How can you have a collective and social glue which is quite so individualistic? I think that's what I was saying in my speech was that I am envious of religion because it has this very clear central idea of God. When people go and see Grayson's show, he hasn't forced them to go. He is not starting a new religion in that sense. What he's doing is taking the prerogative of every individual to use their reasoning to convince others. And that is open to everybody. Just on that.
This is not a debate of religion vs. secularism. This is a debate about where and how the values in life are found, produced, and experienced. Some would argue that atheism has gone too far and there needs to be some point of unity to rally a sense of community around - what will fill a God shaped hole? And to what extent is religion defined by its practices versus the belief in a God?
This animated, and often humorous debate brings together writer and philosopher Alain de Botton, Turner Prize winning artist Grayson Perry, writer and broadcaster Anne Atkins, and Benedictine monk Dom Antony Sutch, along with host Tony Curzon Price, editor of openDemocracy. Together our panel debate whether or not the practices associated with religion are appropriate for those without a God and if a God is removed from religion what is left but a system of control and why is that something some secularists want?
This event was recorded on the 24th January 2012 at The Tabernacle, in London. The original producer was Executive Producer Hannah Kaye and editing was by Daisy Moll
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