Atheists officially outnumber Christians for the 1st time
Discussion
New report about to be released: http://news.sky.com/story/1701109/christians-in-uk...
Hardly a surprise really, but the biggest shift has been people brought up with religion now ticking the 'no religion' box whereas previously these people would have still ticked the box for the religion they were brought up with, despite not practicing it.
I'm at the age where my friends are getting married, and most of the weddings I have attended over the last few years have been non-religious, which I wouldn't have predicted if you asked me 10 years ago.
I remember having an argument with my mum when I was about 20 where I told her I thought religion was utter nonsense and that I didn't wish to partake in it. She was really quite annoyed and stated that I was 'raised Church of England' and therefore I couldn't just be 'non religious'!
Hardly a surprise really, but the biggest shift has been people brought up with religion now ticking the 'no religion' box whereas previously these people would have still ticked the box for the religion they were brought up with, despite not practicing it.
I'm at the age where my friends are getting married, and most of the weddings I have attended over the last few years have been non-religious, which I wouldn't have predicted if you asked me 10 years ago.
I remember having an argument with my mum when I was about 20 where I told her I thought religion was utter nonsense and that I didn't wish to partake in it. She was really quite annoyed and stated that I was 'raised Church of England' and therefore I couldn't just be 'non religious'!
Children shouldn't be bought up as part of any religion. They should be free to choose their own faith (or lack of).
As religion tends to get pushed onto a child by parents (and the state) a lot of people identify themselves as part of a religion when they really don't have any particular faith.
As religion tends to get pushed onto a child by parents (and the state) a lot of people identify themselves as part of a religion when they really don't have any particular faith.
NinjaPower said:
New report about to be released: http://news.sky.com/story/1701109/christians-in-uk...
Hardly a surprise really, but the biggest shift has been people brought up with religion now ticking the 'no religion' box whereas previously these people would have still ticked the box for the religion they were brought up with, despite not practicing it.
I'm at the age where my friends are getting married, and most of the weddings I have attended over the last few years have been non-religious, which I wouldn't have predicted if you asked me 10 years ago.
I remember having an argument with my mum when I was about 20 where I told her I thought religion was utter nonsense and that I didn't wish to partake in it. She was really quite annoyed and stated that I was 'raised Church of England' and therefore I couldn't just be 'non religious'!
I wonder what the figures would be if you removed the guilt.Hardly a surprise really, but the biggest shift has been people brought up with religion now ticking the 'no religion' box whereas previously these people would have still ticked the box for the religion they were brought up with, despite not practicing it.
I'm at the age where my friends are getting married, and most of the weddings I have attended over the last few years have been non-religious, which I wouldn't have predicted if you asked me 10 years ago.
I remember having an argument with my mum when I was about 20 where I told her I thought religion was utter nonsense and that I didn't wish to partake in it. She was really quite annoyed and stated that I was 'raised Church of England' and therefore I couldn't just be 'non religious'!
The figure of 14% identifying as anglican is surprising. The actual number the people polled represent is not given, but if we say a conservative 25 million, 14% gives 3m going to church most Sundays.
Derek Smith said:
I wonder what the figures would be if you removed the guilt
Exactly.I said said in my post, I had an argument with my mum over it, and felt really bad for a while. My brother is getting married in a few months and is having a non-religious ceremony, which again resulted in our mum being upset. She's fine now but it wasn't very pleasant when my brother broke the news to her that it wasn't a church wedding.
We are just a standard 'Church of England but only really go on Christmas Eve' type family, imagine what it's like if your family are of a much stronger religious conviction.
I wonder whether 'Pick-n-Mix' should be added to the choice of religions on these types of forms. With increasing worldwide access to knowledge of all religions, I feel that many people now live by a personal moral code based on little parts gleaned from a number of cultures rather than by the strict doctrines of a single religion.
Just because you tick the "no religion" box, doesn't qualify you as an atheist. Most people I know have no religion, but have replaced it with a kind of airy fairy new age nonsense.
They believe in some "higher power" or something "out there bigger than us", in karma, or feng sui, healing crystals, mystics, homeopathy and no end of other hocus pocus and supernatural claptrap.
I wouldn't class them as atheists at all.
They believe in some "higher power" or something "out there bigger than us", in karma, or feng sui, healing crystals, mystics, homeopathy and no end of other hocus pocus and supernatural claptrap.
I wouldn't class them as atheists at all.
TwigtheWonderkid said:
Just because you tick the "no religion" box, doesn't qualify you as an atheist. Most people I know have no religion, but have replaced it with a kind of airy fairy new age nonsense.
They believe in some "higher power" or something "out there bigger than us", in karma, or feng sui, healing crystals, mystics, homeopathy and no end of other hocus pocus and supernatural claptrap.
I wouldn't class them as atheists at all.
At least they aren't building churches. Yet. They believe in some "higher power" or something "out there bigger than us", in karma, or feng sui, healing crystals, mystics, homeopathy and no end of other hocus pocus and supernatural claptrap.
I wouldn't class them as atheists at all.
These things would work better if people managed to distinguish atheists from agnostics.
I suspect the latter is more common, most people have some sort of belief system even if they don't really recognise it as such.
Actual hard atheism as a belief also requires a bit more effort than the more common 'don't care'.
I suspect the latter is more common, most people have some sort of belief system even if they don't really recognise it as such.
Actual hard atheism as a belief also requires a bit more effort than the more common 'don't care'.
ks. The number of churches now in old office buildings and the like has gone up hugely. 98elise said:
Children shouldn't be bought up as part of any religion. They should be free to choose their own faith (or lack of).
As religion tends to get pushed onto a child by parents (and the state) a lot of people identify themselves as part of a religion when they really don't have any particular faith.
I strongly agree. Nor should they be brought up to be a specific gender. They should be allowed to choose to associate which ever one they feel most comfortable, if any gender at all. As religion tends to get pushed onto a child by parents (and the state) a lot of people identify themselves as part of a religion when they really don't have any particular faith.
Esseesse said:
I'm not religious in the spiritual sense, however sadly I think the decline in Christianity will not play out well for us.
A decline in Christianity in the UK in isolation with no decline in rival nonsense probably won't play out well. A decline in religious belief across the world would play out brilliantly I think. Jockman said:
TwigtheWonderkid said:
A decline in Christianity in the UK in isolation with no decline in rival nonsense probably won't play out well. A decline in religious belief across the world would play out brilliantly I think.
The former is happening. Unfortunately, the latter is not.
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