Bishops Condemn Government ‘Demonising’ Of Benefit Claimants In Letter

Benefits And Work take the relevant parts of the 52 page letter sent to the Government by Church of England Bishops yesterday.

The House of Bishops of the Church of England have told Christians they have a duty to vote in the general election and condemned the demonising of benefits claimants and the targeting of the least well off for cuts.

In a 52 page letter to the people and parishes of the Church of England published today, the Bishops say

“Unless we exercise the democratic rights that our ancestors struggled for, we will share responsibility for the failures of the political classes. It is the duty of every Christian adult to vote, even though it may have to be a vote for something less than a vision that inspires us.”

In a clear attack on the language used by politicians and the media about benefits claimants, they add that:

“It is particularly counter-productive to denigrate those who are in need, because this undermines the wider social instinct to support one another in the community. For instance, when those who rely on social security payments are all described in terms that imply they are undeserving, dependent, and ought to be self-sufficient, it deters others from offering the informal, neighbourly support which could ease some of the burden of welfare on the state.”

The Bishops also point out that austerity has not been experienced equally by all:

“It has been widely observed that the greatest burdens of austerity have not been born by those with the broadest shoulders – that is, those who enjoy a wide buffer zone before they fall into real need. Those whose margin of material security was always narrow have not been adequately protected from the impact of recession.”

You can download the full letter, ‘Who is my neighbour’ from this link.

Readers, I am neither Christian nor religious, but I do know that if highly respected people within a religious community say something, it is well worth listening to. Bishops are in positions of power and authority and great respect within the Church of England- and on top of that, they have spoken out at the start of Lent.

If Government Ministers are Christian, I imagine that on receiving this letter, they will be torn between their personal religious beliefs and the professional game of politics.