To ask why religion is declining in Britain

[Jackieweaver2024]

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

I have been looking at the published accounts online of HTB. Some of their vicars are on 100k packages, it feels like a very glamorous Chelsea set and that’s not what Christianity is about.
Or is this how it has to be to attract the glamorous of London?

'Re: the wedding thing, it doesn't look like the Church of England cares much whether you're religious either. After all, they do get paid for it. You have to fulfill only one of the 7 criteria, which include 'you lived in the parish for 6 months at some point' or 'your parents lived in the parish for 6 months at some point since your birth'! Why would the church welcome non-church-goers getting married there if it were wrong or disrespectful?'

@lazylinguist

You have been misinfomed.
All couples need to see the vicar/priest when they book the wedding and he/she will have a discussion with them about what they are undertaking from a Christian perspective.
People who are not Christened cannot marry in church.
The vicar/priest has the final say whether or not a couple get married in their church.

www.yourchurchwedding.org/article/preparing-for-marriage/

What I can't get my head around is the number of people who say they aren't 'religious' ie not Christian, say they don't believe in a (Christian) God, say religion ie Christianity is pants but they still want a big church wedding, their DC Christened, and want a priest/vicar/minister at loved one's funerals

I just don't get it.

Christianity requires its adherents to evangelise. Go make disciples of all men and all that. You don't understand that the church regards offering weddings, christenings and funerals as part of its outreach remit?

People who are not Christened cannot marry in church.

I don't know about the CofE but this simply isn't true of evangelical churches who don't hold with the christening of infants.

'You don't understand that the church regards offering weddings, christenings and funerals as part of its outreach remit?'

Err no.

Where did that come from?

To encourage people who do not believe in God to have religious wedding ceremonies is certainly not part of any C of E outreach programme that I know of.

Where is that part of C of E policy?

To encourage people who do not believe in God to have religious wedding ceremonies is certainly not part of any C of E outreach programme that I know of

Where is that part of C of E policy?

On their own website...

www.yourchurchwedding.org/article/can-i-marry-in-church/

[quote CathyorClaire]To encourage people who do not believe in God to have religious wedding ceremonies is certainly not part of any C of E outreach programme that I know of

Where is that part of C of E policy?

On their own website...

www.yourchurchwedding.org/article/can-i-marry-in-church/[/quote]
I do love a good gotcha!

I do love a good gotcha!

AnitaB888 - it looks like I haven't been misinformed at all then, as I'm not very surprised to learn, because the CofE website was where I had checked my info.

Presumably, apart from evangelising, they also just want to get bums on seats and raise a little money, which is understandable.

So where does it say that this is part of 'outreach'??

I think you will find that this doesn't hold true for the Traditional Anglican Parishes.
And despite what it says the Vicar/Priest has the final say as to whether or not a couple get married in his church. I have known couples be refused for various reasons.

And despite what it says the Vicar/Priest has the final say as to whether or not a couple get married in his church. I have known couples be refused for various reasons.

Yeah that's not quite the same as 'You have to be christened' though, is it? Just because you know a few people who have been refused by individual vicars, that doesn't mean that most of them don't allow it, especially as it appears to be CofE policy that it's allowed.

So where does it say that this is part of 'outreach'??

Isn't that implicit?

You do come across as rather... parochial. Do you not want others to hear the good news by any available means?

Because societies move on and religious scriptures can't be rewritten to eliminate all that misogyny, racism, sexism, homophobia, general discrimination of everything and anyone who isn't a believer despite how hard they try to rebrand it.

I agree many places of worship do great things in their communities, but its the individuals not the institution.

And many places of worship have not been such great places to be part of either, attracting controlling zealots who use the cover of religion to carry out their dark agendas. And while as above it's the individuals not the institution who are at fault, we all know that's bull shit don't we. No one in their right mind should have faith that any organised religion has anyone other than themselves as a priority.

I only wish the church would butt out of primary schooling, I love my village school but detest it's Church of England status.

I only wish the church would butt out of primary schooling, I love my village school but detest it's Church of England status.

Same here. I suspect the Headteacher of mine secretly feels the same.

@Marmunia11975

Yeah, I shrug too when people get married in church??!! Like....hello?? Why, if you disagree with the church and its role. And don't get Christened either, because it really is taking the piss.

Why not go to a Hindu temple or do some Ramadan?

'Do some Ramadan'? And you call people who celebrate Christmas 'goofs'. What an ignorant comment from an idiot.

'Isn't that implicit?' - No

'You do come across as rather... parochial. Do you not want others to hear the good news by any available means?'

How does that work in a wedding service when neither are believers?

I am surprised that the liberal wing of the C of E has become quite so, err, liberal, my bad.

"I only wish the church would butt out of primary schooling, I love my village school but detest it's Church of England status."

You are free to take your DCs to another school, no-one forces you to use that school.

So making promises in front of a God you don't believe in, singing hymns to God that doesn't exist, being married by a person who is a servant of a God who doesn't exist, saying prayers to a God who doesn't exist, asking for the blessing on your marriage from a God who doesn't exist seems a bit stupid to me - and not very meaningful.

Needs a bit of an edit, fixed it for you:

Making promises in front of friends and family, singing old meaningless songs, being married by the person who does the marriages at the venue, saying 'prayers' because they are traditional and makes the grandparents happy, asking for someone to wish the marriage good luck because it cant hurt can it - seems a harmless tradition to start a meaningful marriage.

And using a local venue that is a historic building with pretty windows works well, happy to pay for that. Irrelevant to most that it is used by a few people once a week to talk about a mythical being.

@lazylinguist

I only wish the church would butt out of primary schooling, I love my village school but detest it's Church of England status.

Same here. I suspect the Headteacher of mine secretly feels the same.

The school I teach in is C of E, as are all of the schools in a ten mile radius. The head looked into disassociating from the church and it was pretty much impossible as apparently the church owns the land the school is built on. So not the school building but the land and any school that may be built on it. Yet there they are asking for donations for the church roof every week from the parishioners, despite being vastly wealthy landowners. Money, influence and secrecy are the churches' main goals 100%

Most of the church weddings I’ve been to were of non believers. They wanted a nice building (good for photos) with friends and family for their special day. Nothing religious about it.

Ive searched the bible and cant seem to find the section that talks about chocolate eggs, I take it we eat them to ward off the zombie jesus like garlic to vampires, but what if were wrong and were meant to throw the chocolate eggs at zombie jesus like silver bullets and werewolves

No bible needed for my easter or christmas
Throw chocolate? Blasphemy

I dont mean proof of historical abuse. I mean current proof, if you can. Or are you one of those Conspiracy theory nuts who just spread hate an rumours?

www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/aug/14/victorian-bill-would-compel-priests-to-report-child-abuse-confessions-or-risk-jail
What would you call refusal to mandatory report child sex abuse?
Abuse STILL happens and some would prefer jail to dobbing in a pedofile. They more willing to protect a pedofile than a child.
Vile excuse of humans

"@AnitaB888 - you've actually made quite a fool of yourself and I'm sure I'm not alone in cringing for you.
You don't seem to even have a basic knowledge or understanding of what you're spouting, it's just like word vomit."

What are you referring to?

I'm entitled to have an opinion, whatever it is.