Discussion Groups / British English / January 2006

All of us are not pious any more.  But then, it is unlikely that all
of us ever were.

I just did.  You have been told.  Be told.

Indeed it is.  It comes round and round over and over again, just like
the centuries and your incessant context-free questions.

Giles

No, it's the Poles who are raving religious nutters. In Britain, the
Church of England has exactly the right balance, in that you don't
actually have to believe anything to be a member. Or go to church, ever,
though some people like to take the children along as part of an
education in niceness.

Churches are useful places for christenings, weddings and funerals, and
God and Jesus (though seldom Mary) will be freely invoked, even though
the bridegroom being buried probably never thought about such things in
his life. People like to remember a few resonant hymns for such
occasions, though they need more practice singing them, and have to
mumble the words after the first verse or two, even with the printed
sheet in front of them.

Most churches don't even have a full time vicar any more, just a team
who call in now and then to check that the church is still there, more
like Securicor night watchmen than shepherds. This has broken the age-
old symbiosis between vicar and choirboys, and the breach is made wider
by the fact that many of the team are in fact vicarenes.

Of course, the bishops still get their seats in the Lords, and the
Archbishop is wheeled out to comment on anything that may be considered
vaguely relevant, like abortion of homosexual traffic wardens, or to
agree with what the Chief Rabbi and the head of the Muslim Council have
just told the interviewer.

Of course, some people are devout, but if they get too devout, the
government will pass laws to shut down their mosques.

Paul Burke

Who hate all the pious?

"Pious" is not the right word.  You might have said "religiously observant"
to which I would have to reply that the nation has steadily become more
secular throughout the 20th century.

I think most people whose families have lived in these islands for several
generations at least put up a Christmas tree and other decorations, and
celebrate Christmas with plenty of traditional food and drink.

The Christian devout will also attend church and celebrate Christmas in a
more religious sense, as well as decorating their houses and indulging their
stomachs.

Some of the less devout attend church, perhaps for the only time in the
year,
except maybe for Easter and for christenings, weddings and funerals
(hatches,
matches and dispatches), either because they feel they ought to, or because
it is a condition of membership of their church, or else because they enjoy
the
carols and candles and like to hear the familiar stories.

Other religious groups observe a variety of festivals of light and
celebrations
of the end of Winter, or at least the Solstice, in their own ways.

Then there are those who observe ancient folk customs because they like
to keep them alive, such as wassailers, mummers and first-footers (at
New Year).

Now, you've caused quite a stir. The pamphlet "Religion" in "Insight
UK" published by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in London (2001)
says: "There are 7.9 million active members of religions in the UK";
"25 million people baptised into the Church of England", but (about C
of E), "Average attendance at Sunday Services: 1.1 million" (not
impressive, innit?). Now the saddest thing of all: "Over the last 20
years Catholic church attendance has dropped by 29%". I hope thanks to
all those students and workers that are constantly flooding the UK the
Catholic church attendance will skyrocket, zooooom. I got the pamphlet
at the Brit. Library in Gdansk. Wesolych Swiat.