Christians Became a Minority for the First Time in the History of England

Photo byZac Durant on Unsplash

For the first time in the history of England and Wales, Christians become a minority in the country, as official data which has now become available suggests. The revelations come after the Office for National statistics revealed only 46.2% of the combined population of England and Wales identify themselves as Christians.

While the results might shock many Christians around the world, the figures paint a different picture than the England many knew as a Christian country. As recently as a mere decade ago, Christians numbered almost 60%. Moreover, the census data suggests the Muslim population has risen from 4.9% to 6.5% of the total, whereas Hindus have made a minor rise from 1.5% to 1.7%. In addition to the Muslim and Hindus, Atheism is also on the rise as it increased from 25% to 37%, meaning more than one in three people in England and Wales have no religion.

Nevertheless, the census data also points out that England has become less white though how significant or what consequences this revelation heralds for the country is not yet known. The census results have, however, further created more waves in the country as emboldened secularists call for the state-funded Church of England to be scrapped along with rethinking entrenched traditions such as the King’s titles of “Defender of the faith” and “supreme governor of the Church.”

Andrew Copson, Chief Executive of the charity group Humanists U.K, was among those who were excited by the census news but was nevertheless bewildered by the irony presented by the census regarding the population. Sharing his thoughts with reporters, Copson said,

“One of the most striking things about these results is how at odds the population is from the State itself. No state in Europe has such a religious set-up as we do in terms of law and public policy, while at the same time having such a non-religious population.”

Conversely, the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, who is a senior cleric in the Church of England, called on Christians to do their part in rescuing the faith when he said,

“We have left behind the era when many people almost automatically identified as Christian, but other surveys consistently show how the same people still seek spiritual truth and wisdom and a set of values to live by.”

While faith leaders such as Stephen Cottrell call for Christians to promote the faith, former Christians reject Christian teachings in favor of Atheist feminism. One such example is 44-year-old Diana, who said she found it problematic that she, as a woman, was made to submit to a man. James, another 44-year-old, found Christian teachings as fairy tales that are incompatible with critical thinking.

While the census provides a glimpse of the looming danger the Christian faith faces with losing so many of their flock, what is more dangerous is the rising satanism and the devil worship that the census revealed. If the trend continues, all religions may become fringe minorities if all faith leaders of all religions do not take the warnings seriously and work hard, as the Archbishop of York already suggested. However, while faith leaders go back to the drawing board, England and Wales are officially no longer Christian countries.