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A week by week, a shape becomes less recognizable,
A purpose grows more obscure.
I ponder upon who will be the final seeker
Of this place for what it once was…
This contemplation of Philip Larkin, reflected in his 1954 poem “Church Going,” delves into the exploration of an empty church, evaluating its significance from the perspective of a non-believer. Though he perceives little meaning within its walls, he acknowledges the building’s historical and cultural importance, and perhaps even its relevance to human nature:
A solemn structure on sacred ground it stands,
Where all our compulsions blend in the air,
Recognized, and dressed as destinies.
And that can never be deemed obsolete.
Almost 70 years later, we continue to grapple with the conflicting emotions that Larkin wrestled with in his poem. What role does religion play in our secular age? What does it mean to have faith? Or to lack it?
A recent survey conducted by The Times among Anglican clergy reveals that only a quarter of them consider today’s Britain to be a Christian country. Nearly two-thirds of the respondents believed that Britain can only be referred to as Christian “historically, not currently.” The survey also indicates majority support among the clergy for allowing priests to officiate same-sex marriages and for the church to abandon its opposition to premarital sex.
These findings should come as no surprise. The 2021 census already showed that the proportion of people identifying as Christian in England and Wales has, for the first time, dropped below fifty percent, while the number of individuals proclaiming “no religion” has been on the rise. Additionally, numerous surveys have demonstrated that a majority of Christians in Britain, both those who attend church regularly and those who do not, support same-sex marriage and often hold views that contradict church teachings. In many ways, The Times survey highlights clergy members who mirror their congregation’s beliefs.
Many observers interpret both the survey and the census results as indicative of Britain’s ongoing moral and social decay. In her column for The Daily Telegraph, Celia Walden writes, “The sound of crackling that we hear is Britain’s moral backbone crumbling into countless fragments.”
Ironically, the decline of Christianity and the decrease in the number of “white Britons” are often seen as interconnected—a consequence of mass immigration eroding the traditional British identity. “The changing religious composition of Britain,” suggests conservative commentator Douglas Murray in his book “The Strange Death of Europe,” correlates with the “major demographic changes” brought about by immigration.
The irony lies in the fact that without mass immigration, Christianity would be in an even more precarious position. Immigrants, particularly those from Africa and Eastern Europe, have played a significant role in sustaining the faith. This is one reason why, as noted in a report by the Christian think tank Theos, Christianity has its strongest foundations not in some predominantly white conservative area but in the liberal metropolis of London.
As the demographics of Christianity shift, so does the nature of belief and non-belief more broadly. A decade ago, Linda Woodhead, currently a professor of theology and religious studies at King’s College London, conducted a series of surveys on the moral perspectives of believers and non-believers. The most striking results revolved around the sources believers turned to for moral guidance.
Only 1% of Anglicans and Catholics relied on scripture for moral direction, while just 3% and 8%, respectively, looked to Christian teachings or traditions. Instead, 34% of Anglicans and 29% of Catholics trusted their “own reasoning and judgment”, and around 20% from both groups placed importance on their “own intuitions or feelings.”
These figures can be understood as a growing willingness among individuals to think independently and utilize reason in their moral decision-making process. However, Woodhead’s surveys also expose the corrosive impact of an increasingly individualistic society and the weakening of collective mechanisms for making moral choices. Christianity, as Catholic philosopher Charles Taylor notes, is becoming detached from its traditional historical and social moorings, being redefined instead as part of a culture centered on “expressive individualism.”
For individuals like Rod Liddle, a columnist for The Sunday Times, the diminishing influence of traditional Christianity is responsible for the erosion of Britain’s moral foundation. In the absence of a feeling that “we are being observed and judged from above,” he contends, society naturally descends into narcissism and morality disintegrates. This perspective portrays morality as a form of imprisonment and humans as dissolute and corrupt, only willing to do what is right when they know they are being monitored. Some might argue that it was only a matter of time before someone like Liddle arrived at this outlook. Nevertheless, the idea that without religion, there are no moral boundaries has garnered widespread acceptance, to paraphrase Dostoevsky, “If God does not exist, then everything is permitted.”
Yet, the history of Christianity itself demonstrates that it is not belief in God that shapes our moral values, but rather our moral values that determine how we perceive God. Christians, like followers of many other faiths, once enslaved fellow humans, burned witches, and executed adulterers, believing that these actions had divine approval. Today, very few Christians would consider such practices morally acceptable. Not because God has changed His stance, but because humans have evolved.
Collective social movements—such as the abolition of slavery and the fight for women’s rights—have been founded on moral considerations while also driving moral development. These movements have transformed our moral universe and, in doing so, have redefined what believers perceive as good in the eyes of God.
Presently, such collective movements for change find themselves in disarray. The corrosive effects of social fragmentation and atomization, which contributed to the decline of traditional religion, have exerted an even greater influence on secular social movements, from trade unions to political campaigns. Consequently, our moral compass has been distorted.
It is noteworthy that those who lament the deterioration of morality in contemporary times are often the same individuals who participate in the vilification of marginalized members of society or those fighting for social progress, including asylum seekers, benefit claimants, trade unionists, and protesters. If we wish to combat moral decay, we must start by challenging such demonization.
Similar to Larkin, I find pleasure in visiting old churches and absorbing the echoes of history and tradition. However, it is not in the vacant pews that we should seek the origins of our moral predicaments.
Kenan Malik is an Observer columnist.
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