Been heading that way for a long while, quite a few decades now. I think many Brits are just realists and humanists and the trend is growing.
socratic-meth on
> Today, those who belong to no religion outnumber Christians, at 46% to 43%.
At least one metric in the UK is going in the right direction!
LackingHumanity on
This should be obvious to anyone living here. It’s always novel to meet a God fearing, Jesus loving, Christian. It’s like spotting a badger. I’m actually shocked the number is still so high. Must be old people.
HyperionSaber on
And yet any comment on their weird beliefs is met with the inevitable “reddit moment” or “edgy teen” response.
Bertybassett99 on
Most people don’t talk about religion. Why are you surprised? I look at religious people and see King Canute.
Minimum-Geologist-58 on
If you want to see demographic collapse look at baptism rates into the Church of England in the past decade. I think areligiosity in the UK is pretty linked to how utterly the CofE has set out to destroy itself through scandal and lack of direction as anything else.
Samuelwankenobi_ on
I mean it is getting harder to actually believe what the bible says
Rasples1998 on
I know a lot of Muslims I work with who are Muslim but non-practicing, which is bizarre. Like on a night shift, you never see them doing their prayers at sunset or sunrise. Islam is starting to get its own group of people who are like Christians who don’t go to church.
But when I told my African colleague that I was not religious, he was genuinely flabbergasted and said “oh yes I’ve heard about that, some people can be not religious” and described it like something he heard about but was completely alien to him, and looked at me like some kind of zoo animal. He kept asking questions like it was absolutely unthinkable that someone could be an atheist. I just told him that in this country we have a choice, and it’s mostly dependent upon your parents and how they raise you.
Sufficient-Brief2023 on
This is fine to me. I value christian art, christian traditions and selected christian teachings as part of the nation’s history and culture. But if you ask me do I believe in God? the answer is no
ConsistentCatch2104 on
This has been the case for decades! The census is flawed. As quite a few will check a religious denomination even though they have never given religion a thought. Just because they may have been brought up this way.
Darkurn on
Yeah because we’re realising it’s all complete Bullshit.
Diligent-Till-8832 on
Oh Please, organised religions is a big fucking racket. Jesus rode around Judea on a donkey, yet most of the heads of churches, mosques and synagogues live in palaces, travel on jets and pontificate far too much about poverty, humility etc….
At the same time, we found out that most of the clergy are kiddie fiddlers or busy enabling kiddy fiddling.
No wonder people have lost faith.
EffectzHD on
Most aren’t religious till it’s time for the wedding lmao
Sate_Hen on
There’s only two counties that reserve places in their government for religions clerics. UK and Iran
IceGripe on
It’s a bit of a distorted figure as religion isn’t only Christianity.
To compare no religion vs religion it should be the combined total of all religion.
Extra_Wolverine_810 on
This is true and but high rates of migration means what will happen is religion increases again and we get a split between the British born non religious and non British born religious.
Especially if migrants are less educated or refugees.
I say this as an ethnic minority.
And Islam and Hinduism are getting more conservative not less on a global scale.
I think liberals in the UK need to wake up to that fact. Like it or not immigration will increase religion – that is just a fact.
Whether you think that is good or bad – up to you.
Square-House2205 on
I wonder if we might see a resurgence in the future. Anecdotal, but I have young (18~) family members who’ve taken up Christianity. Many of their friends go to Church too, so I know they’re not the odd one out. They aren’t weirdos or social outcasts either, they have friends, partners, play sport… Albeit, it could be part of the ‘young men diverging from the average/trend’ on politics, progressiveism etc.
I think as young young whitebrit men become more and more divorced from society, things like religion and the right (maybe not always together) provide them the place in society they have lost.
I’m not saying in favour one way or the other, but I just think its interesting. Many in this thread talk of Christianity as if its a doomed dying old man but its survived much worse threats than an areligious millenial generation. Some of you may be surprised in the future.
moanysopran0 on
I am Christian, in a weird way the less popular it becomes, the more it will begin to align back to what it was
A small movement based on the teachings of Jesus, not getting your own mini free country, not crusades, not abuse scandals, not homophobia or using metaphor to justify literal interpretations like you were right there as a witness, not 500 offshoot cults & Western governments or influencers using Jesus as a mascot for killing babies with drones to get God’s land back or sexually assaulting women
The actual teachings are worth following, with an attitude of not trying to convert, not using it to judge others & applying the faith of a Christian with the skepticism of a scholar, you can make it your life without trying to make everyone’s life about your own interpretation on it
Really basic stuff that’s taking 2000 years to learn, ironically the exact reason Jesus was killed in the first place, experts not knowing their own field of expertise & hiding their shitty behaviour behind their texts or position of power
McFry__ on
Because as a society we were going against outdated religions and towards science and intellectual thought, but now inexplicably, the country is now inundated with people who follow another religion. And they show no sign of waking up from its medieval nonsense.
boringman1982 on
Yeah no shit. I only know of two people who go to church on a Sunday.
Imaginary-Ad5897 on
I think UK will head for a More Atheist or Secular state then being christain country which I am non religious.
PhysicalWave454 on
Good, keep it going. Religion needs to become extinct once and for all.
OsotoViking on
No way that many people in the UK are actually Christian. Take away everyone who has some vague belief in God that’s loosely based on Christianity, then take away the people who go to church only for Christmas and weddings, then take away anyone who can’t give the most basic explanation of fundamental Christian doctrine . . . I’d guess you’d arrive at one percent or so.
ZealousidealWest6626 on
Sadly this has not lead to an age of enlightenment; it’s ushered in fake news, conspiracy theorists, and nihilism (and I speak as a non-religious person).
hitsquad187 on
20 years the headline will be Muslims outnumber atheists in UK
360Saturn on
Take that, all the people ranting in the thread earlier in the week about how the UK is a Christian country and non-religious aren’t a majority.
mengplex on
43% are christians? Theres no fucking way surely.
I think I’ve only known like.. 3 in the last 15 years? And that includes university and about 7 different jobs.
Are all the christians just really old?
all_about_that_ace on
Does this mean that Christians now count as a religious minority now?
Lando7373 on
Thank god. Now when we outnumber all the theists put together I might have cause to get excited.
furry_death_blender on
Jesus died for your sins, so you should all sin as much as possible so he didn’t die (for a weekend anyway) in vain.
deceptive-uk on
What percentage of that still believe in something maybe spiritual but do not conform to a religion though
Cal_16 on
Obviously have only ever meant 2 Christian’s in my life time, however much I dislike religion i hope we can keep it’s more positive aspects around I’d hate to see us lose all our ceremonies
33 Comments
[deleted]
Been heading that way for a long while, quite a few decades now. I think many Brits are just realists and humanists and the trend is growing.
> Today, those who belong to no religion outnumber Christians, at 46% to 43%.
At least one metric in the UK is going in the right direction!
This should be obvious to anyone living here. It’s always novel to meet a God fearing, Jesus loving, Christian. It’s like spotting a badger. I’m actually shocked the number is still so high. Must be old people.
And yet any comment on their weird beliefs is met with the inevitable “reddit moment” or “edgy teen” response.
Most people don’t talk about religion. Why are you surprised? I look at religious people and see King Canute.
If you want to see demographic collapse look at baptism rates into the Church of England in the past decade. I think areligiosity in the UK is pretty linked to how utterly the CofE has set out to destroy itself through scandal and lack of direction as anything else.
I mean it is getting harder to actually believe what the bible says
I know a lot of Muslims I work with who are Muslim but non-practicing, which is bizarre. Like on a night shift, you never see them doing their prayers at sunset or sunrise. Islam is starting to get its own group of people who are like Christians who don’t go to church.
But when I told my African colleague that I was not religious, he was genuinely flabbergasted and said “oh yes I’ve heard about that, some people can be not religious” and described it like something he heard about but was completely alien to him, and looked at me like some kind of zoo animal. He kept asking questions like it was absolutely unthinkable that someone could be an atheist. I just told him that in this country we have a choice, and it’s mostly dependent upon your parents and how they raise you.
This is fine to me. I value christian art, christian traditions and selected christian teachings as part of the nation’s history and culture. But if you ask me do I believe in God? the answer is no
This has been the case for decades! The census is flawed. As quite a few will check a religious denomination even though they have never given religion a thought. Just because they may have been brought up this way.
Yeah because we’re realising it’s all complete Bullshit.
Oh Please, organised religions is a big fucking racket. Jesus rode around Judea on a donkey, yet most of the heads of churches, mosques and synagogues live in palaces, travel on jets and pontificate far too much about poverty, humility etc….
At the same time, we found out that most of the clergy are kiddie fiddlers or busy enabling kiddy fiddling.
No wonder people have lost faith.
Most aren’t religious till it’s time for the wedding lmao
There’s only two counties that reserve places in their government for religions clerics. UK and Iran
It’s a bit of a distorted figure as religion isn’t only Christianity.
To compare no religion vs religion it should be the combined total of all religion.
This is true and but high rates of migration means what will happen is religion increases again and we get a split between the British born non religious and non British born religious.
Especially if migrants are less educated or refugees.
I say this as an ethnic minority.
And Islam and Hinduism are getting more conservative not less on a global scale.
I think liberals in the UK need to wake up to that fact. Like it or not immigration will increase religion – that is just a fact.
Whether you think that is good or bad – up to you.
I wonder if we might see a resurgence in the future. Anecdotal, but I have young (18~) family members who’ve taken up Christianity. Many of their friends go to Church too, so I know they’re not the odd one out. They aren’t weirdos or social outcasts either, they have friends, partners, play sport… Albeit, it could be part of the ‘young men diverging from the average/trend’ on politics, progressiveism etc.
I think as young young whitebrit men become more and more divorced from society, things like religion and the right (maybe not always together) provide them the place in society they have lost.
I’m not saying in favour one way or the other, but I just think its interesting. Many in this thread talk of Christianity as if its a doomed dying old man but its survived much worse threats than an areligious millenial generation. Some of you may be surprised in the future.
I am Christian, in a weird way the less popular it becomes, the more it will begin to align back to what it was
A small movement based on the teachings of Jesus, not getting your own mini free country, not crusades, not abuse scandals, not homophobia or using metaphor to justify literal interpretations like you were right there as a witness, not 500 offshoot cults & Western governments or influencers using Jesus as a mascot for killing babies with drones to get God’s land back or sexually assaulting women
The actual teachings are worth following, with an attitude of not trying to convert, not using it to judge others & applying the faith of a Christian with the skepticism of a scholar, you can make it your life without trying to make everyone’s life about your own interpretation on it
Really basic stuff that’s taking 2000 years to learn, ironically the exact reason Jesus was killed in the first place, experts not knowing their own field of expertise & hiding their shitty behaviour behind their texts or position of power
Because as a society we were going against outdated religions and towards science and intellectual thought, but now inexplicably, the country is now inundated with people who follow another religion. And they show no sign of waking up from its medieval nonsense.
Yeah no shit. I only know of two people who go to church on a Sunday.
I think UK will head for a More Atheist or Secular state then being christain country which I am non religious.
Good, keep it going. Religion needs to become extinct once and for all.
No way that many people in the UK are actually Christian. Take away everyone who has some vague belief in God that’s loosely based on Christianity, then take away the people who go to church only for Christmas and weddings, then take away anyone who can’t give the most basic explanation of fundamental Christian doctrine . . . I’d guess you’d arrive at one percent or so.
Sadly this has not lead to an age of enlightenment; it’s ushered in fake news, conspiracy theorists, and nihilism (and I speak as a non-religious person).
20 years the headline will be Muslims outnumber atheists in UK
Take that, all the people ranting in the thread earlier in the week about how the UK is a Christian country and non-religious aren’t a majority.
43% are christians? Theres no fucking way surely.
I think I’ve only known like.. 3 in the last 15 years? And that includes university and about 7 different jobs.
Are all the christians just really old?
Does this mean that Christians now count as a religious minority now?
Thank god. Now when we outnumber all the theists put together I might have cause to get excited.
Jesus died for your sins, so you should all sin as much as possible so he didn’t die (for a weekend anyway) in vain.
What percentage of that still believe in something maybe spiritual but do not conform to a religion though
Obviously have only ever meant 2 Christian’s in my life time, however much I dislike religion i hope we can keep it’s more positive aspects around I’d hate to see us lose all our ceremonies