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
New archbishop blocked attempt to let CoE accept same-sex marriage
Posted: Wed, 18 Dec 2019 15:46
The new archbishop of York blocked a parliamentary amendment that would have made it easier for the Church of England to conduct same-sex marriages earlier this year.
On Tuesday 10 Downing Street announced that the queen had nominated Stephen Cottrell to become the second most senior figure in the C of E.
In February Cottrell successfully intervened in the House of Lords to urge the withdrawal of an amendment that would have allowed the church to accept same-sex marriage without consulting parliament.
The amendment would have removed a legal exemption which currently prevents Church of England and Church in Wales clergy from solemnising same-sex marriages without a change in the law.
Opposition to same-sex marriage is official C of E policy. The amendment would not have required the church to accept same-sex marriage, but would have enabled it to change its position if and when it was ready to do so.
Cottrell, who was bishop of Chelmsford at the time, was acting as one of 26 Church of England bishops who sit in the Lords as of right.
The National Secular Society has said the archbishop's appointment highlights the case for disestablishing the church.
NSS chief executive Stephen Evans said: "The appointment of Stephen Cottrell to the second most senior position in the Church of England is a reminder that our established church retains social attitudes which are out of touch with the views of the British people.
"This anti-gay institution shouldn't lead our national ceremonies, have seats in our legislature or run state-funded schools. It should be disestablished so church and state can go their separate ways.
"That the announcement was made by the Prime Minister's Office highlights again the lack of separation between church and state which holds the United Kingdom back from being a beacon of equality and religious freedom for all."
Some Christian traditionalists have expressed dismay at Cottrell's appointment, based on statements he has made or reportedly made on topics including same-sex marriage.
The pressure group Christian Concern was among those to question the decision on Twitter.
But on Wednesday, the Church of England responded by saying the new archbishop "upholds the teaching of the Church of England that recognises marriage as being between one man and one woman".
Image: Stephen Cottrell, via Wikimedia Commons, © Bashereyre [CC BY-SA 3.0]
NSS urges lord chancellor to scrap Anglican judges’ service
Posted: Tue, 1 Oct 2019 06:00
The National Secular Society has urged the lord chancellor to scrap the annual Anglican services which mark the start of the legal year, arguing that they undermine judicial neutrality.
The NSS has written to Robert Buckland to challenge the services, where judges pray for guidance while attending fully robed, in their official capacity and during working hours.
This year's main service, which is conducted according to the rites of the Church of England, takes place at Westminster Abbey today (1 October).
In the letter NSS chief executive Stephen Evans wrote that holding the services "symbolises and entrenches religious privilege and undermines the perception of impartiality of the judiciary".
He said the judiciary "must be neutral and seen to be neutral" on legal issues which religious institutions have taken an interest in, such as abortion, assisted dying and religion's role in schools.
He added that the services:
- Give "the clear impression to the public that the doctrines and practices of the Church of England are endorsed and approved by the ministers of the law".
- Raise "serious issues about the neutrality and independence, or at the very least the perceived neutrality and independence, of the judiciary".
- Are "incompatible with the generally accepted objective of achieving and demonstrating diversity in the judiciary".
- Are "incongruous" with the increasing irreligiosity and religious diversity of Britain's population.
- Cause "considerable" costs for the taxpayer.
And he added that recent revelations about the Church of England's cover up of sexual abuse also showed there should be "a clear separation between the judiciary and the church".
Explaining the NSS's decision to write the letter, Mr Evans said: "In a democratic society citizens should expect to be judged fairly and equally before the law. They should also expect issues to be handled on their merits, without the privileging of religious interests.
"This requires that the judiciary is both fully separate from religious institutions and seen to be separate from them.
"Marking the start of the legal year with an Anglican service is an inappropriate display of religious favouritism. It undermines judicial neutrality and serves to entrench deference to the Anglican faith and religion in public life more generally. These services should be scrapped or replaced with a secular alternative."
Government fails to reveal full cost of services
Earlier this year the NSS submitted a freedom of information request to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to ask how much the judges' services cost.
In response the MoJ told the NSS the figure was £5,827. This did not include considerable costs which the services create, such as the loss of judges' and clerks' time and the cost of extra police deployment.
Other notes
- Other judges' services also take place in other parts of the country. A service in York Minster follows a similar format to the one in Westminster. The start of the Scottish legal year was marked by a red mass at St Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral in Edinburgh on 22 September.
- The judges' service is accompanied by a lord chancellor's breakfast, which the NSS did not object to.
Image: © Dan Kitwood / Getty Images
