to think the UK needs to think about the role of the religion and the State given that that only 1/3 of people say they are religious

[cakeorwine]

Interesting survey results

lost-faith-the-uk's-changing-attitudes-to-religion.pdf (kcl.ac.uk)

1/3 of people are religious, 46% aren't religious and 20% are atheist (not sure of the difference)

50% believe in God and 48% don't - so that's a bit weird if you think about the previous survey

About half of people believe in life after death and about half don't

Interesting survey - the UK is one of the least religious countries in the world. Something you might not have believed if you think of our anthem and also the recent Coronation.

We went through all this last autumn when you asked a similar question; and over the course of pages and pages you took no notice of anything that anyone said or displayed any willingness to engage and just repeated variations on your original post. It was waste of time engaging then and it's going to be a waste of time engaging now.

We have some survey results now.

Just 1/3 of people are religious.
So even less will be C of E

And it's only going down.

But thanks for engaging.

You clearly have a not so hidden agenda. Meanwhile, the majority of us will carry on believing.

1/3 is not a majority

The results came out today

Hell, yes: younger Britons more likely to believe in damnation, study finds | Religion | The Guardian

Surprising that more people believe in Heaven than in Hell.

Meanwhile, the majority of us will carry on believing.
The majority of people are definitely not actively religious by any stretch of the imagination. Even loosely the amount who ‘believe in god’ will have largely secular values as proven by the way politics is going and the recent social policy changes around same sex marriage, abortion in NI.

I wouldn’t say religion is forefront in mainstream UK politics though. Not like the US.

Even for those who are not 'active believers', the traditions may have value and offer a sense of comfort and stability. You referred to the coronation. The monarchy isn't strictly necessary itself, at this point, yet it continues.

Why do you care enough about this topic to post about it every year or so? What will removing references to religion do to improve your life?

The question isn't if you believe or not, fill your boots.

The question is whether separation of Church and State is good. Entirely different question.

Only when it comes to the State. Separation of Church and State.

They should be 2 separate things - why should they be linked considering that most people aren't religious.

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/culturalidentity/religion/bulletins/religionenglandandwales/census2021
37.2% non religious according to
2021 census, up 12% from 2011

There should be separation of Church and State even in countries where most people ARE religious. Posting the stats is meaningless.

I agree in separation of church and state.

*agree with

Posting the stats just helps reinforce the difference.

Belief in God is falling.

The Church and State should be separated.

@mydoghasanattitude Why do you care enough about this topic to post about it every year or so? What will removing references to religion do to improve your life?

What an odd comment. Lots of people’s lives would be improved with a higher degree of separation between church and state.
It’s not some weird fringe view.

OP, no one cares.

The role of the established church in the state is almost entirely symbolic. Some ceremonies at the coronation are just old traditions, nice to have but of no practical meaning, while the handful of bishops in the Lords are so few that they carry little real weight.

It's not like (supposedly secular) America where Republican politicians bang on about god while restricting the right to abortion or claiming that the Second Amendment is a "god-given right".

Posting the stats just helps reinforce the difference.

It doesn't because then people argue about the statistics, not the actual point. Which is that religion has no place in a democracy.

I think people do care.

And I bet people would care if it was decided to disestablish the Church and State

I would love to hear the argument for keeping the link.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4676444-religion-the-church-of-england-and-state-ceremonies?page=1

There you go, it's all in here from last November.

Willing to admit ignorance here; I didn't think there was much influence on the state by religion these days.

People might not be ‘religious’ per se but it doesn’t mean that people want stark secularism either. Many more people feel, or would like to feel, that there is something bigger than ourselves and the big mysteries and questions of life still remain. Many of us value outlets to engage with this thinking and wonder, even that is a walk in nature, a loving glance at a sleeping child, observing the stars etc. For others this may need to be the structure of organised religion.

So I think YABU. It’s ok to have the debate, but taking religion wholesale out of public life means that we lose so much more, particularly the permission to be able to even discuss the numinous and what it might mean for each one of us.

Yeah - and they had a key role in the Coronation. Especially with the oil and the anointing.

Looks like some people in the UK are free from religion. Its like religion resonates with some and not others.

The freedom to choose is what is most important.

So I think YABU. It’s ok to have the debate, but taking religion wholesale out of public life means that we lose so much more, particularly the permission to be able to even discuss the numinous and what it might mean for each one of us

What would we lose?

Religion would carry on.

People could attend church.

We might lose God from our anthem - but we could have an anthem that actually is for the whole country

Religious leaders would contribute to debate about issues.

America has one of the strictest divisions between church and state. Officially religion plays no role in politics yet we all know the reality is completely different. In the UK we have bishops in the house of Lords offering considered and long term thinking that doesn't have to worry about being popular. They advocate caution in debates around euthanasia, genetic research etc, but rarely mention God or spiritual aspects such as souls. They focus instead on the sanctity of human life. A UK politician makes v little if any mention of their own religious position, whereas an American presidential candidate would never ever get near being elected if they did not make their faith clear and look what's happening over there.