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
Bill to end bishops’ automatic right to sit in Lords introduced
Posted: Wed, 29 Jan 2020 08:28
A bill to end the automatic right of Anglican bishops to sit in the House of Lords, which the National Secular Society helped to draft, has been introduced to parliament.
Liberal Democrat peer and NSS honorary associate Dick Taverne introduced the House of Lords (Removal of Bishops) Bill on Tuesday.
The private member's bill would end the practice whereby 26 places in the House of Lords are reserved for the Church of England's bishops and archbishops.
In response NSS chief executive Stephen Evans said: "The fact that 26 Church of England bishops are afforded an automatic right to sit in the House of Lords is unjustifiable.
"Giving representatives of one religion a privileged position in the legislature undermines the principle of equal citizenship and puts those who oppose the church's positions at a disadvantage in the democratic process.
"Dick Taverne's bill would strike a blow for fairness, equality and democracy, and we urge parliamentarians to show their support for it."
The NSS also urged supporters to write to their MPs to encourage them to show support for the bill.
Dick Taverne said: "One of the great achievements of the enlightenment was the separation of church and state. Theocracies in which religion is still part of the state – hardly shining examples of democracy and the protection human rights – show how important this achievement was.
"Although the bishops are liberal minded by comparison, the influence of the Church of England, despite the steep and ongoing decline in the number of Anglicans, should not be underestimated.
"And the separation of church and state is far from complete in the UK. The continued presence of bishops in the Lords is an anachronism that should be addressed."
Notes
- The C of E's two archbishops and 24 of its other diocesan bishops sit in the Lords as the 'lords spiritual'. Religious leaders have sat as the lords spiritual since the 14th century.
- In response to a YouGov poll for The Times, published in 2017, 62% of people said no religious clerics should have "an automatic right to seats" in the legislature. Only 8% said the bishops should retain their seats.
- Iran is the only legislature in the world other than the UK which gives unelected clerics automatic representation.
- The NSS campaigns for the end of bishops' automatic right to sit in the Lords as part of its work to separate religion and state.
- The bill was entered in the Lords ballot for private members' bills to be heard during the new parliament in December.
- This week it was announced that the bishop of Blackburn, Julian Henderson, would become the latest member of the lords spiritual on 6 February.
See also: Separation of church and state is far from complete in the House of Lords, by Dick Taverne for Politics Home.
Watch: House of Lords (Removal of Bishops) Bill is introduced
Peer proposes bill to abolish bishops’ bench in House of Lords
Posted: Fri, 20 Dec 2019 14:22
The National Secular Society is backing a private member's bill which would end the automatic right of Church of England bishops to sit in the House of Lords.
Liberal Democrat peer Dick Taverne, an NSS honorary associate, has presented a bill which would end C of E bishops' automatic right to sit as legislators. The bill was drafted with NSS assistance.
Currently 26 C of E bishops are entitled to sit in the Lords owing to their positions in the established church, as the 'lords spiritual', under an arrangement dating back to the 14th century.
The Taverne bill was entered in the Lords ballot for private members' bills to be heard in the new parliament on Friday. It is due to be introduced on Tuesday 28 January.
In response NSS chief executive Stephen Evans said: "The need to reduce the size of and reform the upper chamber is well recognised, and removing the bishops' bench is an obvious place to start.
"Ending the arrangement whereby representatives of one religious denomination are given seats as of right would make for a more equitable and democratic House of Lords.
"Giving clerics the automatic right to sit in parliament is an affront to democracy and a medieval practice unfit for a modern legislature."
The NSS campaigns for the scrapping of the bishops' bench as part of its work to separate religion and state.
Dick Taverne commented: "One of the great achievements of the enlightenment was the separation of church and state. Theocracies in which religion is still part of the state – hardly shining examples of democracy and the protection human rights – show how important this achievement was.
"Although the bishops are liberal minded by comparison, the influence of the Church of England, despite the steep and ongoing decline in the number of Anglicans, should not be underestimated.
"And the separation of church and state is far from complete in the UK. The continued presence of bishops in the Lords is an anachronism that should be addressed."
Notes
- In response to a YouGov poll for The Times, published in 2017, 62% of people said no religious clerics should have "an automatic right to seats" in the legislature. Only 8% said the bishops should retain their seats.
- Iran is the only legislature in the world other than the UK which gives unelected clerics automatic representation in its legislature.
- The 26 bishops who sit in the Lords include the Church of England's two archbishops and 24 of its other diocesan bishops.
