Though Great Britain is now far less of a faith-filled society than it was in the days of Victoria, one somewhat surprising vestige of it Christianity-dominated past is the Royal Family, with King Charles III known for his dedication to the Anglican Church and his mother, Queen Elizabeth, also a faithful member of the church before her passing.
In fact, she was one of those who attempted to warn her countrymen against the decline of Christianity in a powerful Christmas message. That was her first Christmas message, which came in 1957. In the message, Queen Elizabeth stood up for Christianity, saying that as someone connected to a bit of history that she could tell was to be discarded, she thought that Christianity, like the crown, should not be tossed aside as the world changes.
“It is inevitable that I should seem a rather remote figure to many of you. A successor to the Kings and Queens of history; someone whose face may be familiar in newspapers and films but who never really touches your personal lives. But now at least for a few minutes I welcome you to the peace of my own home,” she began, connecting herself and her family to the country’s long past.
She continued, noting that the world had changed much and many felt lost in it even then, thinking about what to discard while leaving the old behind. But, she said, they must not leave the good behind with the bad. In her words, “That it is possible for some of you to see me today is just another example of the speed at which things are changing all around us. Because of these changes I am not surprised that many people feel lost and unable to decide what to hold on to and what to discard. How to take advantage of the new life without losing the best of the old.”
She then explained that “ageless ideals,” ideals like Christianity, must not be left behind or tossed away. As she put it, “But it is not the new inventions which are the difficulty. The trouble is caused by unthinking people who carelessly throw away ageless ideals as if they were old and outworn machinery.”
In conclusion, she then warned her countrymen that such people “would have religion thrown aside, morality in personal and public life made meaningless, honesty counted as foolishness and self-interest set up in place of self-restraint.”
Watch her powerful Christmas message here: