The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, and the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, have jointly backed a new religious think-tank in an effort to change the climate of opinion about the importance of faith in society.

The ecumenical think tank called 'Theos' is modelled on mainstream secular think tanks, such as Demos and the Institute of Economic Affairs. It will undertake research and provide theological commentary on social and political arrangements.

In their joint foreword to the think tank's first report, "Doing God": a Future For Faith in the Public Square, Dr Williams and Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor argue that religion has rarely been so important in society, or so badly misunderstood. And they claim that society is experiencing a period of collective confusion about the most important questions in life.

"As a society, we must decide how we will respond to this moment of collective confusion - can we go on living as before? Or, like Tolstoy, will we reassess the importance of faith to individuals and society?"

Countering claims that the increasing prominence of religion in society is a cause for concern, Dr Williams and Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor argue:

"Many secularist commentators argue that the growing role of faith in society represents a dangerous development. However, they fail to recognise that public atheism is itself an intolerant faith position.

"If we pay attention to what is actually happening in the United Kingdom and beyond, we will see that religiously inspired public engagement need not be sectarian and can, in fact, be radically inclusive. This report argues that faith is not just important for human flourishing and the renewal of society but that society can only flourish if faith is given space to makes its contribution and its challenge."

The Theos report attacks institutional atheism and argues against consigning faith to the private sphere. It claims that religion will play an increasingly significant role in the UK due to three trends: the return of civil society; the pursuit of happiness; the politics of identity.

Speaking before the launch of the report this week the Director of Theos, Paul Woolley, said:

"In the 1980s and 1990s think tanks challenged the status quo and helped change the climate of opinion in society. And we want to do the same. We want to provide alternative perspectives to the orthodoxies of secular culture."

"It is clear that society is embarking on a process of rapid de-secularisation. It is no longer considered bold, brave and brilliant to argue that religion is an infantile delusion. Interest in faith is increasing across Western culture. Religion is firmly on the agenda of both government and the media, and Theos aims to speak into this new context."

"Theos steers an independent course between political parties and is non-denominational. We stand against the prejudice in secular society that religion in public life or debate is dangerous or irrelevant. Faith is personal but it can never be private. If William Wilberforce, Keir Hardie or Martin Luther King had kept their faith private, the world would be a more divided and unjust place than it is today."

The launch of the think-tank coincides with the publication of a new opinion poll showing that six out of ten people think that Christianity has an important role to play in public life. The poll carried out by CommunicateResearch reveals that 58 per cent of people agree that Christianity has an important role to play in public life, compared with just 37 per cent who disagree.

Interestingly, 42 per cent agree with the view of Richard Dawkins that "Faith is one of the world's great evils, comparable to the smallpox virus but harder to eradicate," compared with 44 per cent who disagree. But 53 per cent agree that religion is a force for good in society, compared with 39 per cent who disagree.