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
Regular C of E worshippers form less than 2% of England’s population
Posted: Mon, 12 Oct 2020 17:19
Fewer than two per cent of people in England regularly worshipped at Church of England churches in 2019, despite tens of thousands of children attending services for schools.
The C of E's statistics for mission for 2019, which were published today, show that 1.1m people were part of its 'worshipping community' last year. That number has fallen by three per cent since 2014.
Almost a sixth of those – 182,000 people, most of whom were children – attended school services on an average week in October 2019.
That figure has risen from 148,000 five years earlier. It has since fluctuated slightly, standing at 197,000 in 2017 and 175,000 in 2018.
The stats also show that:
- On average, 854,000 people attended Church of England services and acts of worship each week in October 2019.
- The number of people attending services on a usual Sunday fell below 700,000 for the first time, to 690,000.
- Most of the church's key measures of attendance fell by between 15% and 20% from 2009 to 2019. This fitted within a pattern of decline in attendance at C of E church services over recent decades.
- The number of C of E marriages, which was over 50,000 in 2012, fell below 30,000 in 2019.
NSS comment
National Secular Society chief executive Stephen Evans said:
"Any basis there once was for the Church of England being the national legally established church has crumbled.
"Its shameful failings which have been laid bare by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse undermine any claims of moral authority, and the unrelenting decline in adherents has removed any majoritarian argument.
"C of E attendance continues to fall even though pupils who are compelled to attend Christian services as part of their schooling are inflating the numbers.
"Britain is one of the few democratic states in the world that continue to promote an official religion, and the fact that most of its citizens no longer subscribe to it makes a nonsense of continuing with this archaic form of religious privilege.
"The need to give equal weight and recognition to all citizens, irrespective of their religious or philosophical beliefs, has never been clearer. The church should be disestablished and its role in state-funded schools rolled back."
Note: impact of coronavirus reflected in separate figures
- Today's statistics for mission were accompanied by a report outlining the C of E's digital figures for 2020. This shows that many services and events are now being provided online following the Covid outbreak.
- The latest statistics for mission report also notes that its equivalent next year is likely to "take a very different form".
Geoffrey Robertson to argue for disestablishment in NSS lecture
Posted: Wed, 7 Oct 2020 17:09
The National Secular Society is very pleased to announce that human rights barrister Geoffrey Robertson will make the case for disestablishing the Church of England in this year's Bradlaugh Lecture.
The lecture, entitled The Ultimate Blasphemy: disestablishing the Church of England, will be an online-only event on Tuesday 3 November, from 7:00pm to 8:30pm. The NSS is hosting it in partnership with Conway Hall.
During his long legal career, Geoffrey Robertson QC has defended blasphemy cases against Gay News and The Satanic Verses. He is also an academic, author and broadcaster.
His lecture will argue that disestablishment is essential for democracy in the 21st century and explore how it might be achieved, while recalling the struggle to abolish England and Wales's blasphemy law.
The NSS has campaigned for the disestablishment of the church since its foundation in the 19th century.
NSS comment
NSS chief executive Stephen Evans said: "We very much look forward to hearing what Geoffrey Robertson has to say.
"The National Secular Society has long argued that the disestablishment of the Church of England would make Britain a more equal, fair and democratic country, which is better placed to uphold fundamental liberal principles.
"We think we've lined up a hugely successful and distinguished speaker to make the case for the formal separation of church and state. We urge supporters to join us for an entertaining and enlightening lecture."
History of the Bradlaugh Lecture
The NSS launched the Bradlaugh Lecture in 2017, on the 151st anniversary of the society's foundation, to provide space for a distinguished speaker to explore a secularist topic in depth.
The lecture is named in recognition of the NSS's founder Charles Bradlaugh. In previous years it has been held at Manchester Art Gallery in early September.
There are more details on the NSS's events page and you can now book your place on the Conway Hall website.
Tickets are free but the NSS strongly encourages at least a £5 donation to Conway Hall for those attending.
