How do people here view the changing role of churches in the UK today?

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Zealousideal-Low3388@reddit

Christianity barely has a role outside of immigrant communities. I don’t know a single churchgoer, and I live 3 minutes walk from a church.

In the village I grew up in, one of the disused churches is now a shop, which is better than letting a perfectly good building go to waste. A church with no congregation isn’t serving much of a purpose

I don’t think a shift towards irreligious secularism is particularly British nor European: I lived in South America, and church attendances were declining and the entrenched Catholic Church had less political clout than ever. 🤷‍♂️

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theevildjinn@reddit

I spent time living in Peru, and I noticed this as well. Almost everyone considers themselves to be Catholic, but nobody who I met was a regular church-goer, to my knowledge. And skipping Mass even once is meant to be a big deal for practicing Catholics, unless you physically can't make it.

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Ryanliverpool96@reddit

Missing mass doesn’t condemn you or anything, there are plenty of lapsed Catholics around who are still saved and still believe, it’s frowned upon by the church but it doesn’t make you “undeserving of salvation or grace” or anything like that.

Apostasy and a deliberate rejection of the faith is a different thing to just missing mass.

Even the church itself is not the building or even the priest, we are the church, the individual Catholics all around the world themselves are the church, the buildings are just places to be together and the priest is simply an expert in the faith with approval from the Holy See as an organisation.

The new covenant with Christ is not tied to one location, it’s tied to faith in him, the reason the Catholic Church is special is because it’s the original church started by Christ as he gave instruction to the Apostle Peter, who became the first Bishop of Rome (the Pope) and started the church on the direct instruction Christ gave to him.

Matthew 16:18 - “I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church”

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theevildjinn@reddit

I'm well aware, I went to a Christian Brothers secondary school on Merseyside, in the 90s. Many of the teachers were "Brothers", and a few were fully-ordained priests.

I seem to remember something like, if you miss Mass and Communion, then you have to go to confession before you can receive Communion again. I last had Communion on my wedding day, in 2008. And I think that was the first time since the 90s.

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Ryanliverpool96@reddit

I can only speak from my experience but the Catholic Churches I’ve been to have all had healthy turnout on Sundays and they’re especially packed around Easter and Christmas time.

Sure if you go to a church at 2pm on a Thursday afternoon it’s probably not going to be busy.

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jesuseatsbees@reddit

I live in a very white area and the churches are busy here. It’s mainly older people but there have been a fair amount of young people and families the times I’ve been. A few have adopted a ‘trendier’ approach to services with a band and such, which probably helps.

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Bennjoon@reddit

I’m religious but I don’t go to church because I’m scared of randoms.

I’ve read enough true crime to know you should stay away. 😭

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DeTroutSpinners_@reddit

You're joking arent you? At my church, there was a queue around the corner to get in for the Easter Vigil - its standing room only every week and has seating for \~250 people. I'd say it 95% white english and I live in a pretty diverse commuter town.

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Brave_Assumption6@reddit

You don't have to necessarily visit church though. I personally know 2 friends who believe in God in the spirit of Christianity/"Abrahamic monotheistic" but who are not very interested in being part of a church because the connection is meant to be more personal and spiritual instead of being part of an organisation.

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MoreTeaVicar83@reddit

My experience of real life is quite different to Reddit. I know plenty of people who regard spirituality as important and that includes churchgoers. I was in a cathedral on Easter Sunday, it was standing room only.

People are often looking for a "third space", outside of the home and outside of capitalism. For better or worse, the historic solution to this is a church.

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BoomalakkaWee@reddit

Username checks out! ☑️

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MoreTeaVicar83@reddit

It's a joke name but I take your point :)

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TheMountainWhoDews@reddit

>the historic solution to this is a church.
The historic solution is a public house, but we've regulated them to death and they no longer fulfill that function due to increased costs arising from excess regulation. Churches had a different function. People didnt go to church to hang out with their friends, they went to a pub.

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lilidragonfly@reddit

I think they might be talking about a place that caters to a different part of the human psyche, outside capitalism wouldn't really apply to a pub.

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hairychris88@reddit

That's my experience too.

I'm not religious personally but I do some work as a freelance church organist, and I'm always surprised by the number of young people I see at services.

I played at a village Anglican church this past Easter and it was full.

I do sort of hope the mainstream denominations survive to some extent. The Old Testament is deeply unpleasant, but much of the New Testament is woke as fuck and (as someone who's sat through hundreds and hundreds of mostly Anglican and Methodist sermons) that's what gets emphasised by the clergy.

The far right who try to weaponise Christianity will get a horrible shock if they ever actually get round to reading their bibles.

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futurepasta11@reddit

I'm secular and I regularly visit churches because they usually have water taps and free electricity when I'm out hiking.

It's nice to have a public building you can just sit in.

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RaedwaldRex@reddit

I too live just round the corner from a church. Last time I was in there was for a christening about 3 years ago. The congregation has shrunk to a few old people and to the extent that the vicar now has, I think 3 or four churches under his jurisdiction and rotates around them each week, because its not worth being open the rest of the time. Its so stuffy and old fashioned.

The next village over though do church the right way, old ancient church with the pews and altar etc at one end, the other free tea and coffee kitchen and social area. Host loads of events mostly secular non religoous stuff too its anproper community centre. The vicar is young, modern and funny and when I went to my sons school harvest festival service thing, he said something along the lines of "you can pray with me now, or not, or to whatever god you like, its just good there are people here in the spirit of giving and love" etc.

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On_The_Blindside@reddit

I'll be blunt. The US version of Christianity is completely fucking mental.

It's seen, rightly, as a fringe of hateful shite here. As an ex Christian I can't imagine anything further away from Jesus teachings than US Christianity.

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tuta_user@reddit

The US version of Christianity is completely fucking mental.

There's lots of different branches of Christianity there, are you referring to all of them? And in what way?

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On_The_Blindside@reddit

You know exactly what I'm talking about

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tuta_user@reddit

Dude, the US is a big country, with lots of Christian denominations that span those which are in lockstep with the Church of England, the Amish, Mormons (debatable whether they're Christian at all) and others.

I don't know what you're talking about because:

I can't read your bloody mind
You made a vague and sweeping statement about a country with 100+ million self described Christians.

I don't know why you're being hostile to a perfectly reasonable question, I DID have a genuine interest in finding out what you meant but stop acting like I've spat on you.

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On_The_Blindside@reddit

Man if you don't know the kind of person I'm talking about then you've got to have you head in the sand.

use your brain love

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Ryanliverpool96@reddit

Plenty of evidence to argue that Evangelical “prosperity gospel” “Christians” aren’t Christian at all and are in fact heretical.

It makes no sense to criticise all of Christianity based on their actions, it makes as much sense as criticising Catholicism based on the beliefs of Gnostics.

They’re not remotely the same thing.

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On_The_Blindside@reddit

you say potato, I say same bunch of delusional fools trying to enforce their beliefs on to others

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LittleGateaux@reddit

I became a Christian in 2016 after a profound experience that changed my "I don't know" into an "I believe".

I am part of a church that regularly has hundreds of people present on a Sunday, and on Easter Sunday this year welcomed over a thousand visitors. It's not part of the Church of England, or any particular denomination; it's a community church. The kind of church that would have been described as 'happy clappy' in the past.

Our church has a purpose built building but it doesn't look like a traditional church from the outside. As far as I know, they don't let rooms out for general purposes, but that's mostly because they're always in use.

Our church focuses mainly on supporting our local community, and runs community projects including a community grocery, supporting people in our local prison, and supporting people into work. Any money donated to the church goes to fund the work of the church, and we are regularly told how the money was spent during church family meetings.

I find church to be an incredible source of fellowship and community with other people, in a society that has felt increasingly fractured. As well as our large Sunday meetings, we have small group that meets midweek to discuss other topics, pray, study the Bible, and sometimes just spend time together. Occasionally it's pizza and board game night ☺️ I've made friends through the churches I have been part of that are very dear to me.

One of the things that profoundly changed my mind and made me rethink my ideas about Christianity was something a friend said to me - "Church isn't for perfect people, the same way that hospitals aren't for the healthy". We all come before God exactly the way we are, and are still loved. We mess up, we make mistakes, we fail. He loves us anyway.

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turbo_dude@reddit

Your god gives kids cancer. Nice guy.

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LittleGateaux@reddit

That's not how that works. Cancer is caused by random mutation/copy error within the body during cell division (mitosis). Usually these mutated cells are caught by the body's own immune system, but every now and then one slips through the net and manages to have runaway uncontrolled growth, with infiltration of the surrounding tissue.

The body does it to itself, unfortunately. It is sad when it happens to anyone, and utterly tragic when it happens to children.

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turbo_dude@reddit

well duh, because obviously no one with any sense would actually believe in 'man in fluffy cloud watches everything you do' but for those that lap up such idiocy will have to accept that their god does indeed create these horrors

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DeTroutSpinners_@reddit

No he doesn't 😂

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turbo_dude@reddit

well he doesn't exist so obviously not but these feeble minded folks believe he exists and controls things so there is that

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360Saturn@reddit

Why be rude like this?

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lnternet01@reddit

Do you tell child molesters the same thing? That your God loves them anyway?

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tuta_user@reddit

God loves child molesters, rapists and murderers, even people just like you.

Even you.

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quartersessions@reddit

I am part of a church that regularly has hundreds of people present on a Sunday, and on Easter Sunday this year welcomed over a thousand visitors. It's not part of the Church of England, or any particular denomination; it's a community church. The kind of church that would have been described as 'happy clappy' in the past.

Despite this American habit of describing some churches as non-denominational, you can't really opt out of having a denomination. The C of E's churches are "community churches" too. The problem is that the details are things that people reasonably have opinions on - and your church does too, it just decides to brand itself differently.

Depending on governance, you're probably congregationalist or presbyterian. In terms of worship, you're undoubtedly low-church, almost certainly falling under the umbrella of the Charismatics and probably Pentecostal.

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LittleGateaux@reddit

Yeah you're probably right, I would say Pentecostal congregationalist is accurate, if you must pigeonhole.

However, I would dispute that you can't opt out of being in a denomination; in the past I was part of a house church that consisted of just a few families meeting together regularly in each others houses. I'm not even sure I know how all the other people we met with felt about some of the usual hot button issues, all I know is we came together to worship, pray, and study the Bible. That tiny church fell apart because of COVID, which is how we ended up where we are now 🤷🏻‍♀️

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bacon_cake@reddit

All that sounds really appealing and lovely and then it shoves a bunch of, respectfully, religious fluff into everything.

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LittleGateaux@reddit

There's nothing stopping you from getting some people together and starting one.

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bacon_cake@reddit

Other than time and money I suppose!

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Ceejayncl@reddit

I’m an atheist. I think whenever you go into a church the collection plate gets passed around. If churches are changing what they offer, they are doing so because they need to diversify, not out of their ideas, but because the collection plate still needs to be passed around.

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Ryanliverpool96@reddit

Speak for yourself.

I’m guessing that your experience is with Anglicanism or other Protestant sects, as I’ve never once experienced a collection plate being passed around in a Catholic mass in my life, even in the Vatican.

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SlickPillock@reddit

I'm atheist but sympathetic towards religion and the people who believe in them. I personally believe it's more that the churches are trying to stay relevant rather than them trying to collect money. Most clergy sacrifice a lot to take on their roles and so I genuinely believe that most of them must have sincere motives for taking on the role that they do, although as with everything in life there will be exceptions.

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Turbulent-Remote2866@reddit

This is true. We are the least religious country in Europe. This seems like a desperate attempt to appeal to the masses. In 2026, the first woman is less of a celebration and more of an indication of how far behind an institution is.

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ExileNorth@reddit

Pretty sure France is even less religious than us

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grey-zone@reddit

I just tried to google figures for UK and France and they are all over the place. The top answer said that between 47% and 88% of French people identify as catholic. Very precise.

I suspect UK and France are very similar, with lots of people declaring their religion from habit / culture but not actually being religious.

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ExileNorth@reddit

Well yes, plus the fact that France is a secular country and the UK is not

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grey-zone@reddit

Having lived in both countries, there is more overt religion in France, but you are correct that France has separation of church and state and the UK does not.

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On_The_Blindside@reddit

The USA is a secular country and we are not, who is more religious, the USA or the UK?

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Just-an-idiot-online@reddit

Catholicism counts anyone baptised as one of their number. Never mind if they've left the Church, denounce God, converted to another religion, whatever. So their official figures can't be trusted.
I also know quite a few people who would put Catholic on forms but never set foot in a Church or even believe in God.
I think you're probably right- a lot of people will say they are "whatever" religion but actually can't be doing with any of it.

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Shot_Net3794@reddit

Honestly, with the UK, France, Germany, Nordics... The gap in actual non-religious people across them, beyond people who claim to be religious because of their upbringing is probably within 5-10% of each other

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AlyDAsbaje@reddit

You mean less Christian than you.

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Brave_Assumption6@reddit

We are the least religious? Where did you even get that from? That's far from the truth.

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Entire-Ad1625@reddit

We've had women ordained in the Church of Scotland for a long time. Nothing new on the island

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callisstaa@reddit

We had a female vicar in our parish in England in the 90s. It’s certainly nothing new.

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TeHNeutral@reddit

There was a rather famous one on the telly in fact

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ReinforcedTube@reddit

So have several of the other Churches around the country, including the Church of England (and the sister Scottish Episcopal Church). A woman becoming the Archbishop of Canterbury is different here, although women have been allowed to be ordained as priests for 30 odd years, they've only been allowed to be ordained as bishops since 2014. There have been women leading Anglican Churches in other countries, notably the US for many years, but since the Archbishop of Canterbury is notionally the leader of the Anglican Communion, this is a Big Thing.

Since the Church of Scotland is Presbyterian, not Episcopal in polity, there are no bishops. A better example would be that the Church of Scotland has had several women as Moderators since the early 2000s.

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malivoirec@reddit

Mullally was appointed because when Welby retired after the publication of the Makin Review because she was by far the least controversial senior bishop in the church. Most of the other figures who would otherwise have been in the running had their own controversies around historic safeguarding failures which pretty much disqualified them from the start.

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tobotic@reddit

We are the least religious country in Europe.

I'm most surveys we're about third in that category, with Czechia having us pretty firmly beaten and Estonia slightly ahead of us too.

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Astr0Scot@reddit

It's ironic as adaptation is a key driver of evolution.

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Bennjoon@reddit

Surely it makes more sense for God to use procedural generation rather than create everything bespoke.

Maybe dinosaurs were the attempt at creating us from angels as a base hence the bird like qualities. 😅

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Do_You_Like_Owls@reddit

They are. They rent out churches and spaces to all sorts of groups. Though I'm sure there's more that could be done.

Problem is you get some Christians upset about a cathedral being used for anything other than worship so I guess they're dealing with that.

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Confudled_Contractor@reddit

My understanding is that, the influx of east Europeans over the last couple of decades has helped to prop up/increase church attendances.

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terryjuicelawson@reddit

A lot of African churches too around here. They certainly know how to dress up on a Sunday

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Just-an-idiot-online@reddit

Yep. All the people I know who attend Church are either Polish or Nigerian in origin. The local Catholic church even offers a mass in Polish every so often.

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Impressive_Flan_411@reddit (OP)

My apologies. I just fixed/edited it. I meant to say the majority of the "religious" population identify as Christians, not the entire population.

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Thai-Girl69@reddit

How can you lead a group of people without owning a sacred penis of power? Surely the holy man rod is the source of all gods power on earth and satan's vagina is the source of all temptations. That's why priests prefer young boys isn't it?

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Just_Understanding90@reddit

You can't polish a turd

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Hell_D_Diver@reddit

Actually, Mythbusters demonstrated that you can back in 2007.

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Current_Mongoose_844@reddit

I'm Jewish myself, but I have a lot of respect for the CoE and hope it survives into the future.

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helioliolis@reddit

Reddit is mostly Atheist so a bad place to ask really. My local church is thriving, on Easter/Christmas there aren't enough pews to seat the congregation.

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lemonherring@reddit

My local church is thriving, on Easter/Christmas there aren't enough pews to seat the congregation.

Lol - "C of E" = "Christmas & Easter". Always nice to go and have a sing-song before scoffing that turkey/chocolate!

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CommerceNenUser@reddit

What are you saying fat retard?

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Brave_Assumption6@reddit

Reddit sadly also likes to criticise religion too much even when completely unnecessary.

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CharmingResident914@reddit

Not seeing a single Christian comment on this thread, so I'll try.

I think the absolute disrespect of scripture and dismantling of tradition that the church of England has done has basically destroyed it.

Look at the apostolic churches, how they're thriving and continuing to grow and how those countries that hold those traditions are holding onto their respective cultures and communities.

I became an Orthodox Christian last year, since then the Anglican schism happened. This is from previously being raised a Muslim and going on a long journey to get there.

The consequences of liberal extremism are proving to be the nail in the coffin for a church with already difficult origins that for the longest time stopped me wanting to be involved.

I don't expect a productive discussion on Reddit so react how you like. But the future of Britain without a church and native communal space is going to be extremely bleak.

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PsychologyOk5757@reddit

Christianity in this country is well on it's way to being moribund. True, most churches are still well attended, but with the exception of a minority of youth-focused congregations, what you'll see if you go into a church on Sunday morning is a sea of white hair.

The churches are staring down the barrel of a demographic time bomb whereby half their current attendees won't be here in 20 years time and at least 75% won't be here in 40 years time.

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PhysicsForeign1634@reddit

I would be happier if they changed their role to not protecting abusers.

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AnyOlUsername@reddit

I’m not a Christian so idc what their practises are as long as they’re not harmful.

I’ve been in many churches over the years, I’ve been exposed to Christianity all my life but never felt like anyone was forcing me into it if you know what I mean.

I can go to a church jumble sale or a coffee morning and no one’s questioning my motives or getting mad I’m not religious because I’m just minding my own business and not bothering anyone.

I prefer it that way because the lack of extremes are probably more inviting if someone is Christ-curious.

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tazmusicandmeat@reddit

Couldn't give a f

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Blonde_Streak_@reddit

Churches have a role in the UK today?

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LegendEater@reddit

Burn them all. Then the mosques. Then whatever else we've got.

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soggyarsonist@reddit

Had little to nothing to do with my life since my mum stopped forcing me to go to church when I got to ten.

Don't care

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Underwritingking@reddit

I'll be frank. I'm an atheist and have been since I was about 11 years old.

The changing nature of the church etc as asked by OP are so low on my mental radar as to be virtually non-existent. I don't actually know anyone in my circle of friends and acquaintances that I know to be a practising christian. I very rarely enter a church or other religious building and if I do is usually because something else is taking place there.

My personal experience of church goers, nuns, priests etc has been very, very mixed. In fact I would say a few have seemed OK/reasonable people, but they are outweighed by the cruel, pompous, self-righteous bigots. Most of them don't really want anything to do with and I believe my life has been happier for it.

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OnlymyOP@reddit

The UK is largely a secular Country, so any religious role Christianity has in society is limited, so cannot be compared to somewhere like the US, for instance.

I do however genuinely like the fact the Anglican Church can demonstrate it's prepared to adapt to current thinking on issues such as lgbtq+ issues as it demonstrates that it's inclusive, as all religions should be.

Churches need to pay their bills so I don't see a problem with them being used for non religious events and if they attract people to their faith then it's a win/win, but there are obvious lines which shouldn't be crossed.

I would assume these trends are unique to more secular Countries, but I don't know how widespread secularism is around the World, so it's possible the UK is the outlier.

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glasgowgeg@reddit

The UK is largely a secular Country

There's no such thing as a "largely secular country". A country is either secular or it isn't, it's not a spectrum.

The UK is not a secular country because England has a state religion, the head of that state religion is the Head of State of the UK as a whole, and representatives of that state religion are automatically appointed to our upper chamber of government.

What you mean is that individuals in this country are largely not religious, which is completely different from the secularity of a country.

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OnlymyOP@reddit

Other than a handful of Anglican Bishops sitting in the HoL who are in the minority, Religion has no say in State affairs ... this is a clear separation of the State and the Church so the UK is Secular

The 2021 Census also showed less than half the British population identified as Christian and "No Religion" was the most increased demographic.

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CarpeCyprinidae@reddit

I'm sorry but he's right and you are wrong

France is a secular state, the UK is a state with an established and official religion - the fact most of us don't follow it doesnt change that. Secularity is decided at a state level.

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LambonaHam@reddit

Secularity is not decided on a sliding scale, it's an on/off switch decided at a state level, and for as long as our Kings and Queens are crowned by an Archbishop instead of an appointed representative of the people, it will be officially Christian.

That's objectively not what secular means though?

A quick Google brings up this: "A secular country maintains separation between religion and state, treating all citizens equally regardless of faith and avoiding an official state religion. Secularism guarantees religious freedom and prevents government interference in religious affairs, with notable examples including France, India, and Turkey".

Are you seriously trying to say that the government forces people to follow CoE?

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glasgowgeg@reddit

A quick Google brings up this: "A secular country maintains separation between religion and state

That's explicitly telling you that it is an on/off switch. The state is either separated from religion, or it isn't.

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LambonaHam@reddit

That's explicitly telling you that it is an on/off switch. The state is either separated from religion, or it isn't.

It's doing the exact opposite...

Separation between Church and State is by degrees, not an absolute. There's no indication that there must be no interconnection for a nation to be considered secular. It would be ridiculous for a nation that has 99% separation between religion and state to be considered not secular...

Not being secular doesn't mean you're forced to follow the state religion.

Secularism guarantees religious freedom.

Do we have religious freedom in the UK, or are we forced to adhere to a state religion?

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glasgowgeg@reddit

Separation between Church and State is by degrees, not an absolute.

You're either separated or you aren't. You are wrong and don't understand what you're talking about.

How entrenched the church is in the state can be a spectrum, but whether or not it's separate is a binary option, that's objective fact, it's not up for debate.

Do we have religious freedom in the UK, or are we forced to adhere to a state religion?

Again, you simply don't know what you're talking about, I'm not wasting time on trolls.

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glasgowgeg@reddit

This thread is absolutely insane. Outright misinformation from OnlymyOP is upvoted, and my comment is currently at -19 for pointing out they're incorrect.

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CarpeCyprinidae@reddit

I've been upvoting you every time you post but it's a problem that in general, what words mean is so poorly understood

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glasgowgeg@reddit

Nah, I'm not placating a bunch of folk who don't know what secular means.

Each person downvoting my completely correct comment is just embarrassing themselves and proving they don't know what it means.

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CarpeCyprinidae@reddit

Don't think of it as placating them - we're providing the education their teachers failed to impart

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throcorfe@reddit

I was with until you said Britain has separation of church and state, which isn’t something that can be nuanced, it’s either the case or it’s not, and it’s not. The population isn’t religious, but the state formally is, in several important ways, not just “a few bishops in the HoL”. I’d like to see separation of church and state in my lifetime, but we can’t claim to be there yet.

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Expensive_Time_7367@reddit

There is no separation of church and state in the UK. My favourite recently learned fact is that the Anglican Church can even appoint police under the powers of the parish and does. For example York Minster has police Constables it appoints and they’re “real” police Constables.

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Ill-Breadfruit5356@reddit

I’m sorry, I see what you’re saying but in the wording you’re choosing you’re wrong.

The UK doesn’t meet the definition of a secular state, even though we have a largely secular population.

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glasgowgeg@reddit

this is a clear separation of the State and the Church so the UK is Secular

Doubling down on being wrong doesn't stop you being wrong, the UK is not a secular country.

The 2021 Census also showed less than half the British population identified as Christian and "No Religion" was the most increased demographic

As I already told you, individuals in a country being largely not religious is completely irrelevant to whether or not a country is secular.

A secular state is one where religion has no official role. The Church of England has an official role in this country, via the Head of State, automatic representation in the upper chamber of government, and it being a state religion of England.

The UK is not a secular country, you're wrong.

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Master_Elderberry275@reddit

Yes, secularity is a spectrum. Why couldn't secularity be a spectrum?

The UK is more secular than Saudi Arabia: religion has less involvement in the state and politics here than it does there. We are less secular than France, because we nominally have a state religion and our head of state is a practicing Christian.

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glasgowgeg@reddit

Why couldn't secularity be a spectrum

Because a country is either secular or it's not.

Any established religion/official recognition of religion within a state stops it being secular.

Secularity is the complete absence of recognised religion from a state.

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WishUponADuck@reddit

Because a country is either secular or it's not.

This is not a reasonable or rational take.

The UK is generally secular, because the Church does not dictate the law, and most people do not follow a singular organised religion.

A secular country maintains separation between religion and state, treating all citizens equally regardless of faith and avoiding an official state religion.

It's very weird that you're lying about this and trying to redefine what the word secular means...

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glasgowgeg@reddit

This is not a reasonable or rational take.

It is if you know what the word secular means.

The UK is generally secular, because the Church does not dictate the law, and most people do not follow a singular organised religion.

There is literally a state religion in England, and representatives of that state religion automatically appointed to the upper chamber of parliament.

It's very weird that you're lying about this and trying to redefine what the word secular means...

No, I just know what it means, and you're embarrassing yourself.

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Tiny_Major_7514@reddit

Great username!

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Kirstemis@reddit

An irrelevance.

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Ok_Independent5640@reddit

If you don't stand for anything you'll fall for everything, people need clear guidance but the church doesn't get it, which I guess is why Islam is grown amongst the youth

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Warriorcatv2@reddit

Cool buildings & history. Should be preserved if for no other reason then culture & historical value, not to mention the craftsmanship that is on display.

The actual church itself as an organisation? A relic of a bygone time that should have any of its remaining power stripped. Oh wow, a women is being allowed to lead a procession. Truly a progressive move in... Checks calendar 2026! Next you'll be telling me that coloureds are allowed on golf courses!

Seriously, if you're organisation treats having a female member getting treated equally as some sort of historic precedent, that's an abject failure to be shamed. Not an achievement to be celebrated.

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mronion82@reddit

Seriously, if you're organisation treats having a female member getting treated equally as some sort of historic precedent, that's an abject failure to be shamed. Not an achievement to be celebrated.

The Church of England only ordained its first female priests in 1994, I think they're catching up fairly quickly.

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Warriorcatv2@reddit

Yeah, the fact it took that long to begin with is kinda the problem.

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mronion82@reddit

If your guiding principles are from a religious book it takes a long time to change.

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Warriorcatv2@reddit

Not a good excuse. The book in question also tells fathers to marry their daughters to their rapist's & to stone certain groups to death.

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mronion82@reddit

It's not an excuse, it's just how it is.

Various groups within religions will change at different speeds. Methodists, Lutherans and Baptists found some wiggle room around ordaining women over time, the Catholic church almost certainly never will.

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Warriorcatv2@reddit

If they refuse to change then it's time for them to go. At minimum have all their political & government power stripped.

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mronion82@reddit

The thing is, you've not only got to change people's minds, but also persuade them that their version of what god wants has changed too. Not easy.

And, with respect, why should they do what you want? You say 'change', but to what?

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Warriorcatv2@reddit

Not change to what I want. Change to the bare minimum that is expected in society. Equal rights & opportunities regardless of sex or gender for one. The weird favoritism they give to Christian families over others because of their control of a number of schools.

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mronion82@reddit

Just the Church of England? Just Christianity? All religions?

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Warriorcatv2@reddit

I'd apply it to all religions, yes. The reason we're singling out the Church of England is because they are a dominant origination that has a lot of power in this country. No other religion has such power here. See all Church of England schools, the house of lords etc.

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mronion82@reddit

How would you run the education system if the C of E pulled out? About four and a half thousands schools and academies would have to be taken care of.

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quartersessions@reddit

I think you're at risk of over-representing progress here. Large businesses are still disproportionately led by men. The political party in government in this country has never had a woman leader.

Sometimes it is historic that women have reached key leadership positions in certain organisations - and we should acknowledge that.

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11Kram@reddit

I see that Australia has just appointed a woman as head of its army.

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Warriorcatv2@reddit

Okay...? Is their a reason you felt the need to bring this up? We were discussing churches & religion. Not a serious job that should be dictated purely on merit. Unless they had a ban on women serving I don't see how this is in any way related.

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JeffDunham911@reddit

The oldest denominations are the reason why it draws a lot of the younger generation in, actually. Imo most people who turn to Christianity and other abrahamic religions aren't doing so because it's 'progressive' or modern

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Warriorcatv2@reddit

That really isn't a good thing. If the reason it's attractive to younger generations is because it's mired in stereotypes & arbitrary restrictions based on gender, that's just shows how regression this country has become.

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SilyLavage@reddit

Cool buildings & history. Should be preserved if for no other reason then culture & historical value, not to mention the craftsmanship that is on display.

At some point a sustainable solution needs to be found for the upkeep of historic churches as museums and tourist attractions. Practically all denominations are shedding buildings, and while this has so far been the less architecturally distinguished ones it won't be long until the medieval village churches and even the cathedrals become an unsustainable burden.

At the moment, the Churches Conservation Trust and Friends of Friendless Churches do a good job of looking after redundant church buildings of historic significance. They could probably be given greater resources and encouraged to merge, in the expectation that they'll become a sort of 'National Trust for Churches' as these buildings fall further out of religious use.

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Odd-Wrangler3589@reddit

The Church of England is, these days, a largely benign institution which is mostly concerned with peace, love, church fairs and bake sales.

The level of religiosity in the nation has fallen consistently and will continue to do so Vis a Vis Christianity until basically no one seriously believes it.

I am far more concerned about the rapid growth of Islam. This country has spent the last 2000 years trying to get past one dumb religion. We could do without the pain and suffering that will go with trying to get over another one

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Tski247@reddit

I don't care, all religions are irrelevant as far as I'm concerned. They need to be taxed and all church schools got rid of. 2000 year old fairy stories have no place in today's society.

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Max375623875@reddit

The Church of England has been a joke for decades.

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redheadedwildgypsy@reddit

Excellent to see women in these roles. Jesus never modelled patriarchy and would never treat women the way the church does. The ancient church was very different from the modern church. Good to see things moving in the direction of more equality in some ways. I am one of a huge number of women who left the church for these reasons and some churches are doing equality really well so I may even go back one day. We will see.

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tomdombadil@reddit

An interesting comparison of Britain and the US is that in Britain repeated accusations of sexual assault and pedophilia reduces your following and diminishes your congregation, whereas in America it gets you elected

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Bus_Wrangler@reddit

I am Catholic and am from the UK. I was C of E but was confirmed this Easter.

The Catholic Church has more or less stayed the same over the last 60 or so years. Vatican II in the 60s shook a lot up, but it is more or less the same church.

C of E is bending over backwards to attract new members and forgetting its traditional roots in the process. Ultimately it is not my church anymore, so my opinion on it is not as relevant as one of their church goers but it has been controversial since the LGBT debate and of course the appointment of the new Archbishop does not promote their case.

The Catholic church offers a level of continuity that you will not find outside of itself or Orthodoxy.

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Glittering_Swan2205@reddit

I am in the same boat as you. Not converted yet, but on the way. Also very interesting to see people here saying that they don’t know any “religious” Christians IRL and drawing the conclusion that the alleged revival must therefore be false. I’m in my mid-30s working in the City in London with what you would imagine would be a very atheist social circle, and that is absolutely not my experience at all.

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Bus_Wrangler@reddit

That's fantastic news! If you have any questions on the process, please feel free to message me.

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Glittering_Swan2205@reddit

Thank you! I probably will.

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lemonherring@reddit

that is absolutely not my experience at all

Nice that they're all working hard in the City to then give away their money to the poor! That's the most heart-warming thing I've read today.

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Slyspy006@reddit

It is not wise to counter anecdote with anecdote!

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Glittering_Swan2205@reddit

Not countering, just observing.

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miIk-skin@reddit

Genuinely interested in your take on this as a member, but what is it about the church embracing modern values that feels exclusionary to individuals like yourself? I'd like to understand it a bit more.

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Bus_Wrangler@reddit

It's not exclusionary to myself at all. For myself and most Catholics around the world, a female Bishop is against the tradition of the church and against a lot of the theology. The priesthood are from the apostles, there were no female apostles of Jesus, however were many extremely important women in the story. I don't think that women were meant to be Bishops/priests from this intexpectation. However this is not to conflate with the role of women in the Church as they have their own role that is different from the mens.

LGBT people are welcome at the church. I support LGBT legal marriage and would even consider myself an ally of the community, just not marriage within the church itself. There are many priests, nuns and the congregation that are LGBT and feel included within the church.

The modern values of the C of E are appeasing a current generation over keeping the tradition of the church alive and following scripture. The reason why I emphasise tradition so much is because we Catholics believe in using the Bible, the magisterium (the whole church), and tradition of the church. It's very hard to then revert back to tradition once the floodgates are open to modernism, time will ultimately tell whether the C of E made the right decision.

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LethargicOnslaught@reddit

I'm glad my local church exists to help the community, the whole God thing seems more as a tacked on thought rather then the hammer with which to beat. They run tours of the different behind the scenes bits of the church, a food bank, parent and toddler groups, they host for the arts, local schools, and the May Day Fayre brings in their whole operating cost revenue in a single day.

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Mister_Sith@reddit

I always wonder who is up at 2 - 4am in the UK answering these british themed questions... anyway

Native brits are becoming more faithless as years go on. Or at least, if they believe in something, they don't go to church except for certain occasions.

Incidentally, on finances, as I've learned church roofs are an expensive maintenance burden that CofE HQ won't fund for smaller churches - so my local village church relies entirely on donations for its upkeep. I imagine at some point the congregation and general village community will no longer be able to sustain the maintenance and the church will fall into disrepair. Which, even as an athiest, would be a shame.

I think the appeal needs to be on local communities as a place to meet and celebrate life occasions. I went to the church for the village christmas lights switch on and it wasn't really a mass, but a way to sing a few songs, drink mulled wine and connect with the community. I find it odd how one would move to a small village and then never interact with the community.

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quartersessions@reddit

This is definitely true. But I can think of a village near me which had a beautiful but massive church at its core, that inevitably couldn't be maintained. It was sold off for flats - and the small congregation moved into a rather sad-looking little hall - the end result being the "church", such as it is, isn't getting used by anyone for any sort of community event.

You could look at it in terms of the community losing a facility. But quite often, there's a lot of people who are pretty community minded, but feel a bit weird about going into a church. I'm not saying they're hostile to religion or anything, just that it makes them feel out of place in a way the village hall doesn't.

I think that's why many churches struggle with this community role - there's an awkwardness among people who are unfamiliar with it. There's a feeling, not always wrong, that they'll get roped into things and proselytised at. Which is, from the perspective of the church, probably fair enough - that is their core function, after all.

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Material_Angle2922@reddit

Christianity is very much dead. The only reason it survived for this long is because of the parents passing their beliefs to their children. We don’t need religion in our modern society.

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JeffDunham911@reddit

There's about 2.3-2.6 billion Christians around the world. Can you elaborate on why you think it's dead?

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DeTroutSpinners_@reddit

+ Bible sales are up 134% since 2019 and church attendance (however they measure that) is up 36% since 2021 with 80% of those being under 40.

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mumwifealcoholic@reddit

Those stats have recently been debunked.

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VelvetDreamers@reddit

Christianity is ubiquitous in the UK but it’s entirely decorative. It has little relevance to peoples lives yet we pass churches everyday, we celebrate Christian holidays like Shove Tuesday and Christmas, and our King is the supreme head of his church.

It is essentially the nation’s centuries old wallpaper that’s imperceptible to the average mind anymore.

That said, spirituality will always be with humanity. Agnostic or belief in the soul or animism, whatever you want to call it. 87% of the world’s population has spiritual views so atheists are quite the global minority.

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quartersessions@reddit

Sure, it's a wallpaper - but you choose your own level of involvement. Some people are pretty religious but rarely go to church. Some old dears barely think about theology, but spend considerable amounts of time in church doing tea, running the craft club and harassing their husband to cut the church grass. It's a quite nice pick and mix - and I think that's, to some extent, what it should be.

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aviewfrom@reddit

For context I’m from an atheist family, I, my siblings, and parents are all atheists. Two of my grandparents were atheists, the other two were vaguely CofE and went to church only at the major festivals. I have never been subject to any Judaeo-Christian indoctrination nor ever believed in any deity.

A. What do you think these changes say about the current role of Christianity in UK society?

I think your analysis is pretty accurate, old (70+) white people might still consider themselves CofE. Whereas younger recent immigrants or people of colour might be more evangelical "African Christian" of which there are a number of churches in the major cities. The CofE will remain the state mandated religion until we get rid of the monarchy, as the monarch is the head of the CofE.

B. How do you feel about churches being used for non-religious events? Does it seem like a reasonable adaptation, or does it undermine their "purpose" in your opinion?

Its necessary or they close. So just form a architectural preservation point of view thye need to carry on being used. But there are many, many churches which are now Mosques, Gurdwara, and temples of various religions, or converted into other uses, often apartments. If the CofE don’t rent out their buildings to be used for other purposes they will rot.

C. Do you see this as a uniquely British/European trend, or something that might happen elsewhere too?

The CofE is a uniquely English institution and has always been family innocuous. Yes, it has its share of paedophiles, and other sex criminals as most religious institutions seem to. But nothing on the scale of the catholic church. OIT has noting like as strident views as other sects of christianity. Subsequently the use of CofE buildings for other purposes is not surprising to me. Also community uses for various religious buildings (other than CofE) is not unusual in the UK.

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Bennjoon@reddit

I’m happy about the lgbt aspect I think progressivism is moving towards Jesus’ actual teachings. Clobber verses have been discredited for decades. Much of Paul is said to be medieval additions or taken out of context.

I don’t go to church because of personal safety but I wish I could. I miss the community and the holiday celebrations.

I don’t mind churches being used for non religious events but I don’t think they should be used by political parties. That’s too manipulative.

Churches, mosques and shrines have a special kind of pure feeling and I think people should be careful what they do there as not to ruin or disturb it.

I think people are moving back towards religion because of a feeling of helplessness over terrible international events that we are constantly bombarded with.

The only real choice is to turn to a higher power when none of us have any money or time to give every single cause.

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elevatedupward@reddit

I don't much care about religion in general, but I do care about community spaces and it seems like councils aren't able to provide these spaces on a scale to make up for the loss when religious buildings close.

Ideally, I'd like to see the buildings become shared spaces run by and for the community with any remaining religious congregation being one out of many tenants. It's happened in one place local to me and seems to be working well.

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Tommy42728@reddit

no comment

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TransBunsenBurner@reddit

“…But superstition, like belief, must die, And what remains when disbelief has gone? Grass, weedy pavement, brambles, buttress, sky,

A shape less recognisable each week, A purpose more obscure…”

Philip Larkin, from “Church Going” (1954)

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Terrible-Group-9602@reddit

Churches play a hugely important role in the local community (as do other places of worship).

Of course there will be weddings, baptisms, celebrations for religious holidays, but there will also be community meetings, school groups, therapy sessions, help for troubled teens, all sorts of stuff going on all the time.

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benithaglas1@reddit

People keep saying the seat is vacant but she stepped in because no man was up for the job, and that's allowed to happen if no man is good enough or willing enough for the job.

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Inner_Relationship28@reddit

It's like sky TV, home landlines and fax machines slowly flipping into irrelevancy

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24_7_Noticing@reddit

Ironically the Church of England's attempt to be more modern and liberal is exactly what is killing it.

Catholicism is on the rise, not massively, but it is rising. That is partly because they are set in their beliefs, there have been very few changes to core doctrine. The most recent (and controversial) was the second Vatican council which was mostly just stuff like "Hey maybe we should be allowed to do mass in the native tongue instead of Latin" and not "We accept gays now"

Whether you agree with it, disagree, or outright hate them for it. You cannot deny that they are consistent with their approach which cannot be said about the other Christian denominations. I feel like the Church of England in particular is trying hard to appeal to people that will never attend church anyway, it's wasted effort.

To be honest it always makes me laugh when I see posts praising the Pope for saying something they agree with and then inevitably he will say something like "Abortion is still bad by the way" and redditors are like "UMMM WHAT?? I THOUGHT YOU WERE COOL?"

Happens all the time, how the hell are people surprised that the Pope adheres strictly to Catholic beliefs lmao

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Otherwise_Hawk_7756@reddit

Is this Brasseye?

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nocternal86@reddit

They've been pretty irrelevant for my whole life and long may it continue.

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360Saturn@reddit

Interestingly, I didn't know about any of this before this post.

I'm unsure how I feel about it. Even as an agnostic with some attachment to some religious practice, I'm personally suspicious of churches.

But on the other hand I think a lot of what I see people getting heavily invested in nowadays (even to an extent the concept of 'following' an influential leader!) feels like people trying to fill a gap that church membership used to fill. So, I guess I have mixed feelings.

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TheSexyGrape@reddit

Further proof that they have no real beliefs

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Royal-Boat-2285@reddit

Unbiblical nonsense

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FloofyRaptor@reddit

I'm not at all religious, never have been. Although I did end up in a very strict church of England primary school and that probably put me off entirely. Especially how some people reacted when the church my school was tied to got its first female priest, there were a few very vocal people saying awful shit.

I think the census records on religion are skewed - I know up until recently both my parents would mark "Christian" out of habit from their childhoods more than anything else, neither of them is religious, I wouldn't be surprised if there's a lot of people doing that. Marking Easter and Christmas is the same, it's just a time to celebrate with friends and family, and the religious meaning doesn't come into it for most.

On using churches for not religious matters, yes I think it's a good idea. Else they would just sit empty, better to bring some life back into them. I have been to events in them, or have just walked around them because whilst I don't believe, they are often quiet and beautiful spaces.

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AnimatorCommercial53@reddit

I wonder if she will do anything about the pedos in CoE... Fuck the lot of em and turn the churches into decent housing or wicked music venues.

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Commercial-Whole2513@reddit

It is a cult. It has ruined the planet. Religion should be outlawed.

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arthousepsycho@reddit

Every church could close forever tomorrow and I wouldn’t care. Same for every other religion and religious organisation. If such ridiculous notions were believed by just one guy instead of lots of people, they would be in for psychiatric care in a heartbeat. It’s a joke that it’s still given as much respect and reverence as it is.

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spik0rwill@reddit

Non-religious view. Idgaf.

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Hungry_Dumpling87@reddit

Most people in the UK aren't religious, and only a few of the ones that are regularly attend church. My family aren't religious but attend the church in my home town for the Christmas and Easter service out of tradition and because it's quite a fun, wholesome thing to do.

I think churches and religions should reflect the "good" parts of society. I don't see the place for an institution that spreads hate / is anti any particular group of people. The main message I'm told by religious friends is that religion is about love. How can it be about love if it spreads hate about a demographic of people? I think that part pushes more people away than anything else.

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JeffDunham911@reddit

I haven't experienced any of this myself and these are not the teachings of Jesus.

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JimmyBallocks@reddit

It’s as relevant to me as the Venezuelan crochet community

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turbo_dude@reddit

It’s like games workshop has announced its new ceo is a woman

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perishingtardis@reddit

Northern Irelander here. Evangelicalism here has always been much bigger and American in style than in England. It's still. a very large force in society, but declining nevertheless.

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JeffDunham911@reddit

These are protestants, and their conforming to modern society is separate from the larger denominations like Catholicism and Orthodox, both of which resist the test of time.

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scottgal2@reddit

The fading sites of future pubs. Most of the local churches are being sold off, congregations are literlally dying off. The innumerable scandals killed most Church youth groups so they just have nowhere to go.
Frankly, good. Never liked them.

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ProsperityandNo@reddit

I couldn't give a fuck, I want nothing to do with any religion.

I do live near some kind of modern church though and there's something not quite right about it. They women all look like they're into their fitness and are above average good looking. I can't put my finger on it but they give off a strange vibe.

Perhaps they're swingers? I don't know what it is.

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gustinnian@reddit

They are deeply woven into our heritage, the built environment would be sorely depleted if we lost these unique landmark buildings to the creeping sprawl of bland disposable modernism. Finding alternative uses for the underused churches is key. Christianity has left its mark on our national psyche but so too has the Enlightenment. The belief may have waned but 'love thine enemy' and 'feed the poor' etc etc are still important tenets to run a functioning society on a crowded island and to temper crude human impulses. Marriages and funerals are still important milestones in life and the impressive setting of a church can contribute meaning and cross generational continuity to these rites of passage, the fact that most participants are unbelievers is not that important. Decommissioned churches still make good communal spaces - climbing schools, circus schools, concert venues, 'champing' i.e. church camping, recording studios, skate parks - anything to keep the buildings in regular use and provide upkeep for the roof.

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ajslov@reddit

I grew up christian and don't go to church anymore as an adult as I honestly do not leave feeling enriched in anyway and I don't think they are doing anything to make the lives of their local communities any better outside of providing a safe free space to sit in. The messaging is dated, scripted and just not relevant. I actually went yesterday for the first time in a while and I just looked around at everyone's faces and no one looked happy or there to celebrate, even at the end you expect to feel lighter, or happier but everyone's going right back to all their problems that existed before they entered the church.

whatever your belief or lack of, I think these spaces or buildings are so important to local communities, even as a third space for the older generation or anyone feeling lost or lonely but truly the institution need to get out of their old ways and adapt to and welcome their communities more.

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FootballUpset2529@reddit

I transitioned from Atheist to Agnostic to Humanist which is where I think I'll stay. I joined Humanism because I think it's time that the old organised religions were actively challenged rather than just ignored because I no longer think they're harmless. Look at the US with their campaign of violence in the name of Jesus fighting with the Islamic Brotherhood - religion isn't just a passive, benign thing and I'd love to see it fade from the earth and replaced with humans taking responsibility for their own actions instead of delegating responsibility for their actions to an imaginary entity. Any religion that claims its teaching come from a supernatural force should be treated with derision in a modern world, it's about as sensible as banning same sex marriages because a Pokémon demanded it.

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dwair@reddit

A. As far as the current role of Christianity in UK society goes, as an atheist I'd honestly be happy if all religions died out as they seem to cause more division and hate than they do any 'good'.

B. I bought a derelict chapel, renovated it and moved the family in so as far as role changes go, I'm happy cos we have somewhere to nice live. What I will say though is that I don't think "The Church" has proven to be a competent guardian of our architectural heritage. Way too many of these fantastic old buildings have been left to rot and need looking after.

C. I think that it's a British/European trend that is gathering pace around the world as more and more people get educated and find that their thousand year old religious traditions have little relevance in a modern and scientific world.

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Still_Recognition652@reddit

pointless, but still dangerous: the endemic abuses of status & influence are merely being equality-washed

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VivaLaJam26@reddit

I like it.

I'm atheist and not religious in the slightiest, but it's nice to seem some of that ye'oldy english tradition come through sometimes.

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prustage@reddit

I really don't care. As long as the church stays out of politics and we don't head down the path that the US is taking then they can do whatever they like. Just don't attempt to interfere with my life - and keep away from my children.

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JoeyDJ7@reddit

Love euronews

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Salt-Negotiation7534@reddit

I s'pose, for some, it's somewhere to get in out of bad weather.

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Cheap-Rate-8996@reddit

I see them as facing similar problems to pubs. The problem right now is the supply outstrips the demand. They're declining primarily because people aren't interested in going, not so much out of malice.

I would say most British people are either explicitly atheist, agnostic, or 'culturally Christian' (i.e, religious in some ambient sense of identity, but not meaningfully). Being truly devout is not unheard of, but it's unusual.

I would be against churches being used for raves (for example). It just seems inappropriate to me to use a sacred space for something like that, and I say that as someone who isn't even religious. But it's also inevitable that at least some of them will have to be reused for other purposes, it would just be too impractical to leave them all as museums.

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lemonherring@reddit

It just seems inappropriate to me to use a sacred space for something like that, and I say that as someone who isn't even religious.

It's one of the great ironies that often it's the athiests who wince more at the hypocricies/insensitities/inappropriate misuse of Christianity compared to the alleged "believers". Athiests are often people who were brought up strictly in a religion, thus know a lot about it, and have then made a rational decision to reject it. A lot of the "Christmas and Easter" brigade in the UK write down "Christian" without ever giving it much thought. I was a godparent for a friend's child's baptism - I didn't want to do it because, with me being an athiest it seemed ridiculous/disrespectful. Nobody else cared - they just wanted the church as a nice backdrop for some photos, and then home for the sandwiches and prosecco. I was the only person who bothered to go and thank the priest as we all walked out.

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snapper1971@reddit

I'm not a believer - it's all silly nonsense but I do visit churches regularly, because they're readily accessible chunks of social history. Layers and layers of information are literally carved into the stonework. Near me the oldest church has parts from the 8th century, and another was a pre-Roman temple before being converted and rebuilt into a chapel.

What concerns me about them becoming unavailable due to conversion to a business or private residence, is the loss of the information in them. If they're 20th century churches, very little is being lost.

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lemonherring@reddit

I'm torn between firmly believing that religion has no place in a modern society (or at least not further than The Association of Witches and Druids, or a UFO-spotting club) and a desire that these beautiful buildings be maintained and preserved forever. I can also see that some churches provide a very valuable social service and support for local communities - it's hard to see how these would be replaced with anything even remotely comparable.

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TooHot1639@reddit

I'm happy for people to do whatever they like behind closed doors as long as it doesn't impact someone else.
So praying to a sky fairy, swinging, cross-stitch parties, no problem - if that's what floats your boat crack on.

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Psychological-Plum10@reddit

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn"

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Fellstorm_1991@reddit

I'm an atheist married to a Christian. I don't go to church, but my wife does, plus a bible study group, once a week. So I get to see both sides.

I sometimes describe myself as a "social" member of the church. I go for the bbq and social events. It's a lovely, welcoming group of genuinely nice people and I'm happy for my wife to take our baby along, for him to have time with them and be raised in the church. He can make his own decisions on faith when he's older, as his mum and I discussed before he was born.

Christianity in the UK is definitely on the decline, but I can see the strong benefits of the church that my family enjoys. When my son was born, we didn't have to cook for a fortnight, as someone turned up every day with hot food for us. We didn't ask, and weren't told, it's just something they organised themselves for us, and we have done it for others when they have children. They genuinely and honestly love each other and try to do the right thing.

I'm always wary of the power of organised religion. It can be misused and abused too easily by those who wish to control the behaviour of other people. Other churches my wife has been part of before we moved to our current town were not so good. More judgemental and less inclusive. But I'd be sad if her current one didn't exist, because it serves an important role for those who need it, and supports the local community as best it can.

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WillingCry1043@reddit

Well I don't think it's working. The numbers show that Anglicanism is on a downward trajectory in the UK in terms of Church goers. Both Catholicism and Evangelicalism/Pentecostalism are actually on an upward trajectory with Catholicism either having more numbers in the pews or on course to for the first time in five hundred years. I'd suggest that points to people wanting something very different than what is being offered here, that is Catholicism is likely attracting a crowd that wants something traditional and not bending to secular society as Anglicanism is. Along with Evangelical/Pentecostal Christianity attracting those who are looking for a spiritual feeling.

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Slyspy006@reddit

The more dedicate congregation require more dedicated Churches. This is not, IMO, a good thing.

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Scarboroughwarning@reddit

Devout atheist, but I really abhor the loss of churches, and wish more religious types went.

They are often beautiful buildings, and it's sad to see their decline. even as an atheist, I always enjoy a trip to a church, and the history of those venues.

Always sorry to see them become non-christian. IE, there are a few that have been bought and turned into mosques. One in the town near me had the windows removed, and replaced with white UPVC. Awful to see.

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themeakster@reddit

Religion is still the original grift. I feel sorry for the victims.

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Sickinmytechchunk@reddit

The Bishops in the House of Lords need permanent removal and we need to be honest - the church has changed because it's out dated. The moment you start cutting bits out of the bible and use apologetics to smooth over the contradictions and the vile parts of the bible you're not actually using the bible so you may as well just throw it away. At that point the church has zero purpose. We just need people to realise that. Also reading the bible cover to cover is a good way to make sure people leave Christianity.

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No-Improvement-6591@reddit

I'd like to see steeples hosting 5G masts to improve signal.

Regarding helpful powers that you can't hear, see or sense, mobile internet beats god for me ten times out of ten

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ikothsowe@reddit

I’m incredulous that a quarter of the way through the 21st century this nonsense still exists. As a species, we’ve inflicted more suffering on ourselves in the names of the various sky fairies than almost any other cause. Wake the fuck up.

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theegrimrobe@reddit

if only the shrinking relevence of the church was reflected in the powers that be

seperation of church and state is required ... if it were up to me the seperation would be total

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geeered@reddit

Last time I mentioned what I was glad the church was doing less off, I had my post deleted for hate or something, despite that it's regularly discussed on major news shows.

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wholesomechunk@reddit

Different gender for the head of the cover ups.

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thebusconductorhines@reddit

In terms of the churches' involvement in wider social justice issues, i think they have an absolute obligation to be involved with this if they are to follow Jesus' teachings. Take for example the refugee crisis; the CoE had been very criticised for being in favour of compassion to refugees and people landing in the UK in small boats and so on. The thing is, if you are not in favour of doing literally everything you can to help these people, to the point of giving the shirt off your back, you are not actually a Christian in any meaningful sense.

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MissingBothCufflinks@reddit

Good rave venues

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OldLondon@reddit

It’s religion desperately trying to retain some kind of relevance. It’s why I know the American brand of far right religion won’t land here - we just don’t give enough of a crap.

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CarpeCyprinidae@reddit

The church has always had 2 missions.

Providing for the spiritual needs of the faithful
Providing a basic social service for their local community

Only one of these roles is really relevant now and in the future. I'm happy for the church to keep on doing the social stuff, they aren't bad at it, and it doesnt come with strings.

Got a lot of respect for my local vicar as he finds out who's died in the area and checks in on their families, offers to drive them to and from inquests, funeral planning etc, and doesnt push them to come to his church or pray

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beebrightnow@reddit

Great point - church baby & toddler drop-in groups are a lifeline for many families, especially as councils have cut back on services.

I am atheist but found them a great way to meet other mums and keep the kids occupied for a couple of hours without spending a fortune.

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evthrowawayverysad@reddit

Their role thankfully continues to slide towards no role. The sooner that becomes zero role, the better. It's 2026, we no longer need a myriad of different imaginary friends dictating bonkers rules into humanity via organized religion.

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MrMonkeyman79@reddit

A: We have, by and large, moved past having religion underpin our values and while the church still has a role in our state, it is largely ceremonial. That said our values are largely aligned with Christian values as that was the force that shaped our society for nearly 2000 years and some of those values ate deeply embedded.

B: fine, we have some beautiful buildings and it would be a shame to let them fall into disrepair just because their original purpose became defunct. Communities need shared spaces.

C: i don't think it's uniquely British of European, no. I feel like in the developed world the US is the religious outlier.

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OddPerspective9833@reddit

Wasn't Elizabeth I the first?

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TransatlanticMadame@reddit

It'll die out, thankfully. Most of the UK is atheist.

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Hierodula_majuscula@reddit

I consider myself functionally atheist (I’m technically agnostic as I accept my inability to 100% prove the absence of a deity, but I also believe that a being that is all powerful but also petty and self-important enough to care whether individual humans actively worship it is inherently immoral, and therefore worshipping it would be too.)

A. That society is becoming increasingly secular (yay) and that some religious groups are also managing to change and become less persecutory and exclusive (also yay).

B. Seems like a good idea. Churches historically have always had a secondary role as community spaces and that’s something we still need. The churches are already there and fit for the purpose. I don’t feel entirely comfortable in them as a functional atheist but as religiosity continues to decrease hopefully that feeling of anxiety about being proselytised at will fade.

C. I haven’t had enough cultural experience outside the UK to say, but I hope the increase in secularism happens elsewhere. Religion was useful for smaller-scale societies once, but now the world is so interconnected it seems to be more divisive than anything, not to mention the people who use it as an excuse to hold society back for their own nefarious purposes (see: the current state of the US). I hope it all becomes a thing of the past.

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OzzyinKernow@reddit

The burden of proof isn’t on you when others are making extraordinary (and imo ridiculous) claims about some all knowing beardy weirdy in the sky watching over every waking moment of everyone, and doing nothing about all the bad shit.

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No_Ear932@reddit

I remember when people said that women could not be vicars or priests and that it was against their beliefs..

I also remember when people said that gay people could not be married and that it was also against their beliefs and the teachings of the bible..

I’m not sure what the church really is these days but it doesn’t seem to know itself for the most part from what I can tell..

But so long as it brings people together in a unifying way and promotes peaceful coexistence I can only support it. It reaches some troubled people in ways other things cant.

Disclaimer: I have no religious beliefs whatsoever, though there are a few very strong believers in my family.

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peppermint_aero@reddit

There are still Bishops in the House of Lords. They have an allocated number of seats. No matter what people say on the census, the church still gets a place in Parliament. For the record I am not a fan of this: to my mind either all religions should have assigned representation in Parliament or none should. The Monarch is also the head of the Church of England.

For what it's worth, any study of changing religious practices in Britain really can't ignore other religions who also live and practise here.

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semicombobulated@reddit

To be honest, I question your assertion that the role of churches is “changing”. I haven’t witnessed any change in the past 40 years — the vast majority of people do not believe in god, and have only ever visited church for weddings and funerals.

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BaBaFiCo@reddit

We're a culturally Christian country, but we're not very religious. That said, you'd be surprised how many people actually are. I see a lot of Gen Z quoting scripture on social media. They just don't take part in formal religion as much as generations before them. Christianity is also being propped up by immigrants from the Caribbean and Africa. In my city you see lots and lots of people going to church on a Sunday, they are just predominantly black.

My view is I don't really have an opinion. If people want to be religious then that's fine, as long as it doesn't impact others negatively. I've got a friend who's fairly involved in her local church organisation. My wife's nan is a full time volunteer at her church. Their faith is just a part of who they are and they aren't forcing it on others.

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sjw_7@reddit

Society in the UK has evolved over hundreds of years with Christianity at its core. It affects almost every aspects of our lives in some way. But for most people religion is not important to them at all. In the 50 years I have been alive there has been a noticeable drop off in the number of people who are religious let alone attend church. More people attend football matches each week than go to church.

Churches could be used for non-religious stuff. But what would they use them for that they dont now? In reality most churches tend to be big stone boxes that are full of pews and old stuff they don't want people messing with. They are quite specialist buildings in the way they are setup although many have halls that are used for quite a bit that isnt religious at all.

I have no idea if this is a trend in other places. One that appears to be heading in the other direction is the US where the church is much more intertwined with their daily lives in many places than it is here.

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LilyRose9876@reddit

Many churches are being remodelled over the last 50 years to remove pews and use rows of chairs for services so the space can be used for different uses during the week.

A local church to me does a homeless bed for the night project in winter with a grounp of other churches to provide homeless men with beds and food throughout the winter months.

On other days, they also do toddler groups and refugee support groups.

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CarpetGripperRod@reddit

I am basically 50, and almost everyone I know from my small village is christened (infant, non-consensual baptism) and has had their kids and grandkids also christened. We've parents and grandparents in the churchyard. Aside from the usual marriages and funerals, a few will go to Easter and Christmas services, and almost all to the Armistice Day service.

It's still an important part of village life.

I went yesterday, and it will probably be the last for a while because, well, the 11:00 service time makes it awkward to also play cricket. Impossible for an away game.

There has been a significant drop-off amongst those who used to go every Sunday (usually women in their 70s+) since we recently had a black female vicar appointed to our parish in the Diocese of Hereford. They have moved over to an adjacent parish.

Are they racist? Maybe, but I don't think so. I can't test my hypothesis, but I suspect they would be fine with a more "scripturally pure" vicar from GAFCON... Uganda, Nigera, wherever. It's not that she is black, it is more that she is a bit "wish-washy".

tl;dr socio-cultural Christianity is alive and well where I live, but "the faithful" would appreciate a harder, more self-assured Christianity.

Personally, as the son of an Irish Catholic mother who would pray her rosary in Latin, but who did English things when she moved to England, I am torn. I do have Protestant sensibilities... and part of that is rejecting the Magisterium of Church authority and just "winging it", treating Scripture like an à l carte menu, because there are so many conflicting points in even the simplest of Biblical readings that you can create yur own "Christianity" and make it whatever you want. "... with God all things are possible" (Matt 19:26) 😂😂

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Potatusha@reddit

I'm not religious but I like old churches and a bit of history. it's sad to see so many closing and changing purpose, the ones that are still going have to diversify. That said my aunt is very involved in several churches that run food banks and help local people along with a LOT of migrants. I've done a bit of work for her as a favour, mainly repairs etc and each time I have visited the churches she helps manage they were full of migrants getting advice and help. Some may see that as a bad thing but I grew up going to school and singing hymns like "When I needed a neighbour" so tbh it seems inline with what the church was teaching 40 years ago.. I'd much rather have our churches go in that direction than the evangelical/political churches I see in America.

I have some friends in new hampshire and some local churches are basically maga churches, teaching masculinity and "men to be men" which is thinly veiled right wing bs.

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WoodSteelStone@reddit

I read your last paragraph as Hampshire and thought you were talking about the UK!

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Jpmoz999@reddit

A. Smarter than the average bear. B. Fine C. No.

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