A Question of Values

	A Question of Values
	Four panelists faced tough questions in Ashtead Peace Memorial Hall as part of the nation-wide facevalues campaign. Their answers? Society needs trust and forgiveness. Michael Meech, Kit MacLachlan, Mick Williamson (compare), John Smith and Paul Woolley line up to speak out.
	"Given the recent high profile scandals in multinational companies, and revelations about politician's private lives, how are we going to face a future where we can't trust each other? "The opening question set the scene, and was followed by others probing the panelists' views about the state of the nation's moral health. Paul Woolley was first to answer. As public policy manager for the Westminster based lobbying outfit Christian Action Research and Education (CARE), he was in a good position to comment on the political angle of the question. "A future without trust is bleak," he said, but added that politicians are elected from the population. If society tolerates a lack of trust, then we will find ourselves with leaders who don't see it as a particularly important issue to fight for. "We need to wake up - trust starts with us." Based in Guildford, Kit McLachlan of the diocesan department of social responsibility pointed out that trust is the essence of personal relationships. Ashtead resident, Methodist minister and radio presenter Michael Meech added that as far as he could see, trust is not dead, just going through a bad phase. "Trust, he said, "is the lubrication of society."
	Further questions led to the idea that trust in relationships can also be built as people learn to say sorry. "The Christian message highlights the value of forgiveness," said John Smith, one of the brains behind facevalues. He pointed out that psychiatrists say forgiveness benefits not only the person who is forgiven, but also the person doing the forgiving. If you missed the evening, don't worry. It's available on video. Just contact the St George's Christian Centre to borrow a copy.
	Go to next article - Give Yourselves a Treat… - Rector's article See also All in a day - Rosemary Bull, in this issue See also the Christmas 2002 magazine article Coming face-to-face with our values See also facevalues Back to Christmas 2002 front page Back to our Home Page