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
Prime Minister calls on Christians to be more "evangelical"
Posted: Thu, 17 Apr 2014 17:20
In his most recent effort to highlight his strong Christian faith and the importance of Christianity within the UK, David Cameron has called for Christians to be more "evangelical".
Mr Cameron criticised those promoting state neutrality on religion, saying they failed to grasp the role that religion can have in "helping people to have a moral code". He contrasted "secular neutrality" with "the Christian values of responsibility, hard work, charity, compassion, humility, and love".
He also expressed the hope that "we can [...] infuse politics with a greater sense of evangelism about some of the things we are trying to change. We see our churches as vital partners. If we pull together, we can change the world and make it a better place."
The Prime Minister's comments were made in an article authored by him, "My faith in the Church of England" and published in the Church Times.
He also announced that the government would be giving £8 million to a Church urban fund, Near Neighbours, which brings together people in religiously and ethnically diverse communities.
His article follows a video Easter message, in which he noted "countless acts of kindness carried out by those who believe in and follow Christ", and an Easter reception at Downing Street in which he called for an expansion in the role of faith and faith organisations in the UK.
His most recent comments come after church leaders have, for the second time in two months, made the headlines by publicly urging the government to take action on food poverty.
As part of a campaign organised by the End Hunger Fast, 47 bishops and over 600 non-conformist leaders and clergy from across all the major Christian denominations in Britain have co-signed a new letter calling for urgent Government action on food poverty
And in February, 27 bishops wrote to the Daily Mirror saying that Cameron had a moral duty to act on the growing number going hungry.
Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society, said: "The Prime Minister's description of Britain as a "Christian country" is one most people simply won't recognise.
"Around half the population don't belong to any religion and the religious among us follow an increasingly diverse range of faiths. They should not be made to feel like less than equal citizens by the prime minister asserting the moral superiority of Christianity.
"Mr Cameron is of course entitled to his personal beliefs but he must realise that as the Prime Minister of a democratic and diverse nation his remarks are wholly inappropriate.
"Non-Christians may feel particularly aggrieved by Mr Cameron's divisive assertion that we are a "Christian country", but everyone should be concerned at his suggestion that essential state functions such as education and welfare should be handed over to religious organisations."
Bishop wants to withhold communion from Catholic MPs who vote against doctrine
Posted: Fri, 21 Mar 2014 15:37
The Bishop of Portsmouth, Philip Egan, has said in an interview that Catholic politicians who voted for same-sex marriage should be denied Communion.
The interview, on the Lifesite News website, has provoked dismay from Catholic members of parliament who called the bishop's comments "tragic" saying that such comments reinforce the idea that they are Vatican puppets rather than servants of the constituents who elected them.
The Catholic magazine, The Tablet, said that of the estimated 82 Catholic MPs in the House of Commons, 47 voted in favour of gay marriage. These included Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith and the Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin.
Among the backbenchers critical of Bishop Egan's comments was Conor Burns, a Conservative MP for Bournemouth West (a seat that lies within Bishop Egan's Portsmouth Diocese).
He said: "I think it is a great pity, indeed a tragedy, that this bishop seems not to have noticed that we have a new gentle shepherd preaching a Christ-like message of inclusivity, love, tolerance and forgiveness."
Labour's Siobhain McDonagh said Bishop Egan was "an old-fashioned diehard" and that most Catholics "would be horrified if anyone was barred from communion simply for voting to support other Catholics who are gay."
Even one of those Catholic MPs who voted against the same-sex marriage legislation, Labour's Stephen Pound, said the bishop's suggestion of denying Communion was "wholly disproportionate." He said that it would simply reinforce "the unthinking misconceptions that some hold of the Church".
Catholic commentator Francis Drake, said: "Bishop Egan means well. But we live in a democracy and the Church didn't elect our MPs."
Bishop Egan said that he would like the bishops' conference to discuss the matter, but a spokesman said there were "no plans" to do so.
In an editorial about the matter The Tablet wrote: "If bishops purport to instruct Catholic MPs how to vote on such matters, there is a clear risk that those MPs would begin to look like episcopal puppets. Indeed, in such a case, when could a Catholic candidate ever expect to be elected? And isn't the logic of Bishop Egan's position, therefore the complete withdrawal of Catholics from public office?"
Bishop Egan is not the only high profile Catholic who calls for politicians to be brought to account when they do not do the Church's bidding. In an interview with a Polish Catholic magazine (translated into English by Lifesite News) American Cardinal Raymond Burke also recommends that priests do not administer Communion to politicians who "acts against the moral law in a grave matter and yet presents himself to receive Holy Communion, the priest should admonish the person in question and then, if he or she persists in approaching to receive Holy Communion, the priest should refuse to give the Body of Christ to the person."
Terry Sanderson, President of the National Secular Society, said: "These Catholic prelates are truly frightening. They do not seem to care that what they advocate presents a danger to democracy. Trying to blackmail politicians to vote in the way that you want them to is shocking and disgusting. Constituents vote for a politician or a party to represent them, not for the Catholic Church. If MPs want to write Catholic doctrine into law they should be upfront about it before the election so that voters can make an informed choice."
