The Protestant Church

[Theland]

Do you agree that the local Protestant churches collectively enrich our British culture, and that their demise are a sad loss to our British way of life?

[vetuste_ennemi]

I'm interested in what will fill the vacuum created by the loss of traditional faith.

[Theland]

Hopefully not a cult like Roman Catholicism.
That said, the vacuum would in my opinion be filled, and is being filled by a an even more intense selfishness and immoral lifestyle with no rules and only a subjective morality.

[Gromit]

Theland,
Are you deliberately going out of your way to spread lies tonight? Or are you just too lazy to do any research.

The number of churches is increasing. Talk of their demise is absolutely wrong.

2008 total number of churches 49,727
2013 total number of churches 50,660
2020 estimated number of churches 51,275

True, traditional Anglican protestant churches are not flourishing, but they are being replaced by other protestant churches.

Protestantism has not really significantly declined over the last 50 years. Church attendances are down, but that is due to changes in society (more things open sunday, people working etc).

The UK is a protestant country and our faith defines who we are. But I wouldn’t go as far as to say it enriches our culture. It is largely irrelelevent to many, and cease to lead many many decades ago.

[Jackdaw33]

It is true about Anglican churches. In the 60s we had a congregation of at least 150 at the main Sunday mass. Last time I was there there were 17. Also, if you weren't in church at least half an hour before Xmas Midnight Mass you didn't get a seat. Apart from cathedrals and very large parish churches the beautiful service of Evensong has all but died out. I put this down to two things: the sidelining of the Book of Common Prayer and the advent of women clergy.

[vetuste_ennemi]

//The UK is a protestant country and our faith defines who we are. But I wouldn’t go as far as to say it enriches our culture. It is largely irrelelevent to many, and cease to lead many many decades ago. //

Defines who we are...but doesn't enrich?

Dear me.

Oh, and "irrelevant".

Several more dear mes.

Logical coherence not a required attribute for an AB moderator.

[Gromit]

VE,
The church of England is built into our history. But it hasn’t really done anything pro-active for decades. So like the monarchy, they are part of our traditional curlture, that defines who we are, but are not really part of most peoples’ lives anymore. The CofE is the default option for many when filling out their census form, but not something they think about every day (or year to year for that matter).

[Jackdaw33]

Don't forget that when Henry VIII founded the Church of England it was still fiercely catholic but without the Pope and he merrily burned protestants till he died. It was only after his death that the Reformation took hold under Edward VI and Archbishop Cranmer.

[beso]

Churches damage the minds of the people they recruit.

Churches promote immoral lifestyles where people are encouraged to vilify anyone who does not follow their cult.

All religious based concepts of morality are highly subjective in that they are nothing more sophisticated than the codified prejudices of archaic misogynists.

[Jackdaw33]

I think someone's eaten a dictionary for breakfast.

[naomi24]

The Anglican church, once, and for some still, a cornerstone of our society and culture, is a far cry from the current fashion for the truly damaging happy clappy evangelising varieties imported from America, Africa, and elsewhere. Bemoaning the demise of a British way of life that you don’t support is somewhat hypocritical, wouldn’t you say?

[Khandro]

//Do you agree that the local Protestant churches collectively enrich our British culture, and that their demise are a sad loss to our British way of life?//
Yes and yes, but they aren't quite dead yet. Expect an upswing in the years ahead.

[mikey4444]

Attendance at regular Church of England, and Church in Wales churches has been declining for years. In cities, this may have been off-set by the expansion of evangelical churches, which don't have any allegiance to the Anglican community.

But in rural areas, the church is still an important part of the local life. For many villages, the Church is the only institution left, after Post Offices, local shops and Pubs have closed down.

As an atheist, I can't support the Church in any religious sense, but I realise that they they have a real role to play in the local infrastructure, and long may that continue.

[naomi24]

Khandro, //Expect an upswing in the years ahead. //

Why?

[mikey4444]

I can't see that congregations in established Anglican churches can change in the future...indeed, I see them declining even further.

A very close friend of mine is a Church in Wales priest, and she leads services of less than 10 people every week, in a busy, popular suburb of Cardiff. She does that in a building that costs £1000's every year to maintain.

In my village there were 2 Anglican churches, but one was sold off a few years ago, mainly to raise much-needed funds.

In the end, it will be finances that will be the ruin of the established church, not falling congregations.

[Khandro]

n. I agree with Michel Houellebecq who has always maintained that no society can survive without religion. His character, Rediger in his new novel, 'Submission', says that without Christianity, the European nations can be no more than bodies without souls — zombies.

Mikey seems to think that "being and atheist" precludes him from going to church, though he says, "but I realise that they they have a real role to play in the local infrastructure, and long may that continue" and he appears to miss the contradiction.

[jno]

Did Henry really burn many people, Jackdaw? Or Edward, for that matter?

[mikey4444]

Khandro...I am not missing anything. I do not play a part in the religious life of any church, because I am not a believer.

But I am quite willing to participate in the secular role of the Church. I enjoy visiting Cathedrals and old Norman churches, and always leave some contribution in the collection box, as I wouldn't want to lose these buildings. Churches may wonderful venues for musical events, for instance.

I visited Wells Cathedral last March, and there were many people there as well. But most of them were visitors, not attending any service.

[mikey4444]

jno...my recollection from History lessons in schools was that it was Queen Mary that sent most to their fiery deaths.

[naomi24]

Khandro, I disagree with your man, and his character. I fail to understand why either of them consider that absence of religion renders the human being ‘soulless’. Perhaps you'll explain.

[Ric.ror]

Whenever I visit a Protestant church I always like to find out if it’s pre reformation, if it is, it’s really a Catholic Church isn’t it
I actually find some aspects in ‘acquired’ churches rather sad
For instance would Catherine of Aragon really want to be buried in a Protestant cathedral? The same with the most recent Richard 3. Don’t get me started on Mary of Scots or Mary 1.