by Joseph Pearce –
Islam is rapidly forcing out Christianity in the UK, reports Sedmitza.ru. As Christian churches in the United Kingdom are quickly losing parishioners, the Muslim community is growing with unprecedented speed. And though the society sometimes sees a threat in Islam, British Muslims lay claim to an active role in the country’s life.
Analysis of results of the population census has shown that Islam may become the dominant religion in the country as early as in ten years. Over the last decade the number of British Muslims has doubled, and the name “Muhammad” has become the most popular name in London.
The average age of a British Muslim is about 26 years old. The Muslim population in the UK is extremely young; it is full of energy, life and dynamics. Great Britain is an innovator in many areas. It will become the first non-Muslim country to introduce financial bonds, available for purchase by Muslim investors.
The English Law Society has recently issued a manual on will making according to sharia laws since there is a great demand for such documents. A new analysis of the latest census, carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), has shown that the Church of England is losing its importance half as fast again as it was supposed earlier. Increase of the average age of parishioners means that the official religion of Great Britain has lost over four million of its followers since 2001.
Ninety-five percent (95%) of the people do not go to the church on Sundays.
“The decline that churches in Great Britain have been experiencing for a long time, has now apparently reached its critical point. Ninety-five percent (95%) of the people do not go to the church on Sundays. Christian services are attended by a minority of the population,” comments the chief executive of the British Humanist Association Andrew Copson.
These figures have prompted the British prime-minister David Cameron to attempt to support the fundamentals of the Church of England institution. He has called upon Christians to be more ardent in preaching their faith and noted “the healing power of the Church”. There is a tradition among Christian communities all over Great Britain to perform a “Passion Play” on Great Friday before Easter. Suffering (passions) and death of Christ in the crucifixion are glorified in this play. One of such performances took place on the Trafalgar Square in London this year, but in Oxford the performance was cancelled: the official responsible for considering applications thought that the “Passion Play” was an erotic performance.
This once again proves that even individuals invested with power are not always aware of what Christians all over the world in fact celebrate.
HT: Pravoslavie.ru
