The UK is one of the last western democracies with a state religion: the Church of England.
The Church's entanglement with the state is bad for both.
Join our campaign to disestablish the Church.
CAMPAIGN ALERT: Support the disestablishment bill
In November 2023, a private member's bill to disestablish the Church of England was selected in the ballot.
Please write to your MP and urge them to support this bill, to make the UK are more equitable and democratic country for people of all religions and beliefs.
Since our founding in 1866, one of our primary objectives has been disestablishment of the Church of England: its formal separation from the state.
More than 150 years later, census figures show most people in England and Wales are not Christian. Surveys consistently reveal a similar picture in Scotland. The case for disestablishment has never been stronger.
Disestablishment means the Church would no longer have privileged input into government - but also that government could not involve itself in the running of the Church. Both sides would gain autonomy. This is why support for Church-state separation can be found within the CofE itself.
There have been many proponents, religious and non-religious, for church-state separation, and there are a wide variety of motivations for supporting this reform.
The existence of a legally-enshrined national religion privileges one part of the population, one institution and one set of beliefs. Removing all symbolic and institutional ties between government and religion is the only way to ensure equal treatment to citizens of all religions and none.
The Church of England has enjoyed significant privileges relating its established status for many centuries. These privileges have remained largely unchanged despite the massive and continuing reduction in support for the Church in the UK. It is highly likely that this trend will continue for the foreseeable future, making the Church of England's continuation as the established church unsustainable.
- Christians are a minority in Britain. In Wales and Scotland the majority have no religion.
- Just 1% of 18-24 year olds say they belong to the Church of England.
- Less than 1% of the population regularly attend Church of England church services.
The Church of England is also out of step with the UK public on several key issues: it remains opposed to same-sex relationships and allows parishes to reject women as bishops and priests. These discriminatory positions cannot be reconciled with the Church's status as part of the UK state.
And no institution with the shameful historical record of the Church of England safeguarding and abuse should retain its privileged role in the British establishment.
The existence of a legally enshrined national religion privileges one part of the population, one institution and one set of beliefs. Removing all symbolic and institutional ties between government and religion is the only way to ensure equal treatment of citizens of all religions and none.
Take action!
1. Write to your MP
Ask your MP to support the separation of church and state
2. Share your story
Tell us why you support this campaign, and how you are personally affected by the issue. You can also let us know if you would like assistance with a particular issue.
3. Join the National Secular Society
Become a member of the National Secular Society today! Together, we can separate religion and state for greater freedom and fairness.
Latest updates
NSS debates the role of bishops in Government at Durham Union Society
Posted: Fri, 8 Jun 2012 22:04
NSS President Terry Sanderson, and Executive Director Keith Porteous Wood, both argued the case that 'This House believes bishops have no place in Government' in a formal debate at Durham Union Society.
Terry Sanderson described as "self-serving tosh" the claim that bishops are in close touch with their communities:
"If you asked a representative sample of people throughout this nation to name their bishop, I predict that about 99% of them would have no idea. Most of them would probably not even know that they had a bishop let alone that they regarded him as playing any part in their lives whatsoever."
He pointed to the wider implications of having religious people in seats of power:
"The Bishops' Bench in the House of Lords represents an age of clerical power that has long past. It makes our parliament look quaint rather than modern. But in an age of increasing religious tension, it is important that our nation is seen to be fair to all and not to favour any particular religion or denomination."
And finished by saying:
"The bishops have no business in parliament and - one day, hopefully before too long - a forward-thinking government will be elected that will have the backbone to put the matter right."
Keith addressed some of the more practical problems associated with bishops having a place in Government. He described an early encounter with "episcopal power in the House of Lords in the late 90s with the passage of the Human Rights Bill, as it then was. I was shocked at the weeks and months of pressure the Church was applying to get itself completely exempted."
This was soon followed by, "one of the worst examples of Parliamentary abuse I have seen: pro-religious discriminatory provisions being inserted by the bishops into the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. By the time the bishops had finished...it had become a bigots' charter, allowing lesser skilled teachers to be selected over more able colleagues, simply on the basis of what they believed, or at least said they believed. The churches were given power to dismiss teachers against the will of the local education authority who were bearing all the salaries."
All of this legislation then put the UK in direct conflict with the European Union's efforts to eliminate discrimination at work. With the backing of Tony Blair, the Archbishops' Council wielded their power to secure significant exemptions for the Church, even though, "the European Commission – who we lodged a complaint with - itself concluded in a Reasoned Opinion (a formal warning) that the passages inserted by the Archbishops' Council were in breach of the Directive."
Keith continued:
"So do not tell me that the bishops do not have power; power they used on this occasion which brought shame on the Houses of Parliament. Such was their bigotry - and worse, their blatant disregard of our treaty obligations to the European Union."
We will pick up your VAT bill, Chancellor tells the Church
Posted: Fri, 18 May 2012 15:04
Places of worship have been singled out for preferential treatment following the removal of the zero VAT rating concession for alterations to listed buildings announced in the budget.
A concerted campaign by churches has led to the Chancellor agreeing to set aside £30 million per annum to compensate places of worship for the extra VAT resulting from the withdrawal of the concession. The government's offer is on top of £12m already provided to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme (LPWGS). No equivalent money is to be made available to listed secular buildings.
The Church of England has welcomed the government offer to fund alterations and repairs to the Church's 12,500 listed buildings.
The National Secular society, while accepting listed churches are important cultural icons, has argued that they should not be singled out for preferential treatment.
Keith Porteous Wood, Executive Director of the National Secular Society said: "Places of worship should take their share of the pain, or some more money found for secular buildings."
This view was echoed by Shadow culture secretary Harriet Harman. While welcoming the £30 million, she said: "This Government's U-turn is a victory for the campaign by churches and local communities against a wrong-headed proposal in the shambolic Budget.
"But it won't help the National Trust, all the museums, galleries, theatres, libraries and community centres that are in listed buildings, and which are important for heritage, tourism and local communities."
Mr Porteous Wood said: "Like Harriet Harman, we believe secular listed buildings deserve relief rather than being once more denied privileges meted out to listed places of worship.
"We do not share the prevalent view that churches deserve special concessions denied to other listed buildings. The Church Commissioners assets' total around £3 billion, mostly in prime investment properties earning juicy returns. And many cathedrals charge very hefty entrance fees. Places of worship already receive vast sums from government, lottery and many other grant making bodies. And very substantial sums should be being generated from the sale of the many redundant churches without architectural merit."
It seems clear from the comments being made by church representatives that the ultimate aim is for the state to take over complete responsibility for the upkeep of churches. The wife of the Dean of Wakefield, Pamela Greener, said that the £30 million did not provide a long-term solution, and called for further discussions. "It would be churlish not to welcome the Government's increased funding, following their shock Budget tax raid on the nation's heritage," said told the Church Times. "So, although I am grateful to the Chancellor and his team for listening to the outcry they provoked, I urge the Church not to build its house upon the sand of the Listed Places of Worship Scheme — which is not based in law and therefore has an insecure future."
See also: VAT a disgrace
