UK TOPIC #10 : RELIGION
1) In the old days, British people expected to read and know about the Bible and the English Book of
Common Prayer. But established kinds of Christianity have an old-fashioned feel about them in modern
Britain. In the 21st century, the vast majority of people in the UK do not regularly attend religious
services. Many do so only a few times in their lives. Even when they are getting married, two-thirds
prefer civil ceremonies to religious ones. About half of the population doesn’t even know why we
celebrate Easter…
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This is all rather ironic. In centuries past, British missionaries energetically spread the word
of God around the world. These days, Christian missionaries from Africa and the Americas
are flocking to the UK to save British souls. However, they will have a hard job; most Brits
think that religion does more harm than good!
About half of the UK population say they believe in God, and at least 75% believe in some general spirit
or life force; but only a minority of Britain’s Christians practise their religion. The majority of British
people are just not interested in organized religion. It is for these reasons that today’s UK is often
described as a secular country.
4) Apart from in Northern Ireland, politics and religion are not closely connected. To describe oneself as
“Catholic” or “Church of England” or “Methodist” or whatever just indicates one’s personal beliefs, not
the way one votes. You are free not to believe in any god or religion too.
5) The Anglican Church or Church of England was started by King Henry VIII. A Protestant church, it
accepts a wide range of beliefs. The three main types are:
 LOW CHURCH. Plain services with a minimum of ceremony, traditional
 HIGH CHURCH. More like the Catholic Church, colourful, traditional
 LIBERAL. Willing to question some of the traditional Christian beliefs
6) What holds these different wings together is the “Englishness” of Anglicanism. This national
distinctiveness is emphasized by the Anglican Church’s position as the official religion of England.
After much debate and controversy, it was decided in 1992 that women should be allowed to become
priests within the Anglican Church. The idea was to give the Church of England greater relevance to the
modern world and finally bring it up to date.
A woman priest in today’s Britain
A Sikh temple in Swindon, England
7) Other Christian religions
 Catholicism in Britain has a historically marginal status. However, Catholics do tend to take
their religion more seriously than Anglicans.
 The Presbyterian Church is the main form of Protestant religion in Scotland, and is also
popular in Northern Ireland.
 Methodists, Baptists and Quakers are other Protestant churches in the UK.
8) Since it is a multicultural nation, the UK is home to followers of almost every religion and sect under the
sun. Did you know, for example, that Europe’s largest Buddhist temple is located in Scotland? Britain is
full of surprises! The numbers of followers of all the traditional Christian churches have dropped
sharply in the last fifty years. Other Christian sects and churches, on the other hand, have been
growing. Many of these, such as the Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses, provide a strict code of
behaviour for their followers.
9) The fastest growing type of religion in today’s UK is evangelical or charismatic religion. Their church
services often involve joyful and enthusiastic singing, and the liberation of emotions. Traditional
services in Britain are typically quiet and serious, and many people today find their atmosphere rather
unwelcoming; this can help to explain the rise of the more lively charismatic churches. Another reason
for their popularity could be that many British people feel an emptiness in their lives which neither the
material benefits of modern life nor the conventional churches can fill.
10) Large numbers of people in Britain believe in paranormal phenomena such as parapsychology, ghosts
and clairvoyance. Because the conventional Christian churches have little or nothing to do with these
matters, more and more people turn not only to the evangelical churches but also to New Age religion
too. The term “New Age” can involve elements of Christianity, eastern religions and ancient pagan
beliefs all mixed together. They generally focus on personal/spiritual development as well as the
importance of respect for nature.
11) The remaining significant religious groups are all associated with ethnic minorities. The most wellestablished of these is the Jewish faith. Anti-Semitism exists in the UK, but for a long time it has been
weaker than in most other parts of Europe. The numbers of followers of the Sikh, Hindu and Muslim
religions are all growing. The last of these is by far the largest.
12) Finally, there are so-called cults. What these seem to have in common is absolute commitment and
obedience to the cult’s leader. Most British people dislike them because cults have a bad reputation for
being extremist and using mind-control techniques. Most cults are very small, but there are about 600 of
them in the UK, making altogether half a million cult followers.
Above: Which religion, if any, do people have in England and Wales? Source: ons.gov.uk (2011)
Right: inside the Samye Ling Buddhist temple, Scotland
Adapted from O’Driscoll, Britain, by Julian Goddard