Britain No Longer a Christian Nation, Clergy Say
Britain “can no longer be described as a Christian country,” according to three quarters of Church of England priests. The landmark survey of 1,185 serving priests in Britain was reported on August 29 by the Times of London.
Almost two thirds (64.2 percent) of clerics said Britain could be called a Christian nation “only historically, not currently.” More than 9 percent answered that Britain cannot be described as a Christian country at all. About a quarter (24.2 percent) said the country can be referred to as Christian today.
The newspaper reported little optimism for the Anglican Church’s future, along with unprecedented high levels of stress among priests. Many fear the church’s efforts to stop the decline in attendance will fail, which could ultimately lead to its “extinction.” When asked why they felt under pressure, one priest noted the “pressure of justifying the Church of England’s position to increasingly secular and skeptical audiences.”
Change traditional teachings? The survey revealed that more than half of priests want the church to allow same-sex weddings and drop its opposition on premarital and gay sex. More than 80 percent said they would support appointing a woman as archbishop of Canterbury.
Prof. Linda Woodhead, head of the department of theology and religious studies at King’s College London, said the church had found itself “pushed apart from public opinion on what’s right and wrong” on issues including sex and sexuality, but it had now found a “middle ground” between traditional church teaching and wider public views.
Crippling society: Religion once played an important role in British society. Though they fell short of most biblical instruction, the Judeo-Christian religions helped many live more uprightly, heavily influencing Britain’s morals, government and culture. Over the past few decades, however, Britain has increasingly disassociated itself from its religious heritage.
This religious decline is leading Britain down a path of dark secularism. To understand why, read The United States and Britain in Prophecy, by Herbert W. Armstrong.
