBC to increase its religious output for many years. These may seem to be powerful voices, but they are far from representative, and less than a million people attend CofE services on the average Sunday. Your own head of religion, Alan Bookbinder, was this week reported to be mystified by the “sense of crisis” that has been generated about religious broadcasting. We share his view, indeed we feel the “sense of crisis” to be a self-serving invention. The only real concern is being expressed by vested religious interes
