The decline of the C

Two weeks ago, the ACW announced that it was a name change would transfer to Beweging.net.

This blog is separate from any political considerations as to why they do that. However, I would like to reflect on the fact that this association that has been standing up for the interests of the workers for centuries based on Christian concerns, has now chosen to deliberately ditch the C for Christian.

I think that the vast majority of all members of Beweging.net do not indeed choose this pillar for the sake of Christianity, let alone that most members consciously experience their Christianity (if they still are). In that sense, perhaps the name change is a confirmation of this reality.

C in a damn corner

Was it necessary? Were there people who did not want to join the ACW because of the C? Was it a barrier?

Personally, I would be surprised. I don't think our society should still cling to an anti-clerical attitude. But I do think that this name change still fits in that vein.

In the eternal discussion about the separation between state and church, the pendulum of secularization has swung enormously to one side and apparently it still cannot return to the middle. To be clear: I am 100% in favor of the separation of church and state. Both are separate from each other, but not separate from society.

Secularization has meant that there may no longer be any reference to religion anywhere in the public domain. Faith is 100% private and that has translated into something that must be completely closed off from the outside world. Many religious symbols evoke opposition; non-Christian symbols even more than Christian ones that are partly contained in our culture.

Faith is 100% private in the sense that it is one of the most personal choices. But it is not a choice that should remain behind closed doors. Christian values ​​are the basis of many good things in our society. Evangelical values ​​and universal human rights are closer to each other than you find differences.

The allergic reaction to religious symbols and expressions has become a witch hunt that destroys many good things. Religion has its place in a mature society and the witch hunt has become a symbol in itself. However, there is nothing wrong with religious people acting based on their faith.

Christians have a valuable vision of society

I have every respect for the parliamentary democracy that this year voted laws that I morally disagree with. But the fact that in that discussion I was told that I had no right to speak because I acted for reasons of faith is a curtailment of the same democracy and plurality that our society likes to be a model for.

Religion can and must give its opinion on social trends. Christians have always been charged with making our society a better place and they must continue to do so. There will always be a place for people who, based on their Christian thinking, act according to what they believe in.

It is time that we are open again to the good that radiates from Christianity. We should not keep the door frantically closed. Let us learn from history, both about what went wrong, but also about all the good that was brought to us by people who acted from their Christian charity.

My plea is therefore to stop removing all the C's, to end the modern inquisition on faith and to embrace the good that comes from Christianity in a mature, enlightened way and to give it a place in our society. We believers mean well to everyone; let us all be on the move and not hide C(Christianity) behind veils and doors.