Camilla Cavendish, references data from Theos’ ‘The Nones’ report in her article for The Financial Times. 06/04/2023

When we lose God, what should we do? Go shopping? Easter seems like a good time to ponder this question. The decline of organised religion in the west is one of the most striking trends of our age. But it leaves a gap.

I will be going to church this Sunday, despite not believing in the resurrection. I’ll be there to accompany an elderly relative, but also for a dose of rhythm and ritual, to sing with strangers, and to be able to quietly reflect on things outside of myself. It occurs to me that I seek similar benefits from yoga and mindfulness, both of which have their roots in eastern faiths. The much–vaunted decline of “religion” is perhaps not quite what it seems.

Traditional places of worship are losing their hold. In 2020, fewer than half of Americans belonged to a church, synagogue or mosque, down from 70 per cent in 1999. In the UK, only a third of people say they are Christian, down from two–thirds in 1983; half say they belong to no religion.

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