Posted on 12/16/2009 10:01:40 AM PST by Free ThinkerNY
A ‘sharp decline’ in religious belief has seen the number of people who consider themselves Christian drop to half.
According to a new academic study, an increasing majority are described as the ‘fuzzy faithful’ who have only a vague belief in God. These do not belong to a particular denomination or attend services.
Nearly 4,500 people were questioned for the 2008 British Social Attitudes survey, which revealed 37 per cent of Britons do not believe in God – compared to 35 per cent who do.
While 50 per cent of respondents now call themselves Christian, down from 66 per cent in 1983.
Forty-three per cent of Britons say they have ‘no religion’ – an increase from 31 per cent in 1983.
And the number of non-Christians, including Muslims and Jews, has risen from 2 per cent 25 years ago to 7 per cent.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
While 50 per cent of respondents now call themselves Christian, down from 66 per cent in 1983.
How can you be a christian and not believe in God?
Hmmmmm and not so coincidental with the decline of the country
“Oh sharia... sharia rules the waves”...
LLS
I’m not surprized. They’re like lab rats in a liberal experiment over there...I’d be dehumanized too.
It is written that even devils and evil spirits have more belief than these.
Apostasy is unpon us, but I don't find it to be so great.
Pagans, and atheists, and Muslims; oh, my!
Not so sure about tigers and bears, but lion arenas may not be so far off.
Come to think of it, the Gaeans do want to allow children and pets to be sacrificed to mountain lions and wolves. Oh, my!
No such thing as 'a little bit of belief'; either you believe, or you don't.
I've seen polls in the past where many so called Christians didn't believe in the divinity of Christ; didn't believe He resurrected; and/or didn't believe in the virgin birth...all of which is calling Christ, God, and His Word liars.
Personally, I just don't get how one can believe that they are a Christian, without believing in core Christian doctrines.
Christianity isn't a religion; it's reality.
Because people have this odd idea that faith is hereditary, that somehow you acquire it from your ancestors, in the same way that you get blue eyes or black hair or knock-knees.
In other words, they think believing is a part of your culture, rather than something that you actually DO.
British fella here...
“Because people have this odd idea that faith is hereditary” - isn’t it almost always the case though, that an adult’s faith is determined by the faith of their parents / family?
Obviously not, given that christian belief and church attendence are in decline. If your faith was determined by the faith of your parents, then that would not happen, not so?
For sure your upbringing has an affect upon you, often a decisive affect, but then we have all heard of children who rebel against their parents wishes. Its almost normal in fact :) There are any number of things that influence a person’s faith (or indeed lack of faith). Family influence and upbringing are only one factor, albeit a big one.
Christians believe that faith is a given thing anyway. Christianity is a “rescue” religion. In other words, everyone today who calls themselves a Christian was, at some time, not a Christian.
“Obviously not, given that christian belief and church attendence are in decline. If your faith was determined by the faith of your parents, then that would not happen, not so?”
No, I don’t agree - I don’t think it’s really possible to argue against the fact that someone’s religion is to a very large degree determined at least initially by their parents; whether a child continues to believe or workship when they mature though is I would argue another thing entirely. I want to stress that you’re right that the parents’ influence is only one factor amongst many when it comes to someone’s religion, but I’d argue that it’s the major one.
I myself am a Roman Catholic on paper, because it is my parent’s faith. I would not however be so if it had been left up to me as an adult.
Re: the main thread - as a Brit, I am amazed that so many of my fellow natives profess a belief in God at all. I would have said that in reality it would have been around the 20% max.
AND FINALLY - “In other words, everyone today who calls themselves a Christian was, at some time, not a Christian.” is an interesting one. I’ve not heard that before - one of the reasons why FR interests me so much, the difference in outlook between our respective countries given or in spite of our apparent similarities.
LOL re “the difference in outlook between our respective countries given or in spite of our apparent similarities.” Actually, I’m a Brit myself! Perhaps its a regional divide :)
I think your answer nicely illustrates what I’m getting at. Yes, it is often very surprising that, according to surveys, the majority of Brits believe in a God. That belief doesnt usually express itself in daily life! No doubt this is partly due to our well-known and long-standing aversion to the display of “deep” emotions, but I would argue its more that the belief that most Brits have is little more than a vague fuzzy idea that there is something higher than themselves. The finer nuances of theology escape most!
Christianity is a rescue religion. What that means is that Christians believe that we are all separated from God by our wrongdoing (sin). That gap has been bridged by the sacrifical death of Jesus Christ, Gods only son, AND by individuals accepting the grace that he offers. This process is often called being “saved”. Christians quibble over the exact nature of this process, but all agree that it is transformative. In other words, to the believer there is a contrast between what they were like before they took hold of Jesus’ promise, and what they are like now. Just having some vague notion that God exists does not make you a Christian.
Often when Brits say they are Christian, they are actually referring to their cultural upbringing, which is really the accumulated baggage that a society gathers over the years. British society is one that has been heavily influenced by Christian thinking, for good and ill. That continual exposure has seeped into our culture, our language, indeed our every way of behaving. Its kind of a shared experience. Unfortunately, its also very superficial. A British “Christian” of this type probably has more in common with a British Moslem than he does with, say, a West African Christian.
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