https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/2022/is-religion-dying-in-england-and-wales

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/29/why-is-the-christian-population-of-england-and-wales-declining

Once you have read the article(s), discuss it with your partner.

Then answer the following questions, submitting your answer on this Padlet (each of you should submit an answer, even if you have been discussing with a partner previously):

1). Do you feel secularisation is occuring in the UK? Give reasons as to why you feel religion is dying/is surviving/is thriving!

2). What is your prediction for the future? Do you feel religion in the UK will gain in importance or will it weaken? Explain your prediction.

Make sure you put your name clearly at the top of your response.

1. according to this article the 2021 census found that there had been 13% fall in those who claimed commitment to Christianity. However, this alone only suggests a decline in Christianity rather than with religion in general meaning there may have been an increase in other religions. This is further supported by absolute numbers and percentages of Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and those selecting ‘other religion’ have increased. This is due to religious diversity and globalisation. The British Social Attitudes survey says that 37% of the population doesn't have a religion at all this is a better indication of secularisation in the UK.

2. From this we can gather that there is a long-term effect of secularisation. And also there will be a further decline in Christianity while other religions may increase in followers. Due to globalisation there is religious diversity and it could be argued that this gives people more choice to find a definition that works for them. However, I don't think this is a sustainable argument as religious diversity can also lead to a decrease in plausibility as so many definitions may make people think that none of them are the truth.

2. i think religion as a whole will show a decline as the most common religion in the UK currently is Christianity but it is also evident that there is a significant decline occurring within Christianity and as no religion is the second most common it shows that if Christianity continues to decline no religion will then be the most common answer in future census. however i believe individual religions will not weaken as much as it shows in the article that other religions are actively passing their religion on to their children and so these children will then carry those beliefs and identify with the religion of their parents

2) I agree with the theory of Stark and Bainbridge that religion will always have a market but the way it is craved will change. This is because right now, many people may not crave Christianity but are starting to crave other religions like Hinduism.

2) In the future, I believe that other religions will continue to increase and Christianity may increase for some periods of time, but ultimately people do not agree with some parts of the Bible especially with increasing scientific discoveries and technological developments. As, before the UK was associated with being Christian, it was enforced on people due to fear of being stigmatised and outcasted whilst now in the post-modern world people can choose a religion that aligns with their values and needs.

2) I believe that religion will as Stark and Bainbridge point out, will fluctuate in popularity, some religions would gain more membership than others due to one reason or another, but mostly the fact that Christianity will continue to decrease specifically due to the 'outdated' or rather not 'updated' views on things that are becoming to be seen as a norm within out society.

1) In the article it stated that over the years spanning from 2011-2021 there had been a decline by 13.1% of English and welsh individuals claiming to be christian, while no religion had a 12% increase since 2011. So it is no doubt that christianity in particular has been on the decline, this can't be said for other religions though.

2) I feel religion will go through a cycle of renewal as suggested by Stark and Bainbridge where they came up with religious market theory. The fact is people will cycle through a new religion when there is a demand for it. Christianity is on the decline but that doesn't mean other forms of religion are. So I believe that instead of arguing secularisation is happening I think that people choose to believe on their own terms, and want to find other forms of spirituality that are rewarding to them.

1) I think that while Christianity is declining, religion as a whole remains significant, and is adapting to the UK’s increasingly diverse and secular society. 

2) The 2021 Census revealed that fewer than half (46%) of people in England and Wales now identify as Christian, a drop from 59% in 2011 and 72% in 2001. This reflects a long-term decline in Christian affiliation but not necessarily the end of religion in the UK. 

3) Christianity’s decline is ongoing, but some surveys suggest even lower levels of adherence. This may reflect ideological shifts or greater societal openness about secularity. 

4) About 37% identify as having “no religion,” a diverse group including agnostics and secularists. However, this figure is lower than some other surveys estimate. 

5) Religions like Islam, Hinduism, and Sikhism have grown, with Muslims now representing 6.5% of the population. 

2) I think that religion (specifically Christianity) will see a further decrease in popularity, and a more secular society will become the norm. However, if there continues to be talk of war and conflict in the word and speculation that the UK would be involved or affected, I think religion would see an increase as people turn to faith in times of need and distress as a way of finding support and a community.

Article 2: this article argues that religion is dying. It gives a statement that  ‘less than half the population describe themselves as Christian’ this is showing a massive decrease in the christian population so it is a strong statement showing that secularisation is happening. Yet this article goes on and says that ‘Christian remained the most common response to the religion question’ this shows that religion does hold some power and many people do identify as christian. Yet I would argue that secularisation is happening as the census found that most religious people are older so that means that the death rate will affect the number of christian in this country. You could argue that as there are more deaths the overall population will become less religious. 

Article 1: it said that secularisation is happening as ‘England and Wales are no longer majority christian countries’ this shows that secularisation is increasing as education levels are rising so people are looking for more rational explanations to explain the world this is making the overall society less religious. 

What are your predictions for the future? Does it gain importance or weaken? 

I think that religion will increasingly lose its importance over time and will die out. Especially because most of the religious people are from the older population. We have already seen massive steps towards a secular society and I think that all of the evidence shows that we are going to continue to become increasingly secular. As there are less religious adults, less so children are being socialised into a religion so this is going to make religion decrease. There have also seen technological advancements that make people see things in a more rational way.

Secularization is accruing in the UK due to the increase in other factors as the article states that ‘England and Wales are no longer majority Christian countries, with a fall of 13 percentage points’ illustrating that secularization is increasing as the belief towards scientific reasoning and empirical evidence increased resulting in a challenge of traditional religious explanations of the world. As education levels rise, people tend to question religious doctrines and look for explanations with evidence.

Article 2

This argues that secularization is happening as the article mentions that ‘less than half the population describing themselves as Christian’ illustrates the massive decrease in the Christian population due to the rise of individualism leading many to prioritize personal beliefs. Yet to an extent, the article argues that religion still holds some power due to the statement that ‘Christianity remained the most common response to the religion question’ illustrating that secularisation isn't happening to an extent as people still rely on religion.

I think religion in the future will not gain importance in the UK as people will use the excuse of following their free will as well and the rise of individualism has led many to prioritize personal beliefs and experiences over other religions. This shift grows the acceptance of diverse worldviews, including atheism and agnosticism, resulting in an influence of organized religion in society. Yet society would still carry on celebrating their religious holidays but without having a full understanding of the context of faith.

• Christian population is an aged population and is affected by the rising death rates.

• faith is not being passed down generations and as a result millennial children grew up to be non-religious.

The article also highlights the issue of the Christian set ups in the UK despite significant shifts in religious beliefs.

question 1: overall i think that Religion as whole is not declining and therefore secularisation is not taking place in the UK. With the availability of new religions that involve less commitment and more individualised beliefs, Christianity is starting to die out because people feel that these new spiritual beliefs can help them more with personal growth and development which they believe is more important. While Christianity has lost its grip on British society, other new age spiritual beliefs are on the rise highlighting that secularisation is not taking place.

question 2: However, overtime i think Religion as whole will lose it's influence. with the development of rationalised beliefs and ideas, people will feel less of a need to hold religious beliefs. Furthermore, like Bruce suggested, the fact that not one single religion is dominating in the country shows that religion will lose it's influence overtime.

2)In the future I think religion in the UK will continue to decline as younger generations are becoming less religious as fewer people are passing on their beliefs to their children. As society is becoming more diverse and secular, religion might not have as much of an important role in daily life. However, this only considers the UK as a whole Christianity community where it's becoming a less dominant religion, but in some communities, religion will be stable and could increase such as Islam and Sikhism. So, in this sense you could say that individual religions are increasing due to migration and an increase in diverse communities but Christianity as the religion of the UK will show to be declined.

This article shows that England and Wales are no longer majority Christian countries as the percentages have dropped from 59% (2011) to 46% (2021). One argument that is suggested within the article is that although Christian’s in the country have relatively decreased, other religions such as Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam have become more widespread so it is hard to directly link the decrease in the number of Christian’s to secularisation as many people are still religious but not Christians. My opinion on this article is supportive because I think that religion decrease in the UK and Wales shouldn’t just be limited to one religion like Christianity and rather be looked at more holistically since many other religions in the UK are also quite prominent, so it can be concluded that perhaps we haven’t become as secularised as a country than we think. Although I do agree that a lot of the population has turned away from religion because of certain social factors and there has definitely been a decrease in people practicing - so a bit more secularised than the 90s but not a completely secular country.

2.Religion in the UK is likely to keep losing influence as more people move away from traditional beliefs and practices, with younger generations showing even less interest in organized religion. The rise in secularism and people identifying as non-religious means faith is becoming less central to daily life and national identity. While smaller religious communities, especially minority faith groups, might stay strong and even grow in commitment, mainstream institutions like the Church of England are struggling to stay relevant. Unless something sparks a widespread revival, religion is likely to become a more personal and private matter, with less impact on public life and culture.

I think secularisation is happening in the UK as statistics from the 2021 consensus show that Christianity is no longer the major religion in England and Wales. The "no religion" category encompasses a wide range of beliefs, from those who value religion but aren't personally committed, to those who think religion is harmful for society, and people increasingly feel they relate to that category more than affiliating themselves to Christianity. A factor which plays a major role in Christianity's decline is how it can be perceived as "outdated" or "irrelevant" to people. People feel less connected to religion as they may feel it serves them no purpose/ they don't feel they are getting something out of the commitment, and it could be that it is also becoming more difficult to be associated as a religious person due to negative stereotypes associated with being a person of faith, one of which including holding controversial beliefs on sensitive topics. Nevertheless, I would not say religion as a whole is dying, as this does not truly reflect the UK's religiously diverse society, but only Christianity in the UK. Despite this, my prediction for the future regarding religion's authority in society is that it will lose it's power and significance, potentially by discontinuing the government and church's collaboration through the House of Lords. This is bound to happen as the current House of Lords only represents the interests of what is now a minority of Christians in the UK, so the separation of church from the government is something I can foresee happening in the near future, perhaps being replaced by more diverse representatives of other religions, to mirror the diversity in society.