yes but you're not talking either for or about the whole UK, leave aside Europe, just your area. I'm not claiming my bit of South london is any more representative than what you observe, but here christianity is stronger than anytime in recent decades. Not just the African and Carribean flavour churches, but also the Catholic place down the road that used to have a tiny, mostly Irish congregation (according to a neighbour who cleaned there) but now seems to thrive, as does the fairly mixed Methodist one. The local mosque is also very busy. While I'd like to think your area is more in tune with the times and provides a beacon for the future, I somehow doubt it- you must have worked out by now that where Brixton leads the rest of the country follows.
Not saying it's gone away, just much less important in the political mainstream, you speak of a resurgence but there is no such up here where church closures and falling congregations are the norm but then again I am probably out of touch with what's happening 'doon sooth' in recent years, is this resurgence broad based or mainly amongst immigrant communities?yes but you're not talking either for or about the whole UK, leave aside Europe, just your area. I'm not claiming my bit of South london is any more representative than what you observe, but here christianity is stronger than anytime in recent decades. Not just the African and Carribean flavour churches, but also the Catholic place down the road that used to have a tiny, mostly Irish congregation (according to a neighbour who cleaned there) but now seems to thrive, as does the fairly mixed Methodist one. The local mosque is also very busy. While I'd like to think your area is more in tune with the times and provides a beacon for the future, I somehow doubt it- you must have worked out by now that where Brixton leads the rest of the country follows.
Religion has not gone away, there's no question of having evolved through it, people still turn to it and its certainties for comfort and community, and they're still prey to bigots and sectarians.
I think this is spot on. Maybe the resurgence of religion globally (and nationalism / other sorts of imagined communities) all over the place is a direct result of the anxieties of modernity, urbanisation the internet etc .. Darwin would not be impressed anyway.
yes, perhaps you are a bit far removed, not only because you're in the frozen north but also because you're rural (? I think) which inevitably means social change happens at a more leisurely pace.
) very few round here are.
