Baroness Philippa Stroud, CEO of the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship, has warned that we will "do ourselves damage" if we try to knock out faith structures from society.
Speaking to GB News at the ARC (Alliance for Responsible Citizenship) annual conference in London, Stroud detailed the work of the alliance as an "international community with a vision for a better world".
Describing the aims of ARC and their conference in Britain's capital city, Stroud said the community at ARC seeks to "find a better story" amid the society narrative around "declinism and polycrisis and permacrisis."
She added: "It's an extraordinary community of people who are hope filled and actually believe that there is a better way for Western civilisation to go."
Baroness Stroud said pushing faith out is 'not good for anyone'
GB News
Andrew then asked about ARC's political stance, and if they see themselves as a "conservative conference".
Stroud replied: "There are things that are important from our past that we can take forward. But ARC is positioning itself really above politics."
Stroud continued: "These are ideas that regardless of which party you are in, these are certainly challenges regardless of which party you're in that you're going to face. Every party is going to face an identity crisis.
"Every party is going to face the issue of the energy and the environment. These are very, very big issues and we need to open them up to conversation again. The reason why we've got such an extraordinary community, people, 1500 people from 72 nations around the world, ex Prime Ministers, journalists, business leaders, the reason why they've all come together is precisely because we need to have these conversations."
Highlighting Stroud's earlier comments on wanting ARC to "build on Judeo-Christian values", Andrew asked if ARC had a "religious" element to its community.
Stroud said: "ARC is committed to understanding the kind of golden thread of faith that has run through our societies since the dawn of time, and that if we try and knock it out of our social structures, actually we will do ourselves some damage.
"But you won't come to ARC and find talks on faith or talks on religion. But it's just recognising that in the public square, faith is a reality and if we push it out it's not good for anyone."
Andrew then pressed Stroud on their religious stance, asking "where does that leave those who have different faiths than yourself, for instance?"
Baroness Philippa Stroud spoke to GB News presenter Andrew Doyle
GB News
Stroud revealed: "Tomorrow you'll be hearing from a rabbi who will be talking about the Judeo side of it. We've got people here from the Muslim faith as well, and lots of people have no faith.
"But what we are saying is that it is a thread that's run through our history. If the best predictor of the future is where we've come from, it probably needs to run, we probably need an understanding of it in our future as well."
Stroud summarised: "One would hope that from people finding each other, collaborating with each other across different nations, across different disciplines, that actually they would find pathways through.
"Particularly on issues like rebuilding family life, the mental health of our children, better outcomes for our children."
