Religious and political activists have highjacked the argument for standards and values in our country again. Non political atheists would have the view that our nations rules for "appropriate behaviour" have relaxed so far that ANY new arrival into our society does not know where the line is drawn.

Martin Watson, Bath, UK

Religion has nothing to do with it - people are simply tired of seeing their taxes wasted on welfare that is blunt and mis-directed. Excess welfare leads to lower standards, less drive in people etc. Labour ramming their version of social justice down our throats has backfired finally.

David Spring, Wandsworth, United Kingdom

This country needs to get back to the christian moral compass which it started out on. Not everyone likes it but you cant argue against it. There is no other solution. Most people dont really know what 'christian' means.

Daniel Davies, London, United Kingdom

What makes people so nonchalantly convinced that liberal democracy will survive? Or perhaps it's that they don't care really whether it does or not. Do they not understand the implications if it fails? Or do they look at the French during WW2 and think, well THEY got on alright?

gb, Austin, USA

RADICAL RATIONALISM is the civilised and correct response to radical Islam and radical religionism.
Make "The God Delusion" absolute required reading in Muslim and religious schools. Require, "Women's Equality" a required course at Islamic schools starting TODAY.

Minne Wild, Bristol, 8.,

The thrust of Bishop Nazir-Ali's claims are drawn straight from the American Religious Right's rhetoric, which has successfully created, through propaganda like this article, what it pretended only to "discover" in American culture -- namely a moral vacuum and a culture "war".

Teryaki Mutyko, London, UK

To me, viewing England as a foreigner having lived mostly in US and Asia, I'd say the fact of moral decay is as certain as day and night. Not advocating return to victorian England here but it's surely a sign of terminal decay if people see no meaning in life other than acquiring pleasure and money.

Jack Jones, Interlaken, Switzerland

I can hadly find any instances of their being British Islamic extremists excluding people who are already from a muslim background (those attracted to extremism seem only to come from the most under-developed regions of the muslim world) therefore I think his comments on this have no relevance.

Alan Moroney, Brighton, England

I think many negative associations with Conservatism have been overstated and the perils of Liberlism understated. Take for instance the revelry of the last drinks pn the Underground. A reasonable proposition, but one that assumes people will respect the freedoms of other.

Duncan, Wokingham,

The morally corrupt or inept have had their way too long. It will take a major revolution now to get the 'plebs' to return to decency and a respect agenda. The traditional sources of moral guidance, Teachers and Doctors for example, are as morally vacuous as everyone else. The game is over.

judy, Liverpool, England

Tolerant, moral religion has always served a good purpose. If you can't believe a nice Jewish boy from Israel being the result of virgin birth, walking on water and being resurrected from the dead, you can adopt another spiritual environment. Try Buddhism, Bahaism or Judaism. They all work!

Sharon Alolev, Borehamwood, UK

7/7 did not lead us to question our morals but allowed us to talk about the governments loss of control of immigration and appeasement of Muslim bodies. This lead to exposing the Home Office as not being fit for purpose then on to other slack functions police, welfare, families tax parenting etc etc

David Cartright, Birmingham,

Marin sees a moral problem at the heart of Britain's ills but is unwilling carry her argument to itslogical conclusion . Homosexuality is the most blatant challenge to a sane morality. All human societies until ours have held this practice in horror. This is not 'curious' but healthy.

Sean L, Cardiff,

Didn't have time to read the article.Had to rush to the tanning studion in my BMW. Liz just got back from her apartment on the Algarve so I'm meeting her in the wine bar tonight to talk about the fall in house prices. What with having my nails done after gym tomorrow I probably won't get chance now

Francis Cousins, Wrington,

Curious is it not, that the only senior Anglican bishops who can discern most accurately what is wrong with this country are the Archbishop of York & the Bishop of Rochester, born & brought up respectively in Uganda & Pakistan. Have the others all been effectively brainwashed?

Dave, Wrexham,

Glib talk about "post-Christian morality" is Oxbridge graduate self-indulgence.

The reality is that many (most?) people today live by a "pre-Christian" morality. For them the Christian notion that God loves you and forgives your sins is a revelation and a path out of moral indigence.

Christopher Chantrill, Seattle, USA

It's all a bit too late now!

David, Bromley,

The critical thing is to avoid reviving the whole old conservative package. There is a lot wrong with violence and lack of respect. There is nothing whatever wrong with sex (between consenting adults) in all of its glorious forms. "Make love not war" should be the slogan of any moral revival.

Richard Baron, London,

Hasn't Minette noticed many of the standardbearers of the US moral raving right have become embroiled in sex scandals and a ministerial one here is the one dead cert about any future tory administration

Chris, Birmingham,

NHS Scandal
So Alan Johson's and the Labour government's ideology is more important than the preservation of life?
I hope for another "U" turn,
My life may one day depend on it!

Elizabeth Smith, Gatcombe, IOW, UK

I and three friends went to hear Mary Whitehouse speak. We intended to be disruptive. We came away unconvinced of her point of view but surprised the concerned and thoughtful woman was not as depicted by newspapers.

Imo she was wrong but she tried to change society peacefully. Good on her.

Derek Smith, Brighton, UK

Your point about the armed services is not unique to this period at all. Read Kipling on the "Thin Red Line" or of Pepys on the reform of Naval Procurement or talk to the veteran of any front line service of any period about the nature of the kit they were issued with.

Ian G, Bristol,

To anyone with any foresight it was pretty obvious what the outcome of 60's permissiveness would be. I was only 15 by the end of the 60's, the child of "ordinary" working class parents, and I could see what would happen - the breakdown of family, the loss of childhood, crime, lack of respect etc etc

Geoff M, Bromsgrove, England

journalism is not a 'gun' u assasinate people's characters with or wound them to reduce their impact...especially when they are trying to do what is right and warn everyone, like Bp.Nazir Ali. Who else with any authority will do it?

andrew fairhead, Hants, UK

"These British extremists despised us for our decadence, and we were forced to admit they had a point. "

This noisome sentence sums up the moral incoherence of the entire article.

Of course, it's no surprise to see a social conservative approving of al-Qaeda: they're cut from the same cloth.

Martin Clarke, Leicester, UK

Yes, SD, the evil seculars are muddling the distinction between right and wrong. Sometimes we acquire new information which persuades us that what we previously thought was wrong, is in fact right (see: homosexuality). This process is known as "learning".

Ryan, Winnipeg, Canada

"Thus the conservatives always enter....... "

Britain IS in a state of moral decay. Whether the Tories are the answer to our problems is debatable. But well done Bishop Nazir-Ali for having the guts to stand up for his convictions. We need more like him to draw people back to the Church.

Lin, London, England

Social ills,apart from their economic roots and peoples defective upbringing (and too much TV) are also due to the moral relativism of the secular world where many are unable to make the distinction between right and wrong. JS Mills thought religion was important for the moral functions it performs.

SD Goh, PJ, Malaysia

Well, you got this righter than AA Gill did. He still finds Mary Whitehouse a target for his juvenile jibes.

The Bishop is after all only reminding us of that ancient Eastern wisdom "Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind".

The UK is now reaping what it sowed. And what it is reaping is bitter herbs.

dalewill, Wellington,

I read Mary Whitehouse's autobiography ('Who does she think she is?') many years ago and discovered that she was a reasonable, conservative individual, not the ogre portrayed in the liberal establishment media. She was a victim of character assassination. Media glitterati wield excessive power.

Karen Ways, London,

If the best she can manage is to deride the bishop's facial hair Minette Marin is hardly the person to defend our values.

We need to be rid of those who have colluded with the slide into decadence, in politics and the media, and to make a completely fresh start.

Maria, Daventry,

"One does not have to be a practising Christian to subscribe to a post-Christian morality, and to hold it dear."

Huh? What does this statement mean?

As for the rest of this muddled argument, if you want to restore moral fiber to a country that has lost it, Christianity is your best bet.

Jerry Carroll, Hot Springs Village, USA

Thus the conservatives always enter. Whether it is Hitler, Muslini, or Reagan they always enter the seen saying that the the countries problems are due to moral decay.

Then they slice of one segment of the sociey off at a time, calling them out as evil and stealing what they little they have.

Robert Lee Hotchkiss, Jr., Sand Diego, CA, USA

Minette Marrin's article is excellent, but for one point.
I believe the Bishop IS calling for a Christian revival to oppose
Islam itself. And what is wrong with that? Christianity is an evangelising faith. Bishops are supposed to encourage evangelism.

Reynolds, London, UK

2,600 year old evidence that TV & film violence brutalise people: According to Plutarch, the ancient Greek lawgiver Solon was enraged at the plays Thespis put on in Athens as Solon said people will copy what they see on the stage. How accurate he was. One can't do what cannot first be conceptualized

SMITH, Kent,

Mary Whitehouse was entitled to her views (as are/were those who shared them), but what she was not entitled to do was lobby/harass the BBC etc. into censoring things on behalf of some imagined moral majority.

The world does not need any more authoritarians.

Mark Richards, London, UK