Indifference and Contempt for Religion

English Life and Leisure, a study by B. Seebohm Rowntree and G. R. Lavers of the way the English and Welsh spend their leisure, makes some particularly interesting observations on religion. The Manchester Guardian, July 14, 1951, said: “Mr. Rowntree’s earlier censuses of churchgoing at York give a statistical basis for the changes over half a century. . . . Over the half-century the proportion of church attendances by adults has dropped by nearly two-thirds. In 1899 the attenders represented 35.5 per cent of the adult population (over 17), in 1935, 17.7 per cent, in 1948, 13 per cent.”

An astounding comment was that while the churches are regarded with tolerance and indifference, the authors “have found so widespread a dislike of the ministers of religion of the Anglican and Free Churches that it can only be described as anticlericalism”. From 200 pages of case histories these items can be gleaned: “Miss K. . . . is the daughter of a deceased clergyman. . . . She is an agnostic, saying she has seen too much of professional Christianity at close quarters to have anything except contempt for the church.” “Mrs. W. is hostile to the church. . . . She says the church is on the side of the overprivileged.” “Mr. L. . . . His consuming interest is sex; . . . a son of a Methodist minister; . . . ‘religion is a lot of punk.’” “Mr. J. . . . thinks churchgoing is no use. . . . ‘The parsons mostly couldn’t earn an honest living if they tried.’”

Signs of the Times (an Adventist publication) commented: “If the facts could be ferreted out, we would probably find that many persons in the above-mentioned survey rebelled against religion because they had not seen Christianity lived. They saw nothing in religion but a cloak for hypocrisy.” This is true of this old world’s clerical systems, for they have (as evidenced by their decline and failure) put aside true worship, true religion, for their own failing theories.