Richard Dawkins wants to be a cultural Christian. But there’s no such thing

Prominent atheists are declaring themselves “cultural Christians”. But you can’t pick and mix the bits of faith you like, says John Heathershaw. It won’t work

Richard Dawkins, the famous atheist and author of The God Delusion (Black Swan), courted controversy on Easter Day by declaring his fondness for Christianity, “a decent religion in the way that Islam is not.” Dawkins went on to describe himself as a cultural Christian, noting: “I like to live in a culturally Christian country, even if I don’t believe a single word of Christian faith.”

There is nothing unusual about Dawkin’s stance. Conservative thinker Douglas Murray has described himself as a “Christian atheist”. On the left, Alastair Campbell - who once remarked that New Labour “doesn’t do God” - now counts himself as a “pro-faith atheist”. The current Labour leader, Keir Starmer, is a self-declared atheist but has stated that faith groups “play a unique and vital role in the running of our country”.