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
Majority of public opposes places for bishops in Lords, poll finds
Posted: Tue, 23 Mar 2021 09:07
A majority of the British public thinks the House of Lords should stop reserving places for Church of England bishops, a YouGov poll has found.
Fifty-three per cent of respondents to a poll published this week said the Lords should not continue to have places for C of E bishops.
Just 16% said it should, with 31% saying they didn't know.
The poll also showed majorities of Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat voters, and majorities of Remain and Leave voters, all agreed on the topic.
26 places reserved
Twenty-six places in the Lords are reserved for C of E bishops and archbishops as of right. The National Secular Society argues for the end of this practice, as part of its campaigning to separate church and state.
Last year the NSS helped to draft a bill to end C of E bishops' automatic right to sit in the Lords, which was introduced by Liberal Democrat peer Dick Taverne.
In response to another YouGov poll for The Times in 2017, 62% said no religious clerics should have "an automatic right to seats". Only 8% said the bishops should retain their seats.
NSS comment
NSS chief executive Stephen Evans said: "Giving Anglican clerics an automatic role in running the country is an unjustifiable privilege that undermines the principle of equal citizenship.
"Their proximity to political power also puts those who oppose the church's positions at a democratic disadvantage.
"Any plans to reform the House of Lords must include the abolition of the anachronistic bench of bishops. This poll suggests there would be substantial public support for that."
Notes
- The C of E's two archbishops and 24 of its other diocesan bishops make up the 'lords spiritual' in parliament. Religious leaders have sat as the lords spiritual since the 14th century.
- Iran is the only legislature in the world other than the UK which gives unelected clerics automatic representation.
Read more: The bishops' bench is an affront to democracy. Let's scrap it, by Stephen Evans
Geoffrey Robertson calls for CoE’s disestablishment in NSS lecture
Posted: Thu, 19 Nov 2020 09:27
Leading human rights barrister Geoffrey Robertson has called for the disestablishment of the Church of England in the National Secular Society's 2020 Bradlaugh Lecture.
During the lecture, The ultimate blasphemy: disestablishing the Church of England, he argued for the separation of formal ties between church and state.
He called for the end of the lords spiritual – the 26 places automatically reserved for C of E bishops in the House of Lords.
He questioned the monarch's role as head of the church, arguing that the C of E's establishment will seem particularly "antediluvian" during the next coronation.
He also noted that:
- A recent report from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse had criticised the C of E's failure to take action to deal with abuse.
- The only other country with automatic places reserved for clerics in its legislature is Iran.
- The lords spiritual had been hostile to women's rights, same-sex marriage and the decriminalisation of assisted suicide.
- The C of E's establishment means prayers are held before parliamentary hearings, effectively forcing MPs to attend Anglican prayers to reserve seats at busy times.
- Attendance at Anglican churches had long been in decline, making the C of E less representative of the country. He added that disestablishment may give the church the "independence" to reconsider its role.
- The Church of England's ties to the state were now unique within the British Isles.
He also paid tribute to Charles Bradlaugh, the NSS's founder whose name is behind the lecture, describing him as a "courageous freethinker" who had "made life easier for all of us".
History of the C of E's establishment
Part of the lecture also explored the history of the C of E's founding and establishment. Robertson noted the role played by "the lust of a pathological monster", as Henry VIII broke with Rome so he could marry Anne Boleyn.
He also noted that the blasphemy law which protected the established religion was used to silence criticism of Anglicanism and undermine gay liberation efforts. He addressed challenges it faced in the 19th and 20th centuries – including cases which he was personally involved in.
The blasphemy law was abolished in England and Wales in 2008.
Comments
NSS chief executive Stephen Evans thanked Geoffrey Robertson for his lecture, describing it as "a colourful, comprehensive and engaging journey through religious privilege" which had "persuasively" made the case for disestablishment.
After the lecture, Robertson said: "The National Secular Society stands for sanity and reason against the power of superstition and theocracy.
"Although it has existed, thanks to Charles Bradlaugh, for over 150 years, there is no time at which it has been more necessary than now."
History of the Bradlaugh Lecture
The NSS launched the Bradlaugh Lecture on the 151st anniversary of its foundation. The lecture provides a space for a distinguished speaker to explore a secularist topic in depth.
In previous years the lecture has been held at Manchester Art Gallery in September. It was delayed and moved online this year as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
Watch the lecture on YouTube
