【上世紀英國最重要的現象是「基督宗教的衰落」；近 33 年英國基督宗徒減半】
據英國《衛報》報導，宣稱不信仰任何宗教的英國人占全國人口比例為 48.5%，宣稱自己為基督徒的人數為 43.8%，宣稱信仰其他宗教的占 8%。
在1983 年時，宣稱自己為基督徒的英國人高達
87% 左右；2001 年時，仍然有近 75% 的英國人明確表示自己為基督徒。在過去的
15 年內，英國基督徒人數減少了
31% 左右；在近 33 年來，英國基督徒人數削減了一半。
與此同時，宣稱不信奉任何宗教的人數比例卻呈快速增長勢頭。五年前，不信教人數占英國人口比例僅為 25%；現在，該比例「突飛猛進」至 48.5%。正是因為一方面基督徒人數「斷崖式」下降。
英國《旁觀者》週刊說，「上世紀英國最大的變化是基督宗教的衰落」。
英國主要是「英國聖公會」和「蘇格蘭長老會」這兩大新教「國教」，及以北愛爾蘭天主教為主體的天主教教會。長期以來教徒人數持續減少，近五六年來出現的「塌方式」劇降。其原因主要是，大量原先出生於基督教家庭、從小受過基督教觀念薰陶的年輕人「背棄」家庭基督教傳統，不僅不再信奉基督教，而且對任何宗教信仰都持冷漠態度。
英國《衛報》曾載文說，作為一個具有
1700 年歷史的基督教國家，基督教在英國已經「走到盡頭」。根據英國蘭卡斯特大學的一項研究，40 歲是目前英國「信教」與「不信教」的重要分界線。大不列顛人群中，40 歲以下者不信教者居多，而 40 歲以上者則正好相反。更能說明問題的是，家長不信教家庭中，95% 的兒女長大後不信教；父母為基督徒的家庭里，40% 孩子長大後會不信教。
「台灣反宗教者聯盟」陳立民 Chen Lih Ming (陳哲 CLM)
上文主要根據下兩則中英文新聞報導：
【英國不再是一個基督教國家】
〔壹讀 2016-11-01
09:14:00〕
【Britain really
is ceasing to be a Christian country
The decline in religious belief has become
precipitous in recent years】
〔The Spectator 28 May
2016〕
A landmark in national life has just been
passed. For the first time in recorded
history, those declaring themselves to have no religion have exceeded the
number of Christians in Britain. Some 44
per cent of us regard ourselves as Christian, 8 per cent follow another
religion and 48 per cent follow none. The decline of Christianity is perhaps the biggest single
change in Britain over the past century. For
some time, it has been a stretch to describe Britain as a Christian country. We
can more accurately be described now as a secular nation with fading Christian
institutions.
There is nothing new in the decline of the
church, but until recently it had been a slow decline. For many decades it was possible to argue that while Christians
were eschewing organised religion, they
at least still regarded themselves as having some sort of spiritual life which
related to the teachings of Jesus. Children were asked for their Christian name; conversations ended with ‘God bless’. Such phrases are now slipping
out of our vocabulary —to wear a cross
as jewellery is seen as making a
semi-political statement.Christians are finding out what it’s like to live
as a minority.
Just
15 years ago, almost three quarters of Britons still
regarded themselves as Christians. If this silent majority of private,
non-churchgoing believers really did exist, it has undergone a precipitous
decline. Five years ago, the number of
people professing no religion was only 25 per cent.
網址：
「宗教止於智者」。
台灣反宗教者聯盟 陳立民(陳哲) 於 21 Jan 2017
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