February 15, 2007
Church, State, and a Changing Nation Posted by Alexander Burns at 05:10 PM EST There is an intriguing article in today’s London Times concerning the shifting demographics of the United Kingdom. Apparently, due to huge and consistent immigration over recent years, the Catholic Church is poised to overshadow the Church of England as the most significant religious institution in the U.K. The changing face of Britain has lately been the subject of public discussion, but most of that discussion has focused on the nation’s growing Muslim population. Meanwhile, practicing Catholics, immigrating to the U.K. from places like Poland, have swelled in number. According to the Times, “Average Sunday attendance of both [the Catholic Church and the Church of England] stood even at nearly one million in 2005 . . . but the attendance at Mass is expected to soar.” The Times points out that this trend, if it continues, will result in the first eclipse of the Anglican church since the Protestant Reformation nearly half a millennium ago. The Church has not lived free from danger during its long existence. But this new demographic challenge to the already declining Church of England seems like a more trying test of the institution than, for example, any of James II’s crypto-Catholic legislation. While baptized Anglicans still vastly outnumber Catholics, only a paltry fraction of Anglicans actually attend Church. In a nation like Britain, which lacks American-style separation of church and state, the relegation of practicing Anglicans to minority status raises serious questions about the relationship between the national government and the national church. Elizabeth II serves as the head of both the British state and the Church of England. Is it appropriate for a nation to have a monarch who also serves as its spiritual leader, when the faith she leads constitutes only a minority of true believers? More broadly, since the Church of England is a creation of the state, shouldn’t its function be reconsidered as the composition of the nation changes? And, as a professor of mine recently pointed out, since Prince Charles is so excited about multiculturalism and world religions, can’t we anticipate a further decline of the church’s historic primacy, even before accounting for demographics? Finally, today is the fifty-fifth anniversary of the death of Elizabeth Windsor’s father, King George VI. Is it possible that his daughter will be the last monarch to lead the Church of England? It’s not at all clear what the answers to these questions are. They do raise interesting and worthwhile considerations, though, about traditions, demographics, and national identity. They’re also helpful reminders of the kinds of questions Americans don’t have to worry about, thanks to the First Amendment.
|
