Atheists Cheer as Upcoming UK Bill Could Upend History, Disestablish Church of England

Billy Hallowell : Nov 27, 2023
Faithwire

The National Secular Society, a UK secular organization that has worked since 1866 to see disestablishment become a reality, said the bill will be introduced to Parliament on Dec. 6.

[Faithwire.com] An atheist activist group in the US is praising an expected UK bill that aims to disestablish the Church of England, potentially separating the official church from the government. (Screengrab image)

The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), an atheist group, called the move "brilliant" and Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor said she and her group are "cheered" to see the potential break.

"At a moment when the United States is struggling to retain our secular democracy, we're cheered by the news that disestablishment is being debated and contemplated in Britain," Gaylor said in a statement. "The privileged of the Church of England is holding back progress and allows it to force its doctrines on the majority of non-Christians. It's time the British tell the Church of England to ‘sod off.'"

The FFRF called religious inclusion at King Charles III's recent coronation troubling, mentioning the king's "kneeling before a Bible and kissing it" and pondering whether the sight helped spark the forthcoming legislation.

Charles also pledged an oath to uphold the Bible, though such proclamations are an historic part of the coronation process, as CBN Digital has documented.

The relationship between the UK government and the Church of England is one that gives 26 bishops seats in the House of Lords, with the monarch—King Charles III—officially considered "Defender of the Faith," according to Christian Today.

Plus, there are state-funded Church of England schools.

Gaylor's statement comes as a new bill from Paul Scriven, a Liberal Democrat in the House of Lords, reportedly seeks to disestablish the Church of England.

The National Secular Society, a UK secular organization that has worked since 1866 to see disestablishment become a reality, said the bill will be introduced to Parliament on Dec. 6.

Scriven has said the bill is "long overdue" and that the Church's current standing is a "historic quirk," Christian Today reported... Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

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