Role of Religion in American vs British Government
Religion has had great influence throughout history. Governments have been formed upon it and destroyed because of it; wars have been fought in the name of religion and thousands of people have been killed in the name of God. In many places around the world, religion is still a major influence of government, especially in the Middle East. The role of religion, in specifically the British and American governments, has vastly changed throughout history.
The role of the Anglican church used to be a staple in British society, almost a requirement. But today, the importance of religion has seemed to diminish in its citizens. In the younger generation (adults under 24) only 3% are Anglican, while 75% say they have no religion. In adults 25-34, 5% are Anglican, and among all adults, 15% are Anglican and 53% say they have no religious affiliation. Among the citizens that are 75 and older, 40% identify as Anglican and 27% say they have no religion (theguardian.com). These percentages convey a significant decline in the importance of religion in society. In the royal family, the importance on being Anglican is still stressed, but that importance does not extend to society. This reflects the view that the royal family, and the Queen, is more of a figurehead and less of a political power. They stand for England’s history and what they have been through, and are a staple in English society, but they don’t hold as much weight and importance in regard to policy, politics, and law as they had in the past.
In America, the role of religion in politics and government is also not as strong as it was when America was founded, but it is still fairly prevalent today. Today, the breakdown of religious affiliations in America is a little different than in England. 51% of Americans are Protestant, 23.9% are Catholic, and 16.1% identify as unaffiliated. These statistics point out the fact that in American society, people identify as religious more than they do in England. This statement is also reflected in American politics. Issues like the death penalty, birth control, same sex marriage, and abortion that are still being debated today have ties to the religious beliefs of the people in support/opposition of these issues. In England, these issues have already been settled and there is no religious debate regarding these issues. One of the reasons these debates are still going on in America is that most of the representatives in Congress have religious affiliations, with 56% being protestant, 31% being catholic, 6.2% are Jewish, 2.8% Mormon, and there are two that are Muslim. And while politicians generally try to keep their religious beliefs muted to an extent, their supporters are often times very religious and believe in moralistic issues. There are trends in society in party affiliation in regard to religion, where 49% of white evangelicals identify as Republicans, 50% of unaffiliated individuals are independents (which may explain their underrepresentation in Congress), 32% of unaffiliated individuals are Democrats, and 12% are Republicans (cheatsheet.com).
In England, the decreasing influence of religion in government influences lawmakers and their policies. Political issues that have ties to religion also have ties to morality; as the importance of religion decreases so can morality. This can be seen through the UK Supreme Court ruling in 2018, stating that “doctors would be able to withdraw food and fluids from brain-damaged patients with persistent vegetative state (PVS) and minimally conscious state (MCS) without needing to apply to the Court of Protection” (care.org.uk). This means that patients no longer have the ability to have their cases heard, their doctor ultimately decides if they are allowed to live or die. This can be seen with the case of Alfie Evans. He was a two-year-old with a mysterious neurological condition. Alfie’s parents wanted to take him to a hospital in Italy for further treatment, but his doctors in England would not let them, they decided to take him off life support against his parents’ wishes. This case received global press due to its moralistic implications. It was about the view of the state vs the view of the parents. It was about who gets to decide what does/does not make a life worth living.
British society’s decline in religion can be attributed to their history. Since Henry VIII, England has experienced religious turmoil, going from Protestant to Catholic and then ultimately staying Protestant. This back and forth and extreme persecution its citizens experienced could be related to the fact that society is not as religious today as it once was.
