LONDON
UK Prime Minister David Cameron has been criticized after writing an article describing Britain as a "Christian country".
A group of prominent public figures including academics, scientists and broadcasters wrote in an open letter published on Monday that Cameron was fostering divisions in society.
Prime Minister Cameron penned an article for the Anglican newspaper Church Times last week saying Britons and the UK should be "more confident about our status as a Christian country".
More than 50 signatories to the open letter said in response that they "respected" Cameron's right to his religious beliefs, but added: "We object to his characterisation of Britain as a 'Christian country' and the negative consequences for politics and society that this engenders."
In a letter to the UK's Daily Telegraph newspaper, the signatories also underscored: "Repeated surveys, polls and studies show most of us as individuals are not Christian in our beliefs or our religious identities and at a social level, Britain has been shaped for the better by many pre-Christian, non-Christian and post-Christian forces."
englishnews@aa.com.tr
