If not Sunday, when?

I was raised in a family that went to Sunday morning service, then in the afternoon I went to Sunday school. Sometimes we'd also go to evening service. It was suffocating. I grew to hate church and could not face going into one again.

Surely it's a question of belief?

Religion is definitely not as important to you see generations as it has been to older generations. There are many, many more agnostic people than there was years ago. I went to a Christian school and we attended church throughout our childhood but I have not attended church in adulthood (unless it's been for a wedding or funeral) and haven't had either of my daughters christened, it will be entirely their decision when they are older.

I'm not surprised that there has been a huge decrease in church attendance.
I have never been a worshipper, but the awful crimes committed by many dignitaries, both Catholic and Protestant, over the years, is enough to turn anyone away.
Then again, we have the example of so many 'Christian' Members of Parliament, whose callousness and want of basic human values is quite sickening.
The Royal Family, too, who are nominally the leaders of faith in this country seem to have slipped up a bit in many cases, but they're only human like the rest of us!
The only religion apparent now is the cult of celebrity and the sanctity of huge profit.
Cynical? Moi? Perhaps!

I never go to church for any reason as I'm a life-long Atheist. Three-quarters of England are!

I think this thread mixes up spiritual beliefs with membership of a particular religion or sect with attendance at services. They are not the same.

I was thinking that, greenlady. You don't have to be deeply religious, and go to church, to want something spiritual in your life. We can all travel along different paths to reach self fulfilment

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Lots of 'religions' have sprung up over the past century or two. And some of them are seriously weird.

And don't let us forget that the CofE only exists because Henry XIII broke away from the Church of Rome because he wanted to remarry and couldn't.

Then he remarried, and remarried, and remarried, and remarried, and remarried. He beheaded two wives and divorced two. But hey, his newly created CofE worked for him!

But was he happy???

My 50-year old hairdresser - a very knowledgeable and interesting conversationalist - was amazed to learn this during a talk we had about religions. She hadn't been taught it at school!! My sons went to a private school and they did have lessons covering the period.

I wonder if the National Curriculum teaches the history of Kings and Queen of England now? The ice age? The iron age? etc etc.

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Many Catholic churches have a mass on Saturday evening - and, in fact, have mass every day.

what an interesting thread.

While living in Scotland, we only had about 30 people in our church for a sizeable community. Older people and some families.

We currently live in the USA and here we just had to build a new church as we have too many people attending! There is about 500 people coming on a Sunday and they have an English and a Spanish service. The Hispanic community makes up at least 60% of parishioners if not more.

I go Saturday evening as mornings are busy here as I have lots of animals to feed. I also prefer Saturday as it's less busy.
But for me, a lot has to do with the priest we are having and Father Chris here is very approachable, always puts jokes in his homily and with his outgoing nature he is very easy to listen to and very likable. While one of his topics has been "It's the message, not the messenger" for me, the messenger plays a big role and I might go a lot less to church if he wasn't our priest. Here in the USA you see also a lot of teenagers being at church and involved in church life, going on retreats , having meet ups during the week etc. It's rather refreshing to see after seeing such a decline in Scotland and in Germany which is my home country. Church here is far more interactive and reactive to the needs of the people. I wished church would move with the times as they seem to do here.

So despite shops being open on a Sunday, you see the churches full in the USA.

Where I live the vicar runs the churches in at least 4 villages and services are spread between them. The church in our village is always open should anyone want to visit it. Personally I am not a churchgoer as I don't believe in organised religion of any sort, although I appreciate the beauty and history of many churches. Surely if you are a true believer actually going to church shouldn't really matter, private prayer should be sufficient.

For many years we did ‘Monday Meal’ in our home, which was an opportunity for people of other faiths or none to have a meal together and afterwards to have a discussion about the Christian faith. It was always well attended and we have made good friends in this way. We plan to resurrect it when I’m well, but maybe fortnightly instead of weekly.

The Cof E attendances might be
in decline, but other denominations differ. I attend a Baptist church and our congregation is growing, with new people coming week by week.

I know many more people are church goers in the. uS. If they are in the majority How are the non church goers regarded 11unicorn?

I had an American pen friend some time ago, but when she found out I wasn’t a church goer she lost interest.

As for shops opening on Sundays I don’t agree with it. European shops still close on Sundays, (why do we in the uk always have to follow America).

I always went to my Catholic church service on Saturday evening 6.30 pm as that time worked well for me. It is about 4 years now since that service was dispensed with the same as in our other Catholic church about 15 minutes drive away. The reason the church/priest gave us was because the church was finding it difficult to attract new clergy/priests to the church vocation and so the diocese was cutting back on services and only doing the Sunday church service. I looked after grand-children on Sundays and also had cooking to do and was fairly busy, so these days I do not attend church regularly every Sunday although I do watch the streaming online but it is just not the same.

In Denmark for years churches have had week-day evening services, night church, where you can drop in at any hour of the night, say a prayer, join in if a service is being held etc. Coffee after Sunday services and "Spagetti services" - a weekday evening service followed or preceded by a meal. These are particularly advertised as being both for families with smal. children and for those living alone.

None of these have significantly increased church attendence.

Both as a Christian and as a historian of religion, I am convinced that until the various denominations get themselves out of church /synagogue/mosque/etc and start a mission strategy, we will not see religion becoming important again.

No-one is terribly likely to attend any form of Divine service if they either do not know that we who do attend believe in God and what that actually entails, or feel particularly welcome if they do by chance drop into a church,

By and large, the congregation and clergy just ignore newcomers. A peculiar attitude, which ought to be condemmed by any right-thinking religious person of any faith.

missdeke

Where I live the vicar runs the churches in at least 4 villages and services are spread between them. The church in our village is always open should anyone want to visit it. Personally I am not a churchgoer as I don't believe in organised religion of any sort, although I appreciate the beauty and history of many churches. Surely if you are a true believer actually going to church shouldn't really matter, private prayer should be sufficient.

No, private prayer is not enough. Christ enjoined on his followers that they should pray together and form a fellowship.

Our RC church is busy every Sunday.
Saturday evening Mass the Vigil (ie it’s in place of Sunday Mass) is busy too.
A few years ago attendance was down by now its usual to stand as the seats are full. Who said attendance is down? Not in the SE if England. I must admit if there is a well organised likeable Priest, then it’s a big pull for attendance. Happy Easter everyone xx

Barbadosbelle

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Lots of 'religions' have sprung up over the past century or two. And some of them are seriously weird.

And don't let us forget that the CofE only exists because Henry XIII broke away from the Church of Rome because he wanted to remarry and couldn't.

Then he remarried, and remarried, and remarried, and remarried, and remarried. He beheaded two wives and divorced two. But hey, his newly created CofE worked for him!

But was he happy???

My 50-year old hairdresser - a very knowledgeable and interesting conversationalist - was amazed to learn this during a talk we had about religions. She hadn't been taught it at school!! My sons went to a private school and they did have lessons covering the period.

I wonder if the National Curriculum teaches the history of Kings and Queen of England now? The ice age? The iron age? etc etc.

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And don't let us forget that the CofE only exists because Henry XIII broke away from the Church of Rome because he wanted to remarry and couldn't.

Yes, he did, but the Protestant Reformation was gaining momentum in Europe at the time too.

It is only because of Henry that the Reformation Parliament declared him Head of the Church of England, which curiosity remains today with the Monarch as Head of the Anglican church in England only.

Spuddy

I never go to church for any reason as I'm a life-long Atheist. Three-quarters of England are!

The statistics do not back that up.

Are you just thinking of Anglicans?
Even that claim is wrong.

Weekends seem to be filled with sports wwlhether taking part or watching and shopping. I live near large shopping retail parks and during the week it's easy to find a parking space. At the weekend, it's a nightmare having to drive about hoping to spot someone walking back to their car. Playing fields are full of sports eg football, rugby, cricket , hockey both days of weekend. The day of rest has long gone as are quite a number of churches in my area having been sold for converting into flats. It's the lack of interest that to me, seems to have created the lack of attendance.

I used to go to Church. But i don't go anymore because I have Amd and might fall. My balance has completely gone and i look forward to alzheimers disease in future.

At my local Baptist church the Sunday morning service is well attended and the worship is modern and informal. Evening services were not well attended so they stopped. There is also an expanding fellowship that meet on a Wednesday afternoon, made up of mostly older retired people, some who struggle to 'get moving' in the mornings or prefer the more traditional hymns etc.
Since September we started running Messy Church once a month after school on a Tuesday and regularly cater for 40+ children and their parents/carers. Each of these modes and times of worship are equally valid- it doesn't have to be a Sunday.
However the principle that everyone needs 'a day of rest', at least one day in seven when they don't work, is important and shouldn't be eroded. But try telling our pastor that!

Callistemon21

Spuddy

I never go to church for any reason as I'm a life-long Atheist. Three-quarters of England are!

The statistics do not back that up.

Are you just thinking of Anglicans?
Even that claim is wrong.

I've just checked the England and Wales Census figures for 2011 and 2021
www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/culturalidentity/religion/bulletins/religionenglandandwales/census2021#:~:text=This%20coincided%20with%20an%20increase,%25%20(7.7%20million%20people).

In 2011 14.1 million people declared themselves to have no religion. In 2021 this had increased to 22.2 million which is 37.2% of the population.

For whatever reason, the Christian faith is dying out.

Perhaps people are no longer automatically saying CofE when asked their religion or maybe people are truly losing their faith.

I put RC on the 2011 Census, prefer not to say on the 2021 Census and will be putting no religion in 2031.

grandtanteJE65

missdeke

Where I live the vicar runs the churches in at least 4 villages and services are spread between them. The church in our village is always open should anyone want to visit it. Personally I am not a churchgoer as I don't believe in organised religion of any sort, although I appreciate the beauty and history of many churches. Surely if you are a true believer actually going to church shouldn't really matter, private prayer should be sufficient.

No, private prayer is not enough. Christ enjoined on his followers that they should pray together and form a fellowship.

As I said I'm a non-believer, but I accept your beliefs as your own, if it's not enough for you, then it's not enough. I just don't understand it.