The European Union (EU) usually throws up controversies which are impenetrable to all but the most jargonistically proficient. Debates about subsidiarity, arguments over qualified majority voting, disputes over the minutest detail of agricultural policy; the Union's negotiations are often a matter of zero interest to the average European.
So it's welcome that at least one aspect of the current debate on the European constitution is accesible to all. I'm referring here to the argument over whether the document should contain a reference to God in its preamble. Some states, including Poland, Ireland and Italy, are pushing hard for the Almighty to get a name-check against a larger body of members who would rather that He not be mentioned.
For me, this debate is good news. Everyone, European or not, Christian or not, believer or not, can, and probably will, have an opinion on this topic. You don't need a degree in politics to have a view one way or the other. Anything which gets Europe's disaffected citizens to sit up and take notice is welcome. In this sense, though in no other, the "Godist" states deserve credit.
Those pushing for God to be included in the constitution argue that the EU would not be possible without the continent's shared Christian (or sometimes Judeo-Christian) values. Of course, such an argument is, by its very nature, unprovable. Would Europe be as stable and peaceful as it is today if it was Buddhist rather than Christian? There's no way of telling.
Certainly, there are some aspects of Christianity which, one could argue, have helped to foster co-operation between European countries. Members of the EU try to love their neighbour as Christ instructed. There may also be something of the Christian attribute of forgiveness in the close co-operation between former enemies, particularly France and Germany.
Christianity is far from all bad. But I think we're all familiar with the gulf between the humane teachings of Christ and the often inhumane actions of those who claim to act in his name. In Europe the Christian churches have, to varying degrees, stood against the great tidal wave of rationality which has washed over the continent in the last few centuries.
All the changes which any sensible European should welcome - the advance of scientific knowledge, democratisation, religious tolerance, the emancipation of women - have been bitterly opposed by some or all of the Christian denominations of the continent. Europe is humane today, not because of Christianity, but in spite of it. The EU, as the final expression of this rationality, owes no debt to Christianity whatsoever.
If Europe was a theocracy it would not be as tolerant, as democratic or as rich. Do I really need to cite examples from other parts of the world to prove my point? One of the great narratives of the past few centuries of European life has been the gradual relegation of religion to what is, in my view, it's rightful place - the private sphere. It would therefore, be a regressive step to introduce religion into the European constitution, a very public document.
But even if Christainity had made a more positive contribution in Europe, it would still be inappropriate to mention God in the constitution. Any mention of a divine being in such a context immediately raise the question "whose God?" The God of Catholics? The God of Catholics and Protestants? The God of Catholics, Protestants and Jews? Who is included?
No matter how loosely the term "God" were to be applied (it could, just about, stretch to cover Allah), there will always be gorups left out. What about Buddhists, Sikhs and Hindus? What about those Europeans (whose numbers increase each year) who believe in no God at all?
This is far from being a trivial issue. It goes right to the heart of what Europe is, of who's in and who's out. At least one of the Godist states should understand this from experience. When the Irish Free Sate, as it then was, drew up its first constitution in 1937, it was decided to insert a clause which asserted the special role of the Catholic church in the life of the state. The Protestant churches were recognised in subsequent articles but only as "other" religions to which some citizens subscribed.
It should be said that all Irish citizens were, and are, equal in the eyes of the law regardless of religion. However the inclusion of this article implicitly suggested that some were more Irish than others. Conflating religion and nationality in this way was an historic mistake for the Irish state.
The article was dropped in the early 1970s and since then the Republic has moved steadily towards secularism, downgrading the role of the Catholic church in the life of the state. The process continues to this day. By dropping this article, it was acknowledged that religions and constitutions don't mix. Any constitution worth its salt must start from the premise that all citizens are equal. Any invocation of God in such a document ineviatbly undermines this principle.
With this in mind, it's ironic that the government of the Republic is one of the few which believes that God should be mentioned in the European constitution.