Majority of British people have no religion
The results from the most recent British Attitudes Survey are out. 52% of British people now identify as non-religious. For 18-34 year olds, only 36% have a religion.
Guardian article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/11/uk-secularism-on-rise-as-more-than-half-say-they-have-no-religion
Full report: http://www.bsa.natcen.ac.uk/latest-report/british-social-attitudes-36/religion.aspx
As most people do not magically discover religion later in life, it is reasonable to assume the percentage of non-religious people will continue to increase in the future. Religious organisations are going to have to work on figuring out where they are going wrong or risk becoming increasingly irrelevant.
Guardian article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/11/uk-secularism-on-rise-as-more-than-half-say-they-have-no-religion
Full report: http://www.bsa.natcen.ac.uk/latest-report/british-social-attitudes-36/religion.aspx
As most people do not magically discover religion later in life, it is reasonable to assume the percentage of non-religious people will continue to increase in the future. Religious organisations are going to have to work on figuring out where they are going wrong or risk becoming increasingly irrelevant.
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I actually think young people are highly religious, they just follow ideologies that aren't called 'religions'
For example the red-pilled right wing groups are incredibly religious to me. They have their tennants that you have to follow, material you have to read, their preachers you listen to, jordan peterson for example.. whose speachers are increadbly similar to that of a religious preacher. Being red-pilled is basically like converting to a new religion. The core tenant is the belief in the individual above all else, and whether their is a god or not makes no difference, because the individual is holy entity in effect.
Equally on the far-left you have the exact same thing within feminist/LGBT circles. They have their comandments, their leaders and preachers, things you can't say, ways you must live... people who should be condemed etc. Their 'god' is equality. Equality will solve all problems, and is a holy thing that should always be worked towards all the time.. if equality is reached the world will be great.
For me, I think that there was a genuine decline in religious following among the boomers and gen X. But millenials and gen z are now finding that without religion there is a hole in their lives and a lack of meaning... for the boomers+X, they got away with being less religious because their parents, grandparents and society as a whole was still overwhelmingly religious, so they recieved the bennifits, whilst being able to rebel themselves. But for the new generations, they are being raised without religion, in societies that are also empty of religion, and they find it empty and meaningless.. so they are going out and finding new 'religions', its just those religions aren't the traditional ones, and we don't call them 'religions'.
For example the red-pilled right wing groups are incredibly religious to me. They have their tennants that you have to follow, material you have to read, their preachers you listen to, jordan peterson for example.. whose speachers are increadbly similar to that of a religious preacher. Being red-pilled is basically like converting to a new religion. The core tenant is the belief in the individual above all else, and whether their is a god or not makes no difference, because the individual is holy entity in effect.
Equally on the far-left you have the exact same thing within feminist/LGBT circles. They have their comandments, their leaders and preachers, things you can't say, ways you must live... people who should be condemed etc. Their 'god' is equality. Equality will solve all problems, and is a holy thing that should always be worked towards all the time.. if equality is reached the world will be great.
For me, I think that there was a genuine decline in religious following among the boomers and gen X. But millenials and gen z are now finding that without religion there is a hole in their lives and a lack of meaning... for the boomers+X, they got away with being less religious because their parents, grandparents and society as a whole was still overwhelmingly religious, so they recieved the bennifits, whilst being able to rebel themselves. But for the new generations, they are being raised without religion, in societies that are also empty of religion, and they find it empty and meaningless.. so they are going out and finding new 'religions', its just those religions aren't the traditional ones, and we don't call them 'religions'.
(edited 4 years ago)
Excellent news.
Christians are down from 66% of Brits in 1983 to 38% today!
Long may the societal progress continue.
Christians are down from 66% of Brits in 1983 to 38% today!
Long may the societal progress continue.
Original post by Palmyra
Excellent news.
Christians are down from 66% of Brits in 1983 to 38% today!
Long may the societal progress continue.
Christians are down from 66% of Brits in 1983 to 38% today!
Long may the societal progress continue.
what do you want it replaced by? Atheism? Or Islam?
Original post by fallen_acorns
what do you want it replaced by? Atheism? Or Islam?
What I want is irrelevant; the trajectory is clear and won't stop anytime soon.
"millenials and gen z are now finding that without religion there is a hole in their lives and a lack of meaning... for the boomers+X, they got away with being less religious because their parents, grandparents and society as a whole was still overwhelmingly religious, so they recieved the bennifits, whilst being able to rebel themselves. But for the new generations, they are being raised without religion, in societies that are also empty of religion, and they find it empty and meaningless.. so they are going out and finding new 'religions', its just those religions aren't the traditional ones, and we don't call them 'religions'"
Religious type thinking has been an observable problem for a long time, especially in politics and is often seen in areas such as brand loyalty..
"there is a hole in their lives and a lack of meaning" - I would more than anecdotal evidence for this. People create their own meaning. Maybe it is a case of after having a flase meaning pushed down their throat for so long, people need time to find their feet and have confidence in their own meaning, rather than being made to feel guilty by the religious people around them.
"in societies that are also empty of religion, and they find it empty and meaningless" - as above but also, I do not accept your claim.
"so they are going out and finding new 'religions', its just those religions aren't the traditional ones, and we don't call them 'religions'" - Whilst I understand what youare saying, you are stretching the definition of relgion somewhat. Whilst I would agree the idea of spiritualism is rising (a term I hate as it does really mean anything), much of what people believe in nowadays at least is based on things that demonstrably exist. Whether this has been filtered though bias to be incorrect is important, but atleast they are focuising things that demonstrably exist.
Religious type thinking has been an observable problem for a long time, especially in politics and is often seen in areas such as brand loyalty..
"there is a hole in their lives and a lack of meaning" - I would more than anecdotal evidence for this. People create their own meaning. Maybe it is a case of after having a flase meaning pushed down their throat for so long, people need time to find their feet and have confidence in their own meaning, rather than being made to feel guilty by the religious people around them.
"in societies that are also empty of religion, and they find it empty and meaningless" - as above but also, I do not accept your claim.
"so they are going out and finding new 'religions', its just those religions aren't the traditional ones, and we don't call them 'religions'" - Whilst I understand what youare saying, you are stretching the definition of relgion somewhat. Whilst I would agree the idea of spiritualism is rising (a term I hate as it does really mean anything), much of what people believe in nowadays at least is based on things that demonstrably exist. Whether this has been filtered though bias to be incorrect is important, but atleast they are focuising things that demonstrably exist.
(edited 4 years ago)
Original post by fallen_acorns
what do you want it replaced by? Atheism? Or Islam?
The lack of evidence points to Atheism.
Not surprising, but the truth will always remain the truth, no matter how few followers and no matter how strange it may appear to be
Original post by Palmyra
What I want is irrelevant; the trajectory is clear and won't stop anytime soon.
You said it was "excellent news"
Its only 'excellent' if you prefer what comes after to what is being gotten rid of.
Hence it follows perfectly logically and relevantly to ask what you want/expect to follow the decline of Christianity.
I would add to my earlier post that Christianity, specifically the CofE protistant brand that is dominant in the UK, has brought this on itself entirely. They have spectacularly failed to understand what makes a religion stick and what makes it pass between generations grow within a society. I have a few ministers on my facebook, and their accounts these days are indistinguishable from the labour activists that are also on there. Nothing they stand for or are offering is unique any more.. for the majority of modern churches its just left-wing ideals with the single addition of a man in the sky.
There is a reason why religion is proving harder to defeat in america, and why Islam is tougher to get out of a population... because both are inherently right-wing. Religion as a concept fits much much better as part of a right-wing ideology then a left-wing ideology.. and I think the radical shift to the left that the church has taken in the past 50 years is part of the reason why its fading into oblivion.
There is a reason why religion is proving harder to defeat in america, and why Islam is tougher to get out of a population... because both are inherently right-wing. Religion as a concept fits much much better as part of a right-wing ideology then a left-wing ideology.. and I think the radical shift to the left that the church has taken in the past 50 years is part of the reason why its fading into oblivion.
This is news? Been the case for a long time now.
Original post by searching123job
Not surprising, but the truth will always remain the truth, no matter how few followers and no matter how strange it may appear to be
thanks for supporting Pastafarianism!
It's a sign of the end times...
52% you say?
I demand we ask everybody again.
I demand we ask everybody again.
Oh no, just like God said, towards the end of times the world will have it's lowest believer base.
Should I revert?
Should I revert?
Original post by TheNamesBond.
Oh no, just like God said, towards the end of times the world will have it's lowest believer base.
Should I revert?
Should I revert?
What if we've all been misreading scripture and Revelation actually refers to the end of religion, rather than the end of the physical world?
Original post by Drewski
What if we've all been misreading scripture and Revelation actually refers to the end of religion, rather than the end of the physical world?
Or maybe it actually refers to the end of the EU's ties to the UK, only God knows.
People may not go to Church that much but the need to be religious about the world is still there, as so many people are on issues like the climate, transgenderism, feminism, abortion, animal rights, racism, veganism, membership of the EU, Trump... The BBC are like a temple to all that, it has become impossible to go anywhere near it without a sermon on any of those topics. The cultural takeover of the place has turned it into a Guardianista shrine.All wearing robes and exchanging funny handshakes.
Good, long may it continue!
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