Sally-Ann Hart: Faith, conscience and public service
Every delay has consequences.
Sally-Ann Hart is the former MP for Hastings and Rye and a former Rother district councillor.
As a practising Roman Catholic and a Conservative, I am often asked how faith should sit alongside politics. How can someone be both Catholic and Conservative? Is this even a reasonable question? It is certainly one that deserves a serious answer, particularly at a time when religion is increasingly drawn into political conflict, both abroad and at home.
Across the world we can see the consequences of religion being politicised. In Iran, an extreme Islamist theocracy fuses religious authority with state power, suppressing dissent, restricting women’s freedoms and undermining democracy. In Russia, Vladimir Putin has repeatedly invoked the Russian Orthodox Church to lend spiritual legitimacy to his aggression and nationalism. In Afghanistan, the Taliban have used religion to coerce, control and instil fear. None of these examples shine a good light on religion. Instead, they demonstrate what happens when faith is used for extreme political ends, rather than shaping conscience. Faith should not become dogma or used as a political weapon but inform how we exercise power and not be used to legitimise power itself.
Britain’s tradition has been different. Whilst our institutions are not governed by scripture, centuries of Christian thought have profoundly shaped our laws, traditions and social norms. Ideas such as the dignity of the individual, the importance of family life, care for the vulnerable and the moral limits of power all have deep roots in Christian teaching. These are not imposed religious doctrines but principles that have informed our understanding of justice, responsibility and the public interest.
At a time of rapid social change and increasing political division, it is worth remembering why these values remain relevant, especially within Conservative politics.
Throughout my own public life as a solicitor, magistrate, school governor, councillor and Member of Parliament, my faith has never been a party badge or a political slogan. It has been something quieter but more important – a moral compass, my driving force.
Catholicism does not offer a political manifesto. It does not instruct believers how to vote. What it offers instead is a framework for thinking about human fallibility, human dignity, responsibility, and restraint. In that sense it sits naturally alongside the best traditions of British Conservatism. Both recognise that human beings do not flourish in chaos but within an ordered moral framework. Both understand that institutions, though imperfect, carry accumulated wisdom and provide stability across generations. Both recognise that compassion cannot endure without order and that rights must be balanced by responsibilities. …
Every delay has consequences.
Sally-Ann Hart is the former MP for Hastings and Rye and a former Rother district councillor.
As a practising Roman Catholic and a Conservative, I am often asked how faith should sit alongside politics. How can someone be both Catholic and Conservative? Is this even a reasonable question? It is certainly one that deserves a serious answer, particularly at a time when religion is increasingly drawn into political conflict, both abroad and at home.
Across the world we can see the consequences of religion being politicised. In Iran, an extreme Islamist theocracy fuses religious authority with state power, suppressing dissent, restricting women’s freedoms and undermining democracy. In Russia, Vladimir Putin has repeatedly invoked the Russian Orthodox Church to lend spiritual legitimacy to his aggression and nationalism. In Afghanistan, the Taliban have used religion to coerce, control and instil fear. None of these examples shine a good light on religion. Instead, they demonstrate what happens when faith is used for extreme political ends, rather than shaping conscience. Faith should not become dogma or used as a political weapon but inform how we exercise power and not be used to legitimise power itself.
Britain’s tradition has been different. Whilst our institutions are not governed by scripture, centuries of Christian thought have profoundly shaped our laws, traditions and social norms. Ideas such as the dignity of the individual, the importance of family life, care for the vulnerable and the moral limits of power all have deep roots in Christian teaching. These are not imposed religious doctrines but principles that have informed our understanding of justice, responsibility and the public interest.
At a time of rapid social change and increasing political division, it is worth remembering why these values remain relevant, especially within Conservative politics.
Throughout my own public life as a solicitor, magistrate, school governor, councillor and Member of Parliament, my faith has never been a party badge or a political slogan. It has been something quieter but more important – a moral compass, my driving force.
Catholicism does not offer a political manifesto. It does not instruct believers how to vote. What it offers instead is a framework for thinking about human fallibility, human dignity, responsibility, and restraint. In that sense it sits naturally alongside the best traditions of British Conservatism. Both recognise that human beings do not flourish in chaos but within an ordered moral framework. Both understand that institutions, though imperfect, carry accumulated wisdom and provide stability across generations. Both recognise that compassion cannot endure without order and that rights must be balanced by responsibilities. …
Sally-Ann Hart: Faith, conscience and public service
Every delay has consequences.
Sally-Ann Hart is the former MP for Hastings and Rye and a former Rother district councillor.
As a practising Roman Catholic and a Conservative, I am often asked how faith should sit alongside politics. How can someone be both Catholic and Conservative? Is this even a reasonable question? It is certainly one that deserves a serious answer, particularly at a time when religion is increasingly drawn into political conflict, both abroad and at home.
Across the world we can see the consequences of religion being politicised. In Iran, an extreme Islamist theocracy fuses religious authority with state power, suppressing dissent, restricting women’s freedoms and undermining democracy. In Russia, Vladimir Putin has repeatedly invoked the Russian Orthodox Church to lend spiritual legitimacy to his aggression and nationalism. In Afghanistan, the Taliban have used religion to coerce, control and instil fear. None of these examples shine a good light on religion. Instead, they demonstrate what happens when faith is used for extreme political ends, rather than shaping conscience. Faith should not become dogma or used as a political weapon but inform how we exercise power and not be used to legitimise power itself.
Britain’s tradition has been different. Whilst our institutions are not governed by scripture, centuries of Christian thought have profoundly shaped our laws, traditions and social norms. Ideas such as the dignity of the individual, the importance of family life, care for the vulnerable and the moral limits of power all have deep roots in Christian teaching. These are not imposed religious doctrines but principles that have informed our understanding of justice, responsibility and the public interest.
At a time of rapid social change and increasing political division, it is worth remembering why these values remain relevant, especially within Conservative politics.
Throughout my own public life as a solicitor, magistrate, school governor, councillor and Member of Parliament, my faith has never been a party badge or a political slogan. It has been something quieter but more important – a moral compass, my driving force.
Catholicism does not offer a political manifesto. It does not instruct believers how to vote. What it offers instead is a framework for thinking about human fallibility, human dignity, responsibility, and restraint. In that sense it sits naturally alongside the best traditions of British Conservatism. Both recognise that human beings do not flourish in chaos but within an ordered moral framework. Both understand that institutions, though imperfect, carry accumulated wisdom and provide stability across generations. Both recognise that compassion cannot endure without order and that rights must be balanced by responsibilities. …
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