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
LibDem MP wants to separate marriage registration from religion
Posted: Wed, 10 Apr 2013 11:42
A Liberal Democrat MP has tabled an amendment to the proposed same-sex marriage bill proposing a complete separation of state marriage and religious weddings.
Greg Mulholland, Liberal Democrat MP for Leeds North wants to repeal the 1949 Marriage Act and the 2004 Civil Partnerships Act, remove clauses in the 1973 Matrimonial Causes Act for the ending of marriages on the grounds of adultery or non-consummation, and would ban religious ceremonies from state marriages carried out by civil registrars.
The amendment will face intense opposition from MPs. However, Mr Mulholland argues that separating state and religious marriage is the only way to ensure equality and freedom of religion.
"The Marriage Bill neither delivers equal marriage nor adequately protects freedom of conscience," he said. "The way to deliver both is a proper separation of civil and religious marriage, so it is clear that civil recognition of relationships is a matter for the state, defined in law, and this should be the same for all couples, but at the same time then allowing belief-based organisations to marry whoever they want according to what they believe marriage to mean.
"This is the liberal and the fair approach, but also the commonsensical one that would deliver equality and tolerance and would avoid some of the pitfalls of the Bill as drafted."
Already speculation is rife that in the unlikely event of this amendment being accepted, it would eventually lead to the disestablishment of the Church of England.
Mr Mulholland was one of seven Liberal Democrat MPs to abstain from voting on the same-sex marriage bill in February.
The bill will go to a third reading in the House of Commons in the near future, before proceeding to the House of Lords.
Meanwhile, in Ireland, the bishops have warned that the Church should refuse to perform the civil elements of weddings if same-sex marriage is introduced.
The Church in Ireland provides the majority of marriage solemnisers in the republic. Around 4,300 out of the 5,600 on the register are Catholic priests.
The issue is being considered by a Constitutional Convention as recognition of same-sex marriage would require an amendment to the Irish constitution. The constitution requires the state to guard the institution of marriage with "special care" and "protect it against attack".
Over 1,000 submissions have been made on the issue to the Constitutional Convention including a 10-page written submission from the Irish hierarchy. In this document, the Bishops' Council for Marriage and Family signalled a willingness to withdraw the Church's services to solemnisers in protest.
Should this happen, up to 70% of marriages could be affected.
In their submission, the bishops stated: "It is important to note that in Ireland, the Church and the State co-operate closely in the solemnisation of marriages. Any change to the definition of marriage would create great difficulties and in the light of this, if there were two totally different definitions of marriage, the Church could no longer carry out the civil element."
This could mean the republic would have to adopt a similar model to other European countries where Catholics would have to get married in a register office as well as taking part in a religious ceremony in church.
Legal recognition for civil partnerships in Ireland was granted in 2010 and gave same-sex couples most of the rights afforded to married couples.
Most Americans still favour separation of church and state
Posted: Wed, 10 Apr 2013 11:03
A nationwide YouGov poll for the Huffington Post in the United Stated shows that one-third of respondents would like to see Christianity as the state religion.
According to the polling of 1,000 people, 32% of adults said they would support a constitutional amendment that makes Christianity the official religion of the United States, with 52% preferring to keep church and state separated. On a more local scale, 34% would like to see Christianity as the official state religion in their own state, while 47% oppose such an idea.
However, despite one-third of voters expressing support for a state religion, not many think there is any real possibility of church and state uniting: only 11% said they thought the US Constitution would allow states to adopt a state religion. 58% believed such a move would be unconstitutional, while 31% said they were not sure.
Voters were probably correct in their assessment of how realistic a state religion is: according to the US Supreme Court, the First Amendment prevents the government from establishing an official religion. The ruling also applies to states.
The poll was sparked by an attempt earlier this month by the North Carolina House of Representatives to pass legislation that would have made it possible to introduce an official state religion. The Bill was rejected.
In the Yougov poll, Democrats were less likely to vote for an amendment proposing the combining of church and state. 46% of Democrats voted against the concept, while 55% of Republicans said they would favour a national constitutional amendment.
