Religion in the United Kingdom

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The ninth century St Martin's Cross, with St John's cross in the background, stands outside the entrance to Iona Abbey in Iona, Scotland, one of the oldest and most important religious centres in the United Kingdom
The ninth century St Martin's Cross, with St John's cross in the background, stands outside the entrance to Iona Abbey in Iona, Scotland, one of the oldest and most important religious centres in the United Kingdom

Religion in the United Kingdom deals with the development of religion in the United Kingdom since its formation in 1707. For details prior to 1707 see;

Though each country that makes up the United Kingdom has a long tradition of Christianity with a link remaining between church and state in England and Scotland, in practice all have relatively low levels of religious observance and today are secular societies. A European Commission poll reports that the majority of citizens retain a belief in the supernatural, however: 38% of interviewees "believe there is a God",[1] and a further 40% believe there is "some sort of spirit or life force".[1] A United Nations report claims that in 2007 "two-thirds ... either did not claim membership of a religion or said that they never attended a religious service".[2]

Many other religions have also established a presence in the UK , mainly through immigration, though also by attracting converts. After Christianity and the irreligious those religions with the most adherents are various forms of Islam and Hinduism[3]. Other faiths include Sikhism, Judaism, Buddhism, the Bahá'í Faith, Rastafarianism and Neopaganism. There are also organizations which promote rationalism, humanism, and secularism.

Contents

[edit] Christianity

[edit] The national churches

Further information: English Reformation and Scottish Reformation

The Protestant Reformation established different religious practices in the different countries of what became the United Kingdom.

[edit] Established national church of England

Typical Church of England church: Christ Church, Dore, Sheffield, England
Typical Church of England church: Christ Church, Dore, Sheffield, England

The Church of England became the established church in England. It regards itself as in continuity with the pre-Reformation state Catholic church, but has been a distinct Anglican church since the settlement under Elizabeth I (with some disruption during the 17th-century Commonwealth period). The British Monarch is formally Supreme Governor of the Church of England, but its spiritual leader is the Archbishop of Canterbury, who is regarded by convention as the head of the worldwide communion of Anglican Churches (see Anglican Communion). In practice the Church of England is governed by the General Synod, under the authority of Parliament.

UK Christian Denominations  v • d • e 
UK Interchurch
Anglican
Catholic
Baptists
Holiness & Pietist
Methodist & Wesleyan
Orthodox
Pentecostal
Presbyterian & Reformed
Other


[edit] National church of Scotland

Main article: Religion in Scotland

The Church of Scotland is recognised in law (by the Church of Scotland Act 1921) as the national church in Scotland, but is not an established church and is independent of state control in matters spiritual. The Church of Scotland is a Reformed church, with a Presbyterian system of ecclesiastical polity. Although the Queen is an ordinary member of the Church of Scotland, she is represented at the General Assembly by her Lord High Commissioner. For more information on the history of the Reformation in Scotland, see also John Knox, Jenny Geddes, and Bishops' Wars.

The Scottish Reformation was more influenced by Calvinism than in England, with the adoption of the Westminster Confession. Divisions within Presbyterianism (see Disruption of 1843) in Scotland have led to the setting up of other denominations:

The second largest church in Scotland in terms of membership is the Roman Catholic Church. The indigenous Scottish Episcopal Church (which is part of the Anglican communion), is a relatively small denomination and not established.

[edit] National church of Wales

The Welsh Church Act 1914 provided for the separation of the four dioceses of the Church of England located in Wales (known collectively as the Church in Wales) from the rest of the Church, and for the simultaneous disestablishment of the Church. The Act came into operation in 1920. Since then there has been no established church in Wales.

Beside the Roman Catholic Church (Eglwys Gatholig Rufeining) and the Church in Wales (Eglwys yng Nghymru), which both have less than 5 % of the population as members, the largest religious societies are the Presbyterian Church of Wales (Eglwys Bresbyteraidd Cymru) with 34,819 (2004) members and 1 % of the population as members and the Union of Welsh Independents (Undeb yr Annibynwyr Cymraeg) as well as the Baptist Union of Wales (Undeb Bedyddwyr Cymru) with about 1 % of the population as members each.

[edit] 'National' church of Northern Ireland

The Anglican Church of Ireland was disestablished in 1871 by the Irish Church Disestablishment Act. The Republic of Ireland later seceded from the United Kingdom. Although the Protestant population of Northern Ireland is larger numerically than the Catholic population, the Roman Catholic Church forms the largest single denomination. The largest Protestant denominations are the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and the smaller Anglican (Episcopalian) Church of Ireland.

[edit] Roman Catholicism

Main articles: Catholic Church in England and Wales, Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, and Roman Catholicism in Ireland
Saint Chad's Cathedral in Birmingham was the first Roman Catholic cathedral to be built in England after the Reformation and is one of only three minor basilicas in England (the others being Downside Abbey and Corpus Christi Priory)
Saint Chad's Cathedral in Birmingham was the first Roman Catholic cathedral to be built in England after the Reformation and is one of only three minor basilicas in England (the others being Downside Abbey and Corpus Christi Priory)

The Roman Catholic Church organises separately for England and Wales, Scotland and Ireland, (which is administered on an all-Ireland basis).

The early years of the United Kingdom were difficult for adherents of the Roman Catholic Church, although the persecution was not violent as the had experienced in the recent past (see for example Popery Act 1698 that affected adherents in England and Wales). The civil rights of adherents to Roman Catholicism were severely curtailed, and there was no longer, as once in Stuart times, any Catholic presence at court, in public life, in the military or professions. Many of the Catholic nobles and gentry who had preserved on their lands among their tenants small pockets of Catholicism had followed James II into exile, and others at last conformed to Anglicanism, meaning that only very few such Catholic communities survived.

In the late 18th and early 19th century most restrictions on Catholic participation in public life were relaxed (see Papists Act 1778, Roman Catholic Relief Act 1791, Catholic Relief Act 1829). This process of Catholic Emancipation met violent opposition in the Gordon Riots of 1780 in London.

In the 1840s and 1850s, especially during the Great Irish Famine, while the bulk of the large outflow of emigration from Ireland was headed to the United States, thousands of poor Irish people also moved to Britain and established communities in Britain's cities, including London, Liverpool, and Glasgow, but also in towns and villages up and down the country, thus giving Catholicism a huge numerical boost. The Roman Catholic Church in England re-established a hierarchy in 1850, and the hierarchy was re-established in Scotland in 1878.

Roman Catholic worship and liturgy has also influenced some parts of the Anglican Church since the 19th century: see Anglo-Catholicism and the Oxford Movement.

Some sectarianism still remains, particularly in Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland (esp. Glasgow). However Roman Catholicism has found more acceptance as part of the mainstream of British religious life. Basil Cardinal Hume, Archbishop of Westminster from 1976 until his death in 1999, presided over a period which saw Catholicism become more accepted in British society than it had been for 400 years, culminating in the first visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Westminster Cathedral in 1995. He had previously read the Epistle at the installation ceremony of Archbishop Robert Runcie of Canterbury in 1980. It was also during his tenure in Westminster that Pope John Paul II made a groundbreaking visit to the United Kingdom.

[edit] Methodism

The Methodist church at Haroldswick is the most northerly church in the United Kingdom
The Methodist church at Haroldswick is the most northerly church in the United Kingdom

Many parts of the British Isles developed a strong tradition of Methodism from the 18th century onwards. The Methodist revival was started in England by a group of men including John Wesley and his younger brother Charles as a movement within the Church of England, but developed as a separate denomination after John Wesley's death. Traditionally, Methodism proved particularly popular in Wales (see Welsh Methodist revival and 1904-1905 Welsh Revival) and Cornwall, both regions noted for their non-conformism and distrust of the Church of England. It was also very strong in the old mill towns of Yorkshire and Lancashire where the Church of England did not adequately respond to the particular spiritual needs of the new industrial urban working class.

Schisms within the original Methodist church, and independent revivals, led to the formation of a number of separate denominations calling themselves Methodist. The largest of these were the Primitive Methodist church, the Bible Christians and the United Methodist Church (not connected with the American denomination of the same name, but a union of three smaller denominations). The original church became known as the Wesleyan Methodist Church to distinguish it from these bodies. The three major streams of British Methodism united in 1932 to form the current Methodist Church of Great Britain. The Wesleyan Reform Union and the Independent Methodist Connexion still remain separate. The Methodist Church of Great Britain has congregations across Great Britain (although more limited in Scotland). It is the United Kingdom's fourth largest Christian denomination, with around 330,000 members and 6,000 churches. In Northern Ireland, where Methodism is also the fourth largest denomination, the church is organised within the Methodist Church in Ireland.

In the 1960s, the Methodist Church made ecumenical overtures to the Church of England, aimed at church unity. Formally, these failed when they were rejected by the Church of England's General Synod in 1972; conversations and co-operation continued, however, leading in 2003 to the signing of a covenant between the two churches.[4]

For more information, see:

[edit] Orthodoxy

Construction of the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Most-Holy Mother of God and the Holy Royal Martyrs (Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia), in Gunnersbury, commenced in 1997 in traditional Russian architectural style.
Construction of the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Most-Holy Mother of God and the Holy Royal Martyrs (Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia), in Gunnersbury, commenced in 1997 in traditional Russian architectural style.

Orthodoxy has more recently been re-introduced to the United Kingdom by Cypriot, Egyptian (Coptic), Russian and other immigrants (see, for example, Metropolitan Anthony (Bloom) of Sourozh and Greek Orthodox Church of St Nicholas), but increasing numbers of British converts are joining formerly ethnically-based congregations.[weasel words]

Most Russian Orthodox parishes fall under the jurisdiction of:

Most Greek Orthodox parishes fall under the jurisdiction of:

All Coptic Orthodox parishes fall under the jurisdiction of the Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria. The Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom is divided into three main parishes:

  • Diocese of Ireland, Scotland and North England
  • Diocese of the Midlands and its Affiliated Regions
  • Diocese of South Wales

In addition, there is one Patriarchal Exarchate at Stevenage, Hertfordshire, South England.

Most British converts belong to the British Orthodox Church.

There is also an Eritrean Orthodox Church congregation in the United Kingdom.

[edit] Other Christian denominations

Other traditions of Christianity have a long history. There has been a strain of Nonconformism or Dissent traceable back to Lollardry. For more information on some of these groupings, especially those that came to prominence during the religious ferment of the 16th and 17th centuries, see English Dissenters.

Britain provided a place of refuge for Huguenots fleeing religious persecution in France.

Among other denominations are:

[edit] Saints

Further information: Category:British saints

Traditionally, saints have often been venerated locally, nationally and internationally. This is often reflected in British toponymy. However, following the Reformation, the cult of saints has been observed to a much lesser degree than historically.

Patron saints:

Many municipalities and regions preserve traditions of their own saints. See, for example, Cornish Saints and Saint Swithun.

Wales is particularly noted for naming places after either local or well-known saints - all places beginning in Llan e.g. Llanbedr - St Peter (Pedr); Llanfihangel - St Michael (Mihangel); Llanarmon - St Garmon. Because of the relatively small number of saints' names used, places names are often suffixed by their locality e.g. Llanfihangel Glyn Myfyr, Llanfihangel-y-Creuddyn, Llanfihangel-y-Pennant.

Saint Alban was, according to tradition, the first Christian martyr in Britain. Other martyrs, such as the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales, have also been canonised.

Pilgrimages were an important religious, social and economic activity in pre-Reformation Britain. The shrine of Thomas Becket attracted particularly large numbers of pilgrims, as recounted in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Some local pilgrimages have been revived; see, for example, the shrines of Walsingham.

[edit] Islam

Main article: Islam in the United Kingdom

Islam is the second largest religion in the United Kingdom, with a total of about 1.6 million persons, (or 2.8% of the total population) Muslims.[5]

The first large group of Muslims in England arrived about 300 years ago. They were sailors recruited in India to work for the East India Company, and so it's not surprising that the first Muslim communities were found in port towns. Ships' cooks came too, many of them from Sylhet in what is now Bangladesh. There are records of Sylhetis working in London restaurants as early as 1873.

The first Muslim community which permanently settled in Britain consisted of Yemeni sailors who arrived in ports such as Swansea, Liverpool and South Shields shortly after 1900. Later some of them migrated to inland cities like Birmingham and Sheffield.

Mosques also appeared in British seaports at this time; the first mosque in Britain is recorded as having been at 2 Glyn Rhondda Street, Cardiff, in 1860[6]. From the 1950s, with large immigration to Britain from the former colonies of Britain, large Muslim populations developed in many British towns and cities.

[edit] Notable mosques

The London Central Mosque.
The London Central Mosque.

[edit] Islamic currents and organisations

The vast majority of British Muslim population, 98%, follow Sunni Islam.[citation needed]

A large number of British Muslims are of South Asian descent, following many different movements within Islam. Many British Asian Muslims follow the Barelwi sect. The most influential movement of the Barelwi group is the World Islamic Mission [7]. Many also follow the Deobandi movement as well. The Tablighi Jamaat is an important subgroup of the Deobandis; its centre is located in Dewsbury. The Ahl-i Hadith is another trend, which in general is opposed to Sufism. Islamic Mission is the counterpart of the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami which follows the ideology of Abu l-Ala Mawdudi.

North London Central Mosque, Finsbury Park.
North London Central Mosque, Finsbury Park.

South Asian Shias are predominantly from Pakistan or Gujarat (the Khoja, who are usually found under the umbrella organisation "The World Federation"). There are also Shias from Lebanon, Iran, and Iraq. The al-Khoei foundation, belonging to one of the most important Iraqi Shia families, is located in London. Among the Gujarati Ismaili Muslims, both branches of Ismailism - the Dawoodi Bohras and the Nizaris - are represented. The Ahmadiyya, who are considered heretical by mainstream Muslims, have relocated their centre to Tilford near Farnham in Surrey from Pakistan due to the UK's partnership with the Ahmadiyya cult during colonial times.

Much of the congregation of London's most famous mosque (London Central or Regent's Park Mosque) are of Arab descent. In Birmingham much of the Arab community is centered around the Muath Trust more commonly known as the 'Amaanah'. The Hizb ut-Tahrir is a political party (in exile) originally from the Palestinian territories.

Most (98%) Turkish Muslims are Sunnis. The religious authority of Turkey runs a mosque in London.

The United Kingdom also has a large diaspora of African and Afro-Caribbean Muslims, hailing both from the Muslim communities in British colonies in Africa and the Caribbean and also from British-born converts.

The Sunni Salafi movement has gained some prominence within the British Muslim community in recent decades as well.

The Muslim Council of Britain is an umbrella organisation for many local, regional and specialist Islamic organisations in the United Kingdom.

[edit] Judaism

Main articles: History of the Jews in England, History of the Jews in Scotland, and History of the Jews in Ireland
Singers Hill Synagogue, Birmingham, England.
Singers Hill Synagogue, Birmingham, England.

The majority of Jewish immigration to Scotland appears to have occurred post-industrialisation, and post-1707. The Jew Bill, enacted in 1753, permitted the naturalisation of foreign Jews, but was repealed the next year. The first graduate from the University of Glasgow who was openly-known to be Jewish was in 1787. Unlike their English contemporaries, Scottish students were not required to take a religious oath.

The Jewish community has historically suffered expulsions, official restrictions and discrimination, and outbreaks of communal violence (see History of anti-Semitism); however, in the 19th and 20th centuries, British society was considered more tolerant of Jews than most other European nations, especially the ones from Germany and eastern Europe. In 1841 Isaac Lyon Goldsmid was made baronet, the first Jew to receive a hereditary title. The first Jewish Lord Mayor of the City of London, Sir David Salomons, was elected in 1855, followed by the 1858 emancipation of the Jews. On July 26, 1858, Lionel de Rothschild was finally allowed to sit in the British House of Commons when the law restricting the oath of office to Christians was changed; Benjamin Disraeli, a baptised Christian of Jewish parentage, was already an MP.

In 1874, Disraeli became Prime Minister having earlier been Chancellor of the Exchequer. In 1884 Nathan Mayer Rothschild, 1st Baron Rothschild became the first Jewish member of the British House of Lords; again Disraeli was already a member.

The Jewish population of the UK peaked in the late 1940s at around 400,000, but has since declined through emigration and intermarriage to around 250,000; some community leaders have expressed concern that the Jewish community could disappear by the end of the 21st century if current trends continue. However, a report in August 2007 by University of Manchester historian Dr Yaakov Wise stated that 75% of all births in the Jewish community were to ultra-orthodox, Haredi parents, and that the increase of ultra-orthodox Jewry allied with the declining overall Jewish population has led to a significant rise in the proportion of British Jews who are ultra-orthodox. The figures were based on census data and also on the regular monitoring of Jewish births by academics in both Manchester and Leeds.[8]

A ten-month inquiry into anti-Semitism in Britain was delivered by three members of Parliament to Downing Street on September 7, 2006, and criticized boycotts of academics working in Israel and using criticism of Israel as 'a pretext' for spreading hatred against British Jews.[9]

[edit] Other faiths

The Neasden Temple is the second largest temple of Hinduism in Europe.
The Neasden Temple is the second largest temple of Hinduism in Europe.

More recently, immigration has led to the introduction of other religions of which most adherents are found amongst ethnic minorities. New Christian movements are also represented among communities of immigrant origin.

Religious diversity has led Charles, Prince of Wales to muse publicly on the desirability of being Defender of Faith rather than Defender of the Faith. He commented in 1994 that, "I personally would rather see it (his future role) as Defender of Faith, not the Faith".[10].

British Imperial interests in Asia led to contacts with religions of Eastern origin. Scholarly study of these religions in the 19th century, especially Hinduism and Buddhism, also led to conversions in the United Kingdom. British members of the Theosophical Society spread interest in Asian religion.

[edit] Hinduism

Main article: Hinduism in the United Kingdom

Early Hindus in the United Kingdom were mostly students during the 19th century. There have been three waves of migration of Hindus into the United Kingdom.

Before India's Independence in 1947, Hindu migration to the United Kingdom was minuscule and largely temporary. The second wave of Hindu migration occurred in the 1970s after the expulsion of Gujarati Hindus from Uganda . Initially, Hindu immigration into the United Kingdom was limited to Punjabi and Gujarati Hindus, but, by 2000, small Hindu communities of every ethnicity could be found in the UK. The United Kingdom is also host to a large immigrant community of Sri Lankan Hindus who are mostly Tamils. The last wave of migration of Hindus to the UK has been taking place since the 1990s with refugees from Sri Lanka and professionals from India.

[edit] Sikhism

Main article: Sikhism in the United Kingdom

The first recorded Sikh settler in Britain was Maharaja Duleep Singh, dethroned and exiled to Britain in 1849 at the age of 14, after the Anglo-Sikh wars. The first Sikh Gurdwara (temple) was not established until 1911, at Putney in London.

The first Sikh migration came in the 1950s. It was mostly of men from the Punjab seeking work in industries like foundries and textiles. These new arrivals mostly settled in London, Birmingham and West Yorkshire. Thousands of Sikhs from East Africa followed.

[edit] Buddhism

Kagyu Samyé Ling Monastery and Tibetan Centre in Scotland
Kagyu Samyé Ling Monastery and Tibetan Centre in Scotland
Main article: Buddhism in the United Kingdom

The earliest Buddhist influence on Britain came through its imperial connections with South East Asia, and as a result the early connections were with the Theravada traditions of Burma, Thailand, and Sri Lanka. The tradition of study resulted in the foundation of the Pali Text Society, which undertook the task of translating the Pali Canon of Buddhist texts into English. Buddhism as a path of practice was pioneered by the Theosophists, Madame Blavatsky and Colonel Olcott, and in 1880 they became the first Westerners to receive the refuges and precepts, the ceremony by which one traditionally becomes a Buddhist.

In 1924 London’s Buddhist Society was founded, and in 1926 the Theravadin London Buddhist Vihara. The rate of growth was slow but steady through the century, and the 1950s saw the development of interest in Zen Buddhism. In 1967 Kagyu Samyé Ling Monastery and Tibetan Centre, now the largest Tibetan centre in Western Europe, was founded in Scotland. The first home-grown Buddhist movement was also founded in 1967, the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order.

[edit] Neopaganism

Main article: Neopaganism in the United Kingdom
A group of English neo-druids.
A group of English neo-druids.

An estimated 40,000 to 250,000 (0.1% to 0.4%)[11] Britons adhere to various forms of Neopaganism, including Neo-Druidism, Germanic neopaganism, Wicca and New Age faiths.

Wicca itself is the only widespread world religion (as opposed to religious denomination) that originated in England.

[edit] Bahá'í Faith

Main article: Bahá'í Faith in the United Kingdom

The Bahá'í Faith in the United Kingdom has a historical connection with the earliest phases of the Bahá'í Faith starting in 1845 and reflects on the evolving character of the religion and the countries of the British Isles like England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland culminating in the present United Kingdom and relates to the development of communities of the religion in far flung nations around the world. It is estimated that between 1951 and 1993, Bahá'ís from the United Kingdom settled in 138 countries.[12] There are about 5000 Bahá'ís of the UK.[13]

[edit] No Religion

The United Kingdom has a large and growing atheist and agnostic population with 13,626,000 (23.2% of the UK population) either claiming no religion or not answering the question on religion at the 2001 census.[14]

[edit] Monasticism

Ruins of a former nunnery in Iona
Ruins of a former nunnery in Iona

Catholic, Anglican and Orthodox monastic communities exist as well as religious communities of Hindus and Buddhists.

[edit] Religious leaders

Lambeth Palace is the official residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury in London
Lambeth Palace is the official residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury in London

[edit] Notable places of worship

The varied religious and ethnic history of the United Kingdom has left a wide range of buildings - churches, cathedrals, chapels, chapels of ease, synagogues, mosques and temples - across the home nations. Besides its spiritual importance, the religious architecture of the United Kingdom includes buildings of importance to the tourism industry and local pride. As a result of the Reformation, the ancient cathedrals remained in the possession of the then-established churches, while most Roman Catholic churches date from Victorian times or are of more recent construction (curiously, in Liverpool the ultra-modern design Roman Catholic cathedral was actually completed before the more traditional design of the Anglican cathedral, whose construction took most of the twentieth century). Changing social and demographic profiles mean that in some areas redundant religious buildings are being converted to secular purposes. In other locations, new places of worship are being established. Here is a selection of articles on notable places of worship in the United Kingdom:

Westminster Abbey is used for the coronation of all British Monarchs, who are also made the head of the Church of England.
Westminster Abbey is used for the coronation of all British Monarchs, who are also made the head of the Church of England.

[edit] Religion and education

Religion is still heavily involved in education in the UK. 7,000 (30%) of the 24,000 state funded schools in the UK are faith schools. The vast majority, 6,955 (99%), are Christian. 6,400 (92%) of these are primary schools. These Christian state funded schools are mainly either of Church Of England or Roman Catholic denomination. There are also 36 Jewish, seven Muslim and two Sikh faith schools. In England and Wales, faith schools follow the same national curriculum as state schools with the added ethos of the host religion. In Scotland, the majority of schools are non-denominational, but by legislation separate Roman Catholic schools, with an element of control by the Roman Catholic Church, are provided by the state system. Northern Ireland has a highly segregated education system, with 95% of pupils attending either a maintained (Catholic) school or a controlled school (mostly Protestant). However, controlled schools are open to children of all faiths and none, mirroring the stance taken by many Church Of England schools.

Until 1944 there was no requirement for state schools in England and Wales to provide religious education or worship, although most did so. The Education Act 1944 introduced a requirement for a daily act of collective worship and for religious education but did not define what was allowable under these terms. The act contained provisions to allow parents to withdraw their children from these activities and for teachers to refuse to participate. The Education Reform Act 1988 introduced a further requirement that the majority of collective worship be "wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character"[15] . In recent years schools have increasingly failed to comply with the collective worship rules - in 2004 David Bell, the Chief Inspector of Schools said that "at present more than three-quarters of schools fail to meet this requirement."[16] Religious studies is still an obligatory subject in the curriculum, but tends to aim at providing an understanding of the main faiths of the world than at instilling a strictly Christian viewpoint.

[edit] Religion and modern politics

The strength of nonconformism among workers in the newly-industrialised towns of the Industrial Revolution gave rise, in large measure, to the development of Christian socialism in the United Kingdom. The Labour Party arose from a nonconformist background, whereas the Church of England has sometimes been nicknamed "the Conservative Party at prayer".

As religious disabilities were relaxed in the 19th century, politics was opened up to people of different faiths or none (see Charles Bradlaugh).

Lionel de Rothschild was the first Jew to take a seat in the House of Commons (1858) and in 1884 Baron Rothschild became the first Jewish member of the House of Lords. Dadabhai Naoroji, a Parsi, was an MP 1892-1895. Piara Khabra, a Sikh, was elected to the House of Commons in 1992. Mohammad Sarwar was the first Muslim MP (elected 1997). Henry Stanley, 3rd Baron Stanley of Alderley, a convert to Islam, was the first Muslim member of the House of Lords (from 1869). The first Muslim appointed to the House of Lords was Nazir Ahmed, Baron Ahmed in 1998; the first female Muslim so appointed, also in 1998, was Pola Uddin, Baroness Uddin.

However, the Church of England still maintains a constitutional position in the legislature: see Lord Spiritual. The Prime Minister, regardless of his or her personal beliefs, plays a key rôle in the appointment of Church of England bishops (although in July 2007, Gordon Brown proposed reforms of the Prime Minister's ability to affect Church of England appointments)[17].

The direct influence of the Anglican Communion has been on the decline for many years but the Church of England retains a representation in Parliament and the right to draft legislative measures (usually related to religious administration), through the General Synod, that can be passed into law, but not amended by Parliament. The churches of the Anglican Communion in the rest of the UK were disestablished in the 19th and 20th centuries.

The debate over the role of the churches in the constitution was perennial in British politics:

[edit] Religion and the media

The BBC programme Songs of Praise is aired on a Sunday evening and has an average weekly audience of 2.5 million.[18] Midnight mass and other such events are usually aired. As a public broadcaster the BBC produces such programming partly because of remit obligations. Accordingly, BBC Three and BBC Four air occasional programming from atheist or Muslim perspectives.

Other channels offer documentaries on, or from the perspective of, non-belief. A significant example is Richard Dawkins' two-part Channel 4 documentary, The Root of all Evil?.

The British media often portrays a cultural skepticism towards religion. British comedy in particular has a history of satire and parody on the subject, the most iconic example probably being Monty Python film Life of Brian. Religious mockery, or open disbelief in any religion, is not regarded as a taboo in the British media, as it could be considered to be in the other nations, for example the USA.

[edit] Secularism and tolerance

A synagogue and mosque side by side in London.
A synagogue and mosque side by side in London.

Despite its Christian tradition, the number of churchgoers fell over the last half of the 20th century. Society in the United Kingdom is markedly more secular than in the past. According to the British Humanist Association 36% of the population is humanist, and may, by the same token, be considered outright atheist[19] and according to an O'Reilly Factor article[20] the combined number of atheists and agnostics in the UK make up 44% of the population.

The National Secular Society is among bodies aiming to reduce the influence of religion. According to the 2001 census, however, 71.6% of population declared themselves to be Christian, a further 2.7% as Muslim and 1% as Hindu. Only 15.5% said they had "no religion" and 7.3% did not reply to the question.[21] The problem with interpreting these results is that they do not reveal the intensity of religious belief or non-belief. See also Status of religious freedom in the United Kingdom.

Ecumenical rapprochement has gradually developed between Christian denominations.

However, some religious tensions still exist. See, for example, The Satanic Verses (novel), and Sectarianism in Glasgow and Northern Ireland.

In the early 21st century proposals to update the blasphemy law in the United Kingdom were discussed. The Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006 made it an offence to incite hatred against a person on the grounds of their religion.

There being no strict separation of church and state in the United Kingdom, public officials may in general display religious symbols in the course of their duties - for example, turbans. School uniform codes are generally drawn up flexibly enough to accommodate religious dress. Chaplains are provided in the armed forces (see Royal Army Chaplains' Department) and in prisons.

[edit] Statistics

The 2001 census contained voluntary questions on religious affiliation. In Scotland and Northern Ireland the census also contained questions on the religion in which a person had been brought up. As a result of comparisons with survey data The Office for National Statistics concluded that the census results for England and Wales were more comparable to the results for religion of upbringing in Scotland and Northern Ireland than for current religious affiliation.[22] At the time the Census was carried out, there was an internet campaign that encouraged people to answer the religion question "Jedi Knight". The number of people who stated Jedi was 390,000 (0.7 per cent of the population).[23][24]

A survey in 2002 found Christmas attendance at Anglican churches in England varied between 10.19% of the population in the diocese of Hereford, down to just 2.16% in Manchester.[25] Church attendance at Christmas in some dioceses was up to three times the average for the rest of the year. Overall church attendance at Christmas has been steadily increasing in recent years; a 2005 poll found that 43% expected to attend a church service over the Christmas period, in comparison with 39% and 33% for corresponding polls taken in 2003 and 2001 respectively.[26] In a 2004 YouGov poll, 44 per cent of UK citizens responded affirmatively to the question "Do you believe in God?".[27]

In 2005 the Eurobarometer Poll[1] found that 38% of people in the UK believed in a god.

In the UK overall, a Guardian/ICM poll has found that 33% describe themselves as "a religious person" while 82% see religion as a cause of division and tension between people. (Sample of 1006 adults weighted to adult profile, 12/13 December 2006) [28]

The Tearfund Survey in 2007 found 53% of people in the UK identifying themselves as Christian and only 7% as practising Christians. 10% attend church weekly and two-thirds had not gone to church in the past year.[29][30][31] The Tearfund Survey also found that two thirds of UK adults (66%) or 32.2 million people have no connection with The Church at present (nor with another religion). These people are evenly divided between those who have been in the past but have since left (16 million) and those who have never been in their lives (16.2 million).

A December 2007 report by Christian Research showed that Roman Catholicism had become the best-attended services of Christian denominations in England, with average attendance at Sunday Mass of 861,000, compared to 852,000 attending Anglican services. Attendance at Anglican services had declined by 20% between 2000 and 2006, while attendance at Catholic services, boosted by large-scale immigration from Poland and Lithuania, had declined by only 13%. In Scotland attendance at Church of Scotland services declined by 19% and attendance at Catholic services fell by 25%.[32]

A Tearfund survey on prayer found in 2007 that 42% of adults in the UK pray (outside church or religious services).[33]

Time series showing the religion that people consider themselves to belong to.
Time series showing the religion that people consider themselves to belong to.

British Social Attitudes Surveys have shown the proportion of those in Great Britain who consider they "belong to" Christianity to have fallen from 66% in 1983 to 48% in 2006.

The disparity between the 2001 census data and the above polls has been put down to both the decline in religious adherence in the UK since 2001 and a phenomenon of cultural religiosity, whereby many who do not believe in gods still identify with a religion because of its role in their upbringing or its importance to their family.[34]

[edit] Religions in United Kingdom, 2001

Religion/Denomination Current religion
 Percent
%
Christian 42,079,000 71.6
Buddhist 152,000 0.3
Hindu 559,000 1.0
Jewish 267,000 0.5
Muslim 1,591,000 2.7
Sikh 336,000 0.6
Other Religion 179,000 0.3
All religions 45,163,000 76.8
No religion 9,104,000 15.5
Not Answered 4,289,000 7.3
No religion +
Not Answered		 13,626,000 23.2
Base 58,789,000 100

Source: UK 2001 Census.[35]

[edit] Denominations in Great Britain

Religion/Denomination Percent
%
Church of England 22.2
Roman Catholic 9.0
Presbyterian/Church of Scotland 2.4
Methodist 1.8
Other Protestant 2.3
Christian (no denomination) 9.6
Other Christian 0.3
Muslim 3.3
Hindu 1.4
Jewish 0.5
Sikh 0.3
Other Religion 0.6
No religion 45.8
Refused / NA 0.6

Source: BSA Survey 2006.[36]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c However, the 2001 census recorded that over 70% of the population of England & Wales identified themselves as Christian.Eurobarometer poll conducted in 2005PDF (1.64 MB). Page 11. European Commission. Retrieved on 7 December 2006
  2. ^ Over half of Britons claim no religion (2008-02-21). Retrieved on 2008-02-23.
  3. ^ 2001 UK census
  4. ^ Anglican-Methodist Covenant
  5. ^ Muslims in Europe: Country guide — UK, 23 December 2005, <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4385768.stm#uk>. Retrieved on 2007-12-23 
  6. ^ Islam and Britain, BBC
  7. ^ World Islamic Mission
  8. ^ "Majority of Jews will be Ultra-Orthodox by 2050", University of Manchester, 2007-07-23. Retrieved on 2007-08-31. 
  9. ^ "Criticism of Israel Is not 'anti-Semitism'", 2006-09-05 publisher=Arab News. 
  10. ^ Faiths and Ethnic Communities. official website. Prince of Wales.
  11. ^ Evans, Dr. David (2007). The History of British Magic After Crowley. Oxford: Hidden Publishing, 70-81. ISBN 978-0-9555237-0-0. 
  12. ^ U.K. Bahá'í Heritage Site - The Bahá'í Faith in the United Kingdom - A Brief History
  13. ^ In the United Kingdom, Bahá'ís promote a dialogue on diversity One Country, Volume 16, Issue 2 / July-September 2004
  14. ^ Religion: 2001 Census National Statistics website.
  15. ^ Education Reform Act 1988 - Chapter I -The Curriculum - pt 6 Retrieved on 15 October 2007
  16. ^ David Bell (21 April 2004). Change and continuity: Reflections on the Butler act (.doc (MS Word)). UK Government - Office for Standards in Education.
  17. ^ Report, from the Church Times
  18. ^ BBC Songs of Praise accessed 01/01/08
  19. ^ Proportion of the UK population who consider themselves humanist
  20. ^ O'Reilly Factor on athesim
  21. ^ Religion In Britain - Census shows 72% identify as Christians. UK Government - National Statistics Online (2001).
  22. ^ Focus on Religion — Questions on religion. Office for National Statistics (2004-10-11). Retrieved on 2007-09-11.
  23. ^ Census 2001 - Ethnicity and religion in England and Wales, Office for National Statistics, <http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/profiles/commentaries/ethnicity.asp>. Retrieved on 2008-04-30  (see "Religion (table 3)")
  24. ^ Jedi - the Growth of a 'Religion', BBC, June 22, 2005, <http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A4157930>. Retrieved on 2008-04-30 
  25. ^ Attendance at Anglican services on Christmas eve/Christmas day. University of Manchester - Cathie Marsh centre for census and survey research (2002).
  26. ^ O come, all ye faithful: Church is a big draw at Christmas. Retrieved on 2008-01-13.
  27. ^ Anthony King. "Britons' belief in God vanishing as religion is replaced by apathy", Telegraph.co.uk, 27 December 2004. 
  28. ^ Julian Glover; Alexandra Topping. "Religion does more harm than good - poll", Guardian unlimited, 23 December 2006. 
  29. ^ Tearfund Survey 2007. Retrieved on 2007-05-05.
  30. ^ UK Census 2001. Retrieved on 2007-04-22.
  31. ^ "'One in 10' attends church weekly", BBC News, 3 April 2007. Retrieved on 2007-08-01. 
  32. ^ Jonathan Wynne-Jones. "Britain has become a 'Catholic country'", Sunday Telegraph, 23 December 2007. Retrieved on 2007-12-23. 
  33. ^ Prayer in the U.K., Tearfund, pp. 2, 7, 13, <http://www.tearfund.org/webdocs/Website/News/Tearfund%20Prayer%20in%20the%20UK%20report%20embargoed.pdf>. Retrieved on 2007-12-23 
  34. ^ Religion in the United Kingdom - Diversity, Trends and Decline - Christianity is the Established Religion in the UK, Vexen.co.uk, <http://www.vexen.co.uk/UK/religion.html#UK>. Retrieved on 2008-06-03 
  35. ^ Religion In Britain. UK National Statistics Online (2004). Retrieved on 2007-10-04.
  36. ^ Religion by Year. British Social Attitudes Surveys (2006). Retrieved on 2008-06-02.

[edit] External links

[edit] Christianity

[edit] Islam

[edit] Hinduism

[edit] Sikhism

[edit] Buddhism

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