Our first installment on 'Changing Britain?' looks at the rise of secularism in the UK. Following the statistical analysis is a biblical comment from Monica Hill.
YES, I have NO Religion
Re-printed from Brierley Consultancy's FutureFirst, June 2014 Issue, with kind permission.
In the 2011 Population Census, a quarter (26%) of those living in the UK said they had No Religion, a percentage made up of 25% of those in England, 32% of those in Wales, 27% of those in Scotland and 10% of those in N Ireland. The overall percentage varied by age as shown in the graph.
Percentage of each age-group indicating they had No Religion
It is clear that the majority with No Religion are those under 40, the high percentage of those under 10 presumably being because their parents, who will be mostly those in their 30s, completed the form on their behalf and followed their own lack of belief. The highest percentage is among those in their 20s, some of whom are overseas students (over half the Chinese in the UK, 56%, for example, said they had no religion, although this was by far the highest percentage). A third, 32%, of those who have a “mixed” ethnicity also see themselves as having No Religion.
More men than women say they have no religion – 29% men but 23% women, a disparity seen across all four countries in the UK and greatest in Scotland (39% men, 34% women).
Prof Linda Woodhead in her surveys for the Westminster Debates found that “No Religion is the New Religion”, especially as it has grown substantially in the inter-censal decade – only 16% of the UK population said they had No Religion in 2001.
The No Religionists grew by 77% in these 10 years from 9.2 million to 16.2 million. However, the Muslims grew by virtually the same percentage, 75%, to a 2011 total of 2.8 million, and all the other religions by 40% in the same period. The Christian percentage dropped 11% in the same period.
The growth rate of No Religionists therefore is not unique to them and reflects in part the fact that a number of immigrants have No Religion (a fifth, 21%, when measured in 2000, and it may be higher now).
This rate of growth is similar to that seen in the United States where No Religionists have increased from 15% of the population in 2007 to 20% in 2012, an increase in numbers of 33% in these 5 years, and which could be 66% over 10 years if the increase was the same in earlier years.
Linda Woodhead’s YouGov survey found that 16% of those with No Religion believe in God, although by far the majority, 84%, are either agnostics or atheists. A few read the Bible (2%) and a few pray (3%). A sixth, 18%, meditate. She found that 13% of those with No Religion were positively hostile to religion, three-fifths, 62%, of these being men.
The British Social Attitudes survey has shown that the growth of No Religion is mostly at the expense of those who formerly belonged to the Church of England, as did Linda’s study. She comments, “Whilst it’s always possible that this trend could be reversed, it gets less and less likely as the chain of memory connecting young people to religion stretches and snaps.”
Sources: Census statistics from UK national statistical offices, quoted in UK Church Statistics No 2; press release by Lancaster University for the Westminster Debates, Dec 2013; Religion Watch Vol 29, No 1, Nov 2013; www.bsa-30.natcen.ac.uk.
Biblical Comment
Monica Hill
Britain has been known as a ’majority Christian’ country for centuries. It can come as a shock to find that there are increasing numbers who are actively rejecting the faith that has been an essential part of our culture. So why has it happened?
There are various answers and reactions: One is to lay the blame at the door of others and to say that much of it is the fault of immigrants. This can also be read into the survey results above- particularly in the student figures. However, it is also true that of the many new churches that have saved the nation from even more falling away, ethnic majority congregations birthed by permanent immigrants lead the way, and form some of the largest churches in the country.
Another common reaction is to think that this is the final falling away spoken of in Matthew 24 and that the end is near. But this fails to acknowledge that the gospel is spreading rapidly elsewhere in the world, and it is the Western nations who may be experiencing the end of an age.
As Christians, instead of trying to put the blame elsewhere, it is important to reflect on our own responsibility in creating our current society. Have we just stood by while it has happened? Or, even worse, have we contributed to the problem?
Here we are, in a time when “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Cor 4:14). We can agree with Proverbs 28:26 when it says “Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe” (this perhaps gives the ageing church attenders a feeling of security). We can also heartily agree with the Psalmist when he says “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Psalm 14:1).
But as Christ’s Ambassadors, if we do nothing to change the situation or to help new believers mature, we are just as much to blame. Our attempts to introduce others to the Gospel rarely enable them to put down deep roots, without which they inevitably fall away: “But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away” (Matt 13:21).
Romans 1:21-22 warns us that “although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools.” In order to see a change in our nation, the Church must lead the way in repentance and turning back to God.