To ask why religion is declining in Britain

[Jackieweaver2024]

Just that really I would be interested to hear everyone’s opinions?

Because religion no longer fulfils the social function it used to.

I love churches. I love the beautiful buildings and the idea of a weekly get together with the local community. I love the mix of ages and the songs. I admire the food banks and lifts for the elderly and other community work. I’d genuinely quite like to get involved: I’m lonely and have time on my hands. But I can’t be there, because the same brainwashy nonsense is recited despite the fact that a lot of it has no believers at all anymore (anyone still believe that dead bodies experience a physical resurrection at the end of days??). If religious leaders welcomed agnostics and those of other faiths instead of chanting the same old bits from the bible there might be more attendees.

There’s also the issue of competition. When a lot of these churches were built, a church was the only public building in the village. There was literally nowhere else to go. Now we have tvs ipads and heated houses and (outside pandemic) spas and golf clubs and gyms and pubs and cafes... etc

I don't mean worship of nature. I'm talking about celebrating nature and the natural seasonal cycles. Celebrating the changing of the seasons, lightening up the dark months, and respecting the earth is a positive thing. Like I said, all the personification that use to be associated with it and the worship of those deities is something we have probably outgrown.

@ShrikeAttack

I thought we'd been moving away from religion since The Enlightenment.

I'm always amazed that people still have religious faith.

It seems utterly bizarre to me that we still alow so much abuse and subjugation of women under the auspices of most religions.

Certainly all the major religions aren't exactly pro-women, and all manner of practices are tolerated because we have, for some reason, decided that religious belief is a protected characteristic.

You can be prosecuted for religious 'hate-crime' in the UK, we by law have to respect people's mad beliefs in imaginary entities and the 'laws' that arise around them.

But misogyny isn't a crime.

I'm just not ok with any of that.

This 100% - this is why I am no longer involved in a church despite being brought up in one. As my dear aunt said, when finding out about the church sex scandals (priests who fathered children while saying sex outside of marriage was a sin) in the 1990's - "well if I knew they were all having sex, I would have had way more sex myself" - that generation finally woke up to the scam against women that all churches are and there is no going back for their daughters.

Although there are many handmaidens still around (and coming on to threads like this) in all religions to castigate us for not having "faith". [confused}

To me it's a loyalty system I don't want to be part of.

Someone can rape and murder and repent in their death bed and get into heaven.

Someone can spend their whole life helping others and not get into heaven because they do not worship god.

The book of revelations is horrifying. Watching the rest of humanity die in unspeakable ways while you rise to heaven?! Who would stand with someone who would inflict that pain and suffering as long as they themselves were ok?! A god who needs constant worshipping? To me it's like a domestic abuse relationship.

It isnt fashionable, it's associated with not being intelligent enough to know better and being bigoted. Traditional church services can be quite boring. The church does do good things too, I'm not totally against it.

Because it's corrupt

Religion is about control. Control of the masses and control over women.

Because its not true.

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow

Mary was a woman. Esther had a book named after her. Eve has a lot to answer for, and lets not talk about Jezebel! Those are only a few of the women mentioned in the bible.

I meant it was typified by male superiority. None of the women were particularly powerful or important. They’re just a side issue to magnify the importance of men.

My goodness, what a lot of bollocks you find on MN. You’ve obviously never even picked up a bible.

Because it is full of hypocrisy and allows awful abuses of women and children to go unchecked.

@Annasgirl there are other religions other than mainstream christianity. My Rabbi is a woman and both CEOs of the movement, Liberal Judaism are women. I left the catholic church because it was so misogynistic.

Quakers are pretty egalitarian and so are unitarians, i believe. There are valid criticisms of traditional religions but religions do evolve and there are always contemporary streams (but they are usually quite small). It would not be controversial in my synagogue to say you don't believe in god or that the world was created in 7 days, everything really is up for debate, which is how religion should be in 2020. At the same time, we keep a lot of the traditional liturgy (with all the misogynistic elements and stuff about animal sacrifice edited out) so traditional Jews can still feel at home. Religion is part of our heritage and its a pity to throw the baby out with the bath water when one can adapt. its like marriage- yes the institution of marriage is problematic but you don't need to be a 1950s housewife just because you get married. You can still have a mature relationship as a married woman, just like how you can join a modern religion.

Because religious communities (rightly or wrongly) are perceived as being sources of social intolerance and - quite rightly - many people aren’t really into the whole “women are subservient, homosexuality is wrong” schtick any more.

Well, it’s a load of old cobblers, isn’t it? Mind you, it gives some people something to do on a Sunday and Christmas is great fun, so don’t throw the baby Jesus out with the bath water.

Lots of reasons, most of which are misunderstandings, in my opinion, when it comes to Christianity, anyway.

People don't learn about religion in the same way they used to, so they make up their mind based on assumptions without taking the time to find out if their assumptions are true (e.g. re homophobia, role of women).

Society values things which are at odds with the message of most religions, e.g. money, status.

People focus on what they'd have to 'give up' rather than what they'd gain.

'New age spirituality' makes people believe they don't need God.

People think science can explain everything.

I think Christianity is just as relevant today as it has always been if you actually read the Bible as a whole, rather than take random verses out of context, and are willing to have a two-way conversation with God through prayer.

It's an interesting question. I don't think it is because we are more intelligent or that the church is more corrupt than centuries ago.

I think the development of science, particularly natural selection explaining life, is a big part of it. Once people started to doubt it, I think the game was up for the church.

I went to a CoE school and we did loads of bible reading, praying and hyms but I never had a strong faith. We were taught about other relgions and how everyone believes different things. The natural conclusion from that was that none of them really know anything. It must have been completely different in the past when Christanity dominated.

I find it amazing how relgion caught on in the first place. I can't imagine something like the early spread of Islam happening now. People weren't less intelligent but they must have been more open to believing things for some reason.

Worship of the NHS is now the religion of England, as shown by the flags saying “thank you NHS” flying from closed churches.

Lol @Greendoonan . Love your reasoning!!

@bathsh3ba

Lots of reasons, most of which are misunderstandings, in my opinion, when it comes to Christianity, anyway.

People don't learn about religion in the same way they used to, so they make up their mind based on assumptions without taking the time to find out if their assumptions are true (e.g. re homophobia, role of women).

Society values things which are at odds with the message of most religions, e.g. money, status.

People focus on what they'd have to 'give up' rather than what they'd gain.

'New age spirituality' makes people believe they don't need God.

People think science can explain everything.

I think Christianity is just as relevant today as it has always been if you actually read the Bible as a whole, rather than take random verses out of context, and are willing to have a two-way conversation with God through prayer.

Which part of 'the Bible as a whole'? The Old Testament, where God appears as a bizarrely cantankerous, insecure maniac, who's perfectly happy to commit genocide if his creation steps out of line? Or the bits which are explicitly misogynistic or homophobic?

And which version of Christianity gets your seal of approval, and is magically immune to the interest in controlling female sexuality which characterises so much of it, as with other faiths?

Money and status are key to most religions, and certainly to Christianity. The obvious example is the Catholic church, but in fact the C of E is one of the UK biggest landowners, and has a portfolio of nearly £7 billion.

And anyone who would have a 'two-way conversation' with an invisible supernatural being in which they had no compelling evidence to believe wouldn't really make me think they'd cleared up their 'misunderstanding'.

@TheGoogleMum

It isnt fashionable, it's associated with not being intelligent enough to know better and being bigoted. Traditional church services can be quite boring. The church does do good things too, I'm not totally against it.

I think the church really needs to change to bring in new members. It actually needs to go back to its roots as a community based support group.

Because it's just patriarchal powermongering and mind control. Men (90% of the time) imposing sets of absurd rules and morals on people while feathering their nests and perpetrating horrific abuse behind closed doors.

The flip side of politics basically. Strange that while people no longer want sermons in church, they are still listening to the pricks in Westminster.

Lots of reasons, most of which are misunderstandings, in my opinion, when it comes to Christianity, anyway.

Really? I think you'll find most people reject religion because they don't believe in god, not because they have mistaken ideas about what the church stands for or because they think god exists but they don't need him, or because they're into 'new age spirituality'.

Because Netflix and Deliveroo are far more enjoyable versions of opium?

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow Religious Studies GCSE does not permit schools to look at only Christianity so I don't know why you think answers have to only be from a Christian perspective. If it is being taught that way in your school then they are not following the specification.

It also involves large elements of philosophy and ethics, and most certainly students can bring in other points of view, as long as they can support their views with valid, coherent arguments.

Not all religions are declining only Christianity and Judaism.

The foundation of our culture and society is rooted in Christianity. Hence why it's allows for revisionism and decline unlike other religions. It's testament to the doctrine of Christianity that a humanist and open society had been allowed to function - it's not as simple as "it's all Bollocks so no one believes it anymore" in some Islamic societies the adherence is 99% out of all of those milllions of people how many do you think wish they could declare it's all bollocks and I don't want to do this anymore?

It's not down to the separation of church and state because in England Scotland and Wales the state does have a religion still...

I am grateful for being born in a country with Christianly as a founding story - its down to luck and nothing more and personally I still feel connected to Christianity and the practice of it - without being dogmatic

I have to say I am quite astonished at how some people commented on this thread view the church as tyrannous, persecutory, prescriptive. Of course some churches are like that.

But there are very many tolerant open inclusive churches where the focus is on community, mutual support, acceptance, practical help and a place to come together.

The idea that churches shouldn't offer food as this would be "bribing" people to attend is very paranoid. The purpose of a church amongst other things is to serve and care.

The idea that if you go to church "only" to have some food you are not a "proper" Christian is also very short sighted.

The provision of good food to someone who needs it is at the heart of many bible stories. I don't remember the Jesus saying that the 5000 had to pass a test to "prove" they were "proper" Christians before they could enjoy the loaves and fishes

The faith is in the act - the kindness and care of the people providing the food and the grace of the person accepting it. That IS the Christianity. That IS the faith.

Of course the Sikhs understand this also. Go to any Sikh temple on a Friday (I think its Friday) and you will receive a meal regardless of who you are and whether you are a Sikh or not.