For the first time in 1,400 years, England and Wales are no longer majority Christian. The UK’s Telegraph reported Tuesday that “Christians now account for less than half of England and Wales’ population for the first time in census history, government figures reveal.” This is an indication of what happens when the Left attains cultural dominance in a society and is likely a harbinger of things to come for the U.S. as well unless there is some massive cultural shift in the next few years. And there could be.
Right now, however, the trends are unmistakable. “The Office for National Statistics (ONS),” says the Telegraph, “results show that 46.2 per cent of the population (27.5 million people) described themselves as ‘Christian’ in 2021. This marks a 13.1 percentage point decrease from 59.3 per cent (33.3 million people) in 2011.” The trend is the same in the United States, although the numbers are higher: in 2019, according to the Pew Research Center, 65% of Americans identified themselves as Christian, down 10% from 2009. The number of those who said they were “nothing in particular” grew by 4%, to 16% of the total population.
In England and Wales, this was not just a matter of religiosity declining across the board: “The census data also shows that every major religion increased over the ten-year period, except for Christianity.” The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, tried to put a good face on this fiasco, saying that the new figures were “not a great surprise,” but insisted that Christianity still remained “the largest movement on Earth.”
That’s great, but what happened in England and Wales? What is happening in the United States? The decline is the result of a number of factors. Journalist Daniel Greenfield observed that “What you’re seeing is the result of cultural programming that has all but eliminated Judeo-Christian religiosity as a source of values and identity among the young and replaced it with pop culture and politics.”
That’s certainly true. The elimination of Judeo-Christian religiosity, however, has not been solely a matter of cultural programming by exterior forces. The very people who were supposed to be the guardians of Judeo-Christian religiosity are in all too many cases the very ones responsible for the decline of its influence. This is a result of the fact that the Left’s Long March Through the Institutions didn’t just take over and destroy our colleges and universities, as well as the entertainment industry and the establishment media; the churches and other religious institutions were targeted as well.
This targeting was extraordinarily successful, to the extent that in the U.S., virtually all of the old mainline Protestant denominations have become what has been summed up in one indelible quip: “the Democrat Party at prayer.” Go into the average Episcopalian or United Methodist or Presbyterian church, and you’re liable to see an LGBT rainbow flag, and even if you don’t see one, the sermon will be about how we can save the planet from climate change or systemic racism or Trump or insurrectionists or transphobes or whatever the Left’s villain du jour may be.
The distinctive aspects of Christianity that make it what it is and has been for two thousand years may or may not be paid lip service, while the commitment to “diversity and inclusion” will be front and center. The situation is hardly any different in all too many Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches today as well, as well as in Reform Jewish congregations. All too many reflect the spirit of the age rather than the Spirit of God, and people don’t need to go to a synagogue or church to hear about the spirit of the age. We are inundated with it everywhere as it is.
It isn’t that congregants are turning away from the churches because they’re more conservative than the pastors and preachers, although that is certainly true in many cases. They’re turning away because the churches and other religious institutions aren’t offering them anything different from what they get everywhere else, so why bother? Leftism has conquered the religious establishment in the United Kingdom as well as the United States, but since it has conquered everything else as well, it’s all the same to stay home on Sunday morning and enjoy a waffle and the morning chat shows rather than sit in an uncomfortable pew and hear more of the same.
The churches, in short, have failed their people, and that’s why people are leaving. They will continue to leave as long as this keeps up.
The dangers of Open Borders, Multi culturalism and diversity
I’m surprised they held out this long. As long ago as 2005, the number ONE baby name in England was Muhammad. A different spelled version of Mohamad was #14 on that list.
The shithead politicians letting in violent 3rd world refuse don’t care. They assure themselves that these beggars will never enter THEIR neighborhoods (unless DeSantis becomes governor of a province there.)
That’s how islamic invasion works. When they can’t invade by force they invade by deception.
The invaders are on a mission and hard at work to destroy all ideologies of their targeted nations, religion and nationalism are their top targets. Once the people stop believing who they are and lose their identities, their minds become empty blanks, ready to be reprogrammed with any evil ideology.
The sad and tragic reality is that The United Kingdom is falling more and more into the realm of spiritual darkness. Especially with the advancement of Islam into the UK.
For Islam denies the Bible doctrines about of and about the actual natural of Jesus which is blasphemous.
For Islam denies that Jesus is the Son of God. Meaning that Jesus of the only Son of God the Father. That is in blatant contradiction to the information revealed in the Bible. As found, for example, Matthew 3:16, 17, First John 2:22, 23. Likewise, Jesus is God the Son, as seen in Hebrews 1:8. First John 5:20.
The Deity of the Son taught in the Bible. For in Colossians 2:9 It reads “For In Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form. ” [N.I.V.]
What are the life sustaining and rational values that any RATIONAL American or Brit is crucially interested in fighting for and maintaining in order to stay alive and pursue happiness?
Those rational and SECULAR values are individual freedom, individual liberty, individual rights, and private property rights, in other words — Laissez-Faire Capitalism.
Why are these values SECULAR? Because in fact and in reality they have nothing to do with a supernatural realm or a supernatural after-life. They have nothing to do with the desire to die or escape this world for another supernatural world but they do have everything to do with staying alive in this world. The secular values of freedom, liberty, and Capitalism all have to do with staying alive in this world as long as possible and pursuing happiness in this world for as long as possible.
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are not fundamentally concerned with life in this world but an allegedly existing supernatural life after death.
So pray tell, if people lose their religious faith does that mean that they necessarily lose their love of this life and the values of freedom, liberty, and Capitalism that are the necessary ingredients to live this life on earth happily?
Sadly THX the answer is all around us, they clearly have no purpose in life, apart from looking after the dogs and cats.
They are terrified of climate change and catching a cold.
They are entitled to human rights and feel their countries are fundamentally flawed and their ancestors were violent criminals who killed anyone who didn’t believe.
The evidence is all around but no professor has written a thesis yet because they would lose their jobs.
Maybe you should write one.
Mo, the crucial words in my comment are RATIONAL American and RATIONAL Brit.
When irrational ideas are being taught and disseminated to the people you’ll get irrational people.
A government of the irrational people, for the irrational people and by the irrational people will be an irrational government.
“The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next.” – Abraham Lincoln
The church’s were forced to close for nearly two years, surprise surprise people no longer feel part of them.
The mosques were forced to close but they didn’t and the convid morality police did nothing, zilch, nil. Surprise surprise the number attending went up.
Whatever gets measured gets managed was an old saying, but whatever gets measured gets manipulated.
It is very sad to look for a house of worship and only find a house of worshipping the left. .
Where clergy enthusiastically scream about their sexuality (“I’m gay and those who don’t like it are bigots” ), blame all police for targeting black youth to murder (and this happened in a community with high percentage of police& 1st responder families), frighten kids and adults with tirades about climate change.
The particular house of worship referenced here closed soon after.
I wondered if these noxious clergy are trained to purposely turn people away and close churches & synagogues?
Sure works that way!
It’s not apathy alone turning people from religion. Robert Spencer’s point is missed by other commenters here. His point correctly made is that nothing inspirational, nothing comforting, nothing of spiritual value is being offered. What’s offered is sad and offensive.
So, I’ll have that waffle.,
Thank you. You make a very good point which I missed.
I haven’t been to a house of worship in maybe fifteen years so I have no idea what is now being preached in any house of worship.
Nevertheless, what is the solution? Is the solution to go back to “That Ole Time Religion”? The ole time religion that tells us that man is born a depraved sinner by virtue of Original Sin? That pride (self-esteem, self-assertion, and self-confidence) is a sin against God? That life on earth is not for the pursuit of personal happiness but for the pursuit of atonement for Original Sin by living a life of humility, self-denial, self-abnegation, and self-sacrifice for God and neighbor? Because that’s what serious, ole time religion, is about. The good ole days of ole time religion were a tragic catastrophe. The Dark Ages were the result of Christianity being taken and practiced consistently, logically, devoutly, and SERIOUSLY. …
Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, all three, when practiced seriously do not lead to the SECULAR, this-life-on-earth, pursuit of individual happiness on earth, of freedom, liberty, and capitalism.
The monotheistic religions, when practiced seriously, in their pure form, undiluted by reason, lead to the tyranny of theocracy. It is a grave mistake to think they somehow do not.
The socialist, atheist, Left is NOT a manifestation of REASON. Just the opposite, the socialist Left is a secular manifestation of unreason.
Reason, not faith or any form of secular unreason, is what leads mankind to discover and embrace secular AND rational, not irrational, values. Secular and rational values like freedom, liberty, capitalism, and the pursuit of rational happiness on earth.