To ask why religion is declining in Britain

[Jackieweaver2024]

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

If you want your own festival go for it if you don’t, then don’t? Not sure what’s bizarre

@Marmunia11975

And please don't celebrate Christmas if you don't believe in God. It's laughable and you look like a goof.

Why can't I celebrate the birth of Santa as an atheist?

@Marmunia11975

And please don't celebrate Christmas if you don't believe in God. It's laughable and you look like a goof.

@Marmunia11975 how about Christians stop appropriating other cultures' festivals then act like it was their own to begin with? Funny how the original Easter made far more sense as a celebration until Christianity decided to take that one as well....

You can whenever you like. You’re free to do what you want

@Marmunia11975

And please don't celebrate Christmas if you don't believe in God. It's laughable and you look like a goof.

Santa. Fools and Horses. Selection boxes. Elf. Trees and mistletoe. Yule logs. White Christmas.

Pagan, Jewish and Consumerist traditions have as much to do with Christmas these days as Christianity. You’re welcome to your Jesus Christmas if you like. I’ll stick to my Great British Secular Christmas, thanks.

@Flipflops85 you're still not getting it. How can you be so sure to believe the Bible when you struggle with basic comprehension?

@RufustheSniggeringReindeer Thank you!

@Jackieweaver2024

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

Christianity is in decline. Religion, driven by Islam, is actually on the up in this country

Explain it to me

@Marmunia11975 how about Christians stop appropriating other cultures' festivals then act like it was their own to begin with? Funny how the original Easter made far more sense as a celebration until Christianity decided to take that one as well....“

This. It was nicked from pagans.

I am very stupid though, so good luck lol

@MasterBeth

It's so strange how people expect those who attend church to magically be perfect and never commit any sins.

Not at all.

If anyone genuinely believes that their existence for all eternity is going to governed by judgment on their 4-score years and ten on this planet, then they would be completely nuts to lead anything but the most pious God-fearing life. The fact that most of humanity is screwing around, blaspheming, dishonouring their mother or father or coveting their neighbour’s ox shows how, deep down, how everyone, even the “religious” know it’s all a load of baloney.

Yeah it's weird this. I have some cousins who are quite religious. They believe that anyone who doesn't believe in God will go to hell for eternity when they die. Yet they've never tried to convert me.

Imagine honestly believing your family were going to burn in hell for eternity and not doing a single thing to save them! Fuckers!

Except as you said, presumably deep down they know hell doesn't actually exist.

yomommasmomma

It's laziness generally, they can't commit themselves to it and certainly can't be bothered to do something that inconveniences their lives, ie having to get out of bed in Sunday's! Sad but true. "Church doesn't inspire me" = I am too lazy to be bothered to make a commitment.

Or they believe it’s a load of old cods 🤷‍♀️

They are run by men who are often from the usual elite. Do nothing or v.little for women and cover the Churches back when scandal breaks. Doesn't matter if it's CofE, Catholic, Jewish, Mormon etc. They exercise or try to power over the masses. Often v.rich and in their interest to stay that way

Can't speak for England but the various scandals that have been exposed in the Catholic Church, in Ireland, has made people question everything they once blindly believed.

Because we have listened carefully to the words of Richard Dawkins and Christopher hitchens.

They are run by men

My church has 2 female ministers. Deacons are 50/50. Probably slightly more females in the kid’s ministry.

Pedallleur

They are run by men who are often from the usual elite. Do nothing or v.little for women and cover the Churches back when scandal breaks. Doesn't matter if it's CofE, Catholic, Jewish, Mormon etc. They exercise or try to power over the masses. Often v.rich and in their interest to stay that way“

My Irish stepdad’s Catholic school was run by nuns. They were evil old witches. 6 years old, he intensely disliked peas. One squeezed his mouth open whilst another stabbed the fork into his mouth until it bled. This went on for 5 years. To this day, a successful, retired man in his 70s, he becomes jelly if peas are put on his plate.
Vicious cows.
If that’s what we can expect from religious women, you can keep them, thanks.
Let’s not even get into the Magdalene laundries, run by sadistic but apparently godly women.

@Flipflops85

They are run by men

My church has 2 female ministers. Deacons are 50/50. Probably slightly more females in the kid’s ministry.

Locally both churches have female ministers here too. Also more females (and no males at all) in the kids ministry.

Some people seem to be reading too many stories on t'internet and don't have personal experience of being in a church.

@DNHandTNS again, you’re being extremely offensive, short sighted and quite frankly disgusting by claiming accounts of abuse and systemic damage carried out by the church as ‘stories on t’internet’ - you are the very antithesis of Christianity IMO and you should be ashamed of yourself. People like you are who make me glad not to go to church. The thought of my kids being around you makes me shudder

Also @DNHandTNSn unless you speak in northern vernacular dialect you can leave your ‘t’internet’ joke out of it, it’s appropriation

Some people seem to be reading too many stories on t'internet and don't have personal experience of being in a church

Some people may have attended male ‘heavy’ churches

religionmediacentre.org.uk/factsheets/sex-abuse-in-christian-churches-in-the-uk/

My faith hasn't gone, I still consider myself to be a Christian and do attend church services sporadically. As I've got older, I've discovered that I feel closest to God not in a church but walking in fields or on the beach.

@DNHandTNS yep, a lot of people on this thread have definitely not attended my church. (Btw I’m as northern as they come and your T’internet didn’t offend me lol)

So much of this thread is about how Christians try to force their views on people, but all I can see is people telling me I’m an idiot, and that I should have their point of view. They clearly don’t judge themselves by the standards they expect of others.

On a serious note though. The abhorrent acts of some churches and clergy are genuinely unforgivable. I totally get why someone abused by a ‘religious’ figure, isn’t going to skip to worship on Sunday. I was abused pretty horrifically myself, and it took a very long time to return to my faith.

However, in my opinion (I’m not for telling anyone what they should feel, think or believe) it wasn’t the Bible, word of God or religious instruction that made these people abuse. It was the power and trust they were given by their place in society. No one should have that power. We ^should^ be born equal. I genuinely hope the bastards still believe, because they should be fearful of the judgement they face.