Is the Church of England still in God's own country?

Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey believes England should stand up for its church. Nigel Farndale, an atheist, takes up the rallying cry
By Nigel Farndale
06 Mar 2010

Excerpt:
Despite my atheism, I would rather we remained a Christian country with a politicised church than became a secular country with no established church at all. That, it seems to me, would be a colder and gloomier place to live. There is an expression used to describe the strange relationship the British people have with their established religion, the way half of us profess to be Christians though we don’t necessarily go to church — “believing without belonging”. For me it is the other way around. I may no longer believe in God, but I still feel I belong to the Church of England. It’s called being British. One of Her Majesty’s subjects. the rest

I was put on the spot recently when interviewed for Books Quarterly. Do I have any religious beliefs? It was a fair question. My new novel, The Blasphemer, is about scientific proof versus religious faith. My slightly facetious answer was: “Raised an Anglican. Married a Catholic. Now, if anything, I’m a member of the Church of Richard Dawkins of Latterday Saints.” What I wish I had said was that I am Anglican atheist, because that, paradoxically, is much closer to what I feel I am.