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Atheism and Secularism Grow: Religion Wanes In Britain and Europeby John R. SchroederAuthor Ludovic Kennedy has been a shaper of British opinion for many years. But, until fairly recently, he has not blatantly trumpeted his atheistic position to the general public. Now he is making up for lost time by authoring a major book titled "All in the Mind," as well as writing feature articles for national newspapers. Kennedy concluded a recent two-page article directing the following words to the British public: "Surely, as a people, we no longer feel a need to acknowledge and pay tribute to a god that may have been real enough to our ancestors, but which for most of us today exists only as an archaic, atavistic idea. "No one has put it better," continued Kennedy, "than German scholar Feuerbach, who said: 'Religion is a dream of the human mind which projects on to an illusory godthe highest dreams and aspirations'" (emphasis ours). Note that Kennedy says, "for most of us." He assumes that his circle of colleagues feels the same way. Clearly he is not the only one of his kind here in Britain. The Sunday Telegraphregularly features a column called "Me and My God." One contributor said that he "feels a better person without religion." Others have used this column to confess their atheism. Ludovic Kennedy's atheistic beliefs go back to his youth. Commented The Daily Mail:"Ever since he was a young boy Ludovic Kennedy has held an abiding distrust of God.... The distinguished writer argues that faith is just a dream and there is greater spirituality in nature and art." Of course, many Britons and Europeans would not necessarily hold to such extreme beliefs, but their continuing and growing presence is a definite sign of the times. Christianity and Biblical Knowledge Ebb Here in Europe Christianity and biblical knowledge are on the wane. Despite impressive instances of spiritual interest here and there, the overall downward trend has continued unabated in the last 20 years or so. In that time almost every branch of Christianity has acknowledged this fact. The latest to do so are the Jesuits. The following quote is from Jan Kerkhofs, Professor of Divinity, at the Catholic University at Leuven, Belgium-and a member of the Jesuit order. "The EVS [European Values Study] also reveals that only 31 per cent of Europeans believe in [a] resurrection and only 35 per cent in a personal God. In Western Europe only about one in five in the 18-24 age group believes in the Resurrection.... Believing Christians, particularly those under 50, have become a minority" (The European Magazine,May 1-7, 1997). Further, a shocking headline in The Sunday Timespredicted that Muslims would soon outnumber Anglicans in terms of church attendance here in England. "A study by a research charity shows there will be 4,000 more regular worshippers of Islam than there are Christians attending Church of England services by the year 2002." The task of educating the people in Britain and Europe in biblical knowledge is truly daunting. The ignorance as to what the Bible actually says is enormous. The area is replete with "New Age" thinkers and writers who will say almost anything about the holy Scriptures. We have been told variously that Judas Iscariot is innocent of Christ's blood, that shoplifting is not a biblical sin, that Jesus' parables are morally disastrous, that He studied Yoga in the Far East, that Paul is the real founder of Christianity, ad infinitum. This is the age of biblical disinformation. Generally speaking, people here in Europe won't and don't read the Bible itself. Many are content to accept the views and opinions of so-called experts. In Britain a survey asked people to name the books that had influenced them most. "The Bible was relegated to thirty-fifth place in the list of 50" (The Times,April 23, 1997). This is a very sad reality in secular England. Although some trends in North America may be similar, still there appears to be a far better awareness of biblical background knowledge, sorely missing in Europe. Clearly there is a dichotomy between Europe and the rest of the world. Anglican Clergyman David L. Edwards wrote in his book on "The Futures of Christianity," that our secular situation here in Europe is unique in the world. "Secularization on the European scale is without precedent or parallel" (page 285). In an evening class I attended at the London School of Economics, one professor referred to the area between Stockholm, Sweden, and London, England, as "the North German Plain of Irreligion." Booklets printed by UCGIA,like Is the Bible True?, are truly invaluable in this area of the world. If you don't have a copy, please write to the address of our United office nearest you. WNP |
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Keywords: Christianity Europe and religion atheism Islam in Britain
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