Christianity, left, right and centre.

One of the differences between us Brits and our cousins across the pond which intrigues me the most is our attitude to religion.

Now any discussion of such matters is bound to rely heavily on sweeping generalisations, and for that I apologise straightaway.

Britain has been for decades a profoundly secular country. Churches are, on the whole, not well-attended and the congregations, particularly in the Church of England, are ageing dramatically. There are exceptions, of course, and perhaps there is a growth in what some might describe as the 'happy clappy' churches. And it is the fringe, and more radical church groups which attract the young. And Islam. Perhaps it is because the young like moral certainties and feel comforted by them. When you are young you easily perceive injustices and need answers. Perhaps one's tolerance for uncertainty grows as you age.

The National Statistics Focus on Religion reports that:
"The 2001 Census identified 8.6 million people in Great Britain who said they had no religion. Christianity is the main religion, with 41 million people. Muslims were the largest non-Christian religious group – 1.6 million – and their profile shows a young, tightly clustered, but often disadvantaged, community." Add to this the age distribution of the nation across religious lines:
"Muslims have the youngest age profile of all the religious groups in Great Britain. About a third of Muslims (34 per cent) were under 16 years of age in 2001, as were a quarter (25 per cent) of Sikhs and a fifth (21 per cent) of Hindus. There are very few older people in these groups – less than one in ten were aged 65 years or over. The Jewish and Christian groups have the oldest age profiles with one in five aged 65 years or over (22 per cent and 19 per cent respectively)." I would suggest that in percentage terms not many Christians practise their religion here, whereas a large percentage of Moslems do. Many of those 41 millions 'Christians' probably enter church less than five times a year if that. Many professed Christians in this country use the church for hatches, matches and dispatches; ie christenings, weddings and funerals.

In latter years I would include myself in that statistic. I come from a long line of profoundly religious people on my mother's side. My grandfather was a Congregationalist minister, as were both my maternal great-grandfathers and one of my great-great-grandfathers. He was a coalminer before he studied for the ministry, partly, if legend is correct, out of devotion, but partly because it was the only way someone like him could gain an education. (As an aside, both my daughter and I have the same family second name Kyria, which comes from his studies - it is the feminine of Kyrie - Lord. His daughter was given this name when she was born during the period of his studies.) My mother is very active in the church, and very knowledgeable. My father was agnostic. I tried very hard to be a believer, and it was only a few years ago that I admitted to myself that I really couldn't claim faith. I envy those with faith, and I admire them. I have friends and relatives whose lives are testament to goodness, calm and faith. I just can't find it in me. Not long before my father died we discussed this and discovered that we both feel the same. My children go to a Catholic school because I very much want them to grow up in that environment and I don't feel equipped to deal with that part of their education.

Anyway, I digress massively. This wasn't supposed to be about me. The Prince of Wales has long held the title "Defender of the Faith". There has been some debate recently as to whether this is appropriate in a country whose population hold so many faiths. And in any case should our future Sovereign have any religious role in such a secular nation as ours? One suggestion is that the Prince of Wales should be renamed "Defender of Faiths" and he is said to like this compromise.

No one in this country can go around citing God as an influence. No one wears his religion on his sleeve and if he does so he is viewed with profound suspicion. When Blair mentioned praying for guidance as to what to do in the current situation in the Middle East it was in the news for days. It was talked about in the same way that Nancy Reagan's consultations of a psychic were talked about. Pray, by all means, but don't talk about it - that's the British way. So all the religious cant trotted out in American politics seems to us to be very distasteful. And, in the current situation, particularly unwise. Religion is a hot potato these days and must be handled very, very carefully.