At a time when this United Kingdom is crying out for a leader prepared to confess Christ and lead the nation in repentance back to the King of kings, one contender for the office of Prime Minister has announced she has lost her faith, in somewhat strange circumstances.
Kemi Badenoch has revealed that the case of Josef Fritzl made her reject God. The Daily Telegraph has the story.
The Tory leader says the behaviour of the Austrian, who kept his daughter captive for 24 years, “killed” her belief in God. Mrs Badenoch said that after reading the story of Fritzl’s daughter Elisabeth and how she kept praying to be saved, ‘it was like someone blew out a candle’ on her faith.
Mistake not to ’Do God’
Kemi Badenoch says that that she still has ‘cultural Christianity’ but is now not a believer. The Conservative Party leader grew up in a Christian household, having had a grandfather who was a clergyman. She told the BBC: ‘I believed that there was a God, and I would have defined myself as a Christian apologist, always arguing with people about why there was a God.
‘And in 2008, this story about Josef Fritzl and his daughter, who was locked in a cellar for 24 years … That killed it.’
Sir Keir Starmer is the first self-declared atheist Prime Minister. Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair’s spin doctor, was also an atheist. He intervened in an interview to prevent Mr Blair answering a question about his Christianity by saying: ‘We don’t do God.
Years later, Mr Blair, by now a Catholic, said it was a mistake for politicians not to ‘Do God’. In an interview in 2009 he said: ‘As the years of my premiership passed, one fact struck me with increasing force: that failure to understand the power of religion meant failure to understand the modern world. … Leaders, whether of religious faith themselves or not, have to “do God”.’
But that is far from the wholehearted ability to grasp the spiritual dimension of events and call on the ‘power in the blood’ which a prime minister will need in the days ahead. If you agree, sign our Petition:
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Prayers Answered
Mrs Badenoch said that she read the account of Elisabeth Fritzl and said: ‘I thought, I was praying for all sorts of stupid things and I was getting my prayers answered.
‘I was praying to have good grades. My hair should grow longer, and I would pray for the bus to come on time so I wouldn’t miss something. It’s like, why were those prayers answered and not this woman’s prayers? And it just, it was like someone blew out a candle.’
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’Cultural Christianity’
Mrs Badenoch said that she still had “cultural Christianity”, something that she found has grown as she got older.
‘The just wanting to protect certain things because I think the world that we have in the UK is very much built on many Christian values, but it’s that belief in God itself.’
She added: ‘I rejected God, not Christianity. So I would still define myself as a cultural Christian.’
But then again, as reported by CARE, evolutionist Richard Dawkins also claims to be a ‘cultural Christian’. Last year, in an interview with LBC, he declared Christianity to be a ‘fundamentally decent religion’, and lamented the way in which in London the city was more decorated with symbols for Ramadan than with those of Easter.
Kemi too loves Easter, saying that people in Britain should ‘talk more’ about the holiday. She told GB News in April: ‘It comes with spring and the sunshine comes in. So we have freedom of religion in this country. We should make sure that people are free to celebrate their religion, not impose it on other people. Whatever the religion. Let’s not impose it. But yeah, let’s talk more about Easter. Why not?’
Once more she is missing the point that a nation’s laws depend on its culture, which depends on its religion. It is not for the State to impose the First Commandment but rather itself to observe it.
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Telegraph readers’ comments
Telegraph readers brought many dimensions to the discussion.
Tao-das said: ‘Kemi I am disappointed, not because you said you no longer believe in God but because of the reasons you gave.’
James Williams agreed: ‘Is she really naive enough to think that there isn’t much worse than that going on in the world right now!?’
As did P.B.: ‘Dear me. Hasn’t she read the bible? Tree of the knowledge of good and evil? Humans are capable of evil and can actively choose to be good. Atheists have achieved Stalin and Hitler and Mao – as predicted by Nietzsche when he proclaimed that god is dead. Peterson is good on this….’
Stephen Ross said: ‘I respect what Kemi has said but strongly and respectfully disagree. I cannot form a view or response of God based on the behaviour of other people whether claiming to follow him or not when their behaviour is the complete anthesis of everything God stands for and has demonstrated through other people and circumstances in my life. Its like branding a school as poor when there is one bad teacher out of a staff of many good teachers.’
the question of suffering
Emelye Simpkin wrote: ‘Questions of suffering are, of course, immensely difficult to answer in relation to belief and trust in God, but if you base your belief decision on whether every prayer is answered, then you have missed the point. Start with a gospel and the identity of Jesus.’
David Sage observed: ‘Look at Christ and the apostles and see how badly they were treated yet they spread belief. There is Evil and it does and is doing, all over the world, even here, most terrible things. The alternative would be for God to refuse Free Will and enforce right behaviour.’
Mark Daugherty brought this: ‘I came from a horrific family situation. Violent beatings that continued for 17 years until my escape from them. I was drugged to facilitate the beatings. Left with permanent injury that has affected my whole life, and will eventually kill me. On two separate occasions I was starved to the point of near death. Many other horrific assaults.
Curiously, going through hell on earth had the opposite effect upon me. In the terrible pit I came to a certainty that God did exist, and to this day am convinced that it was God that kept me functional, and saw me to the other side. I am convinced it is my life long faith that enabled me to slowly rebuild my life, and form a character I believe to be loving despite what I went through.
‘This article really scores on me. I have no condemnation or judgement in my heart for anyone who struggles with the question of how there can be a God in a world of evil. It is perhaps the oldest dilemma of humankind. I can’t imagine living without a conception of God. I sympathize with those who never have that peace in their heart.
Born into the Kingdom
Paul Carpenter said: ‘Yes there is evil in the world but also an almighty good God. There are two kingdoms, the kingdom of Light and the kingdom of Darkness. God gives everyone free will to choose light or darkness. Satan’s kingdom (which he took from Adam) lies, steals, kills and destroys and we are all born into it. His kingdom is defeated and Christ is coming to judge the earth (Israel is the sign that this is imminent). We escape being condemned by being spiritually born into the kingdom of light. This follows repentance, confession and faith in Christ’s covenant finished work to deal with our sinfulness at the Cross.’
Claire Jenkins took aim at ‘cultural Christianity’: ‘I find this incredibly sad, as it suggests that Badenoch had a learned faith not a personal one, and due to reading about one man’s actions has come to the conclusion that God is ultimately untrustworthy.
‘And let’s be very clear here, if she has rejected God, she has rejected Christianity. You cannot do the one without the other, as then Easter and Christmas become “holidays” rather than noted Holy days.’
’Low cost option’
Cato Censor agreed: ‘I do admire Kemi’s pluck,but “cultural Christian” seems a very low cost option. Now if Jesus had only thought of that, well, no cross?’
D Storey was cutting: ‘Let’s make someone else’s misery all about me. How very 21st century.’
Christopher Young went back a bit: ‘What a surprise the last decent Christian leader was Thatcher and the last decent point of our Country was under her.’
Caroline van den Berg urged prayer: ‘We better start praying for a second coming of Jesus Christ so all these politician realise God does exist, he is more than the Easter Bunny .
‘What we need is a single individual committed to principle who can illuminate the path of virtue for generations to follow .
‘There will always be Evil people like Josef Fritzl we only have to look at our screens to see it. But we have faith hope and charity which can change the world . Keep praying.’
PRAY Pray for Kemi Badenoch to rediscover her faith. Pray the Lord will raise up a man of God to lead our nation. And ask your MP to support our Christian constitution and to ask the Government to honour our Christian heritage and the King of kings:
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Previous Articles:
Politicians ‘clueless’ about Knife Crime →
Britain – Christian country or not? →
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