The Changing Landscape of Faith in Britain

A few months ago a report came out about people changing faith in Britain. It provides an important insight into how and why people are leaving or joining faith communities. It feels important to me to see this complex picture. There's a lot of talk about "young people are doing this or that" and I'm always sceptical of such generalisations. Certainly there are trends. Christianity is dropping as an overall trend but within that there are thousands of people who are joining and leaving faith communities and faith positions all the time. Many different things can be true at once. 

The report is here. It involved surveying 2774 adults who had self-identified as changing their faith position. And there's plenty to chew on in it.

Here is my summary of what I think is interesting.

The primary reason for people becoming Christian in modern Britain are:

1. Personal connection with God
2. A sense of purpose
3. A sense of community.

Life events associated with becoming Christian

1. Nothing in particular
2. Bereavement 
3. Mental health pressures

The results of becoming Christian:

1. A renewed sense of purpose
2. More positive outlook
3. Improvements in mental wellbeing

Reasons for leaving Christianity:

1. Lack of belief in God
2. Doubts about doctrine
3. Clashes with personal values

Primary reasons for people becoming Muslim in modern Britain:

1. A sense of purpose
2. Not applicable (maybe marriage?)
3. A personal connection to God

Life events associated with becoming Muslim:

1. Nothing in particular
2. Global events such as war
3. Mental health

Results of becoming Muslim:

1. A greater sense of purpose
2. A more positive outlook
3. Making better sense of the world

Reasons for leaving Islam:

1. Disagreement with doctrine
2. Intellectual disagreement
3. Clashes with personal moral values

Reasons for people joining Dharmic religions (mainly Buddhism)

1. A sense of purpose
2. Personal transformation and healing
3. Community

Results of joining a Dharmic faith:

1. Better emotional health
2. Positive outlook
3. Renewed sense of purpose 

(Life events not reported)

(Reasons for leaving not reported)

Reasons for people becoming "spiritual" (including pagan) in modern Britain:

1. A sense of purpose
2. Emotional healing
3. Personal connection

Life events connected with becoming "spiritual":

1. Nothing in particular
2. Mental health
3. Bereavement

Results of becoming "spiritual":

1. A sense of purpose
2. Emotional healing
3. Personal connection

Reasons for becoming atheist in modern Britain:

1. Lack of belief in God
2. Conflict with doctrines
3. Intellectual disagreement with religious claims

Results of becoming atheist:

1. None
2. Making better sense of the world
3. Feeling emotionally healthier

So, according to this survey, the main reasons people religiously convert in modern Britain are:

1. A sense of meaning and moral clarity (strongest among the "spiritual" and Dharmic/Buddhist)
2. Desire for personal transformation and healing (strongest among the "spiritual" and Dharmic/Buddhist)
3. A personal connection with the divine (strongest among Christians)

Bereavement is the most common life event associated with conversion but for many there was no particular life event, suggesting conversion as a gradual process.

Converts generally experience a greater sense of purpose, emotional health, and positive outlook.

In many ways all of this is kind of obvious. Nothing is that surprising. And yet it suggests to me that the things that matter most are in some ways the things we pay least attention to in the church world: the theological, spiritual, and psychological. In a Christian context conservatives might say the most important thing is that the church is relevant in form/style. Liberals say the church needs to be adapted to science and not be homophobic as the most important thing. Both are (kinda) wrong.

The reason people join a church is because they encounter/believe in God. And the primary reason people leave a church is because they stop believing in God. Kinda obvious but often unaddressed as the central issue. 

So to gain converts a religion should:

• Provide a strong sense of purpose
• Provide a positive outlook on the world
• Provide a sense of emotional healing and wellbeing
• Provide a pathway of personal connection to God
• Provide sense-making in the face of global injustice (Islam seems to do this most)

Of course this is just one study and the there are all kinds of nuances we could draw out. The world is complicated but this kind of evidence-based study is important if you want to think about these things and act on them well.