# Interesting hard data on UK Christian Belief **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 15, 2012, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-hard-data-on-uk-christian-belief/612916 "2012-02-15T12:02:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-hard-data-on-uk-christian-belief/612916/101 "2012-02-18T04:38:47Z")
> [@Illuminatiprimus](#): > > If you find a horse with black and white stripes that lives in Africa it’s not a horse, it’s a Zebra. The problem with that sort of argument is that it pre-supposes its own conclusion; that there is some objective definition of Christian. A “zebra” is a biologically defined objective term; even if you paint a horse black-and-white and drop it in Africa, it’s still not a zebra. Even if the word zebra was never invented it would still be a zebra, it just wouldn’t be called that. But if a dozen different self proclaimed Christian groups call themselves “Christian” using different definitions of the term, what objective standard is there that lets us say that Groups A, B and D are right while the others are wrong? ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-hard-data-on-uk-christian-belief/612916/102 "2012-02-18T04:41:12Z")
> [@rat\_avatar](#): > > My only UK experience is 8 months in Lakenheath in the early 90’s, I met people who were “spiritual but not religious” but not a single atheist, it is a great example of how anecdote is not evidence. > > I don’t remember it being nearly as bad as the place I grew up but they were sure handing me around. My mother was episcopal church and our priest had sent a note that I was coming so I was also pushed in the social direction towards those of faith. > > But yes, my post was mostly based on poor searching skills on my part and I retract the statement. > > I do envy you. You will have met a lot of people who were atheists, agnostic, and just-don’t-care-ist. But you wouldn’t have known it because it would never have come up. If you were pushed towards episcopalians then you would have met a lot more religious Christians in your eight months than I would in 8 years. Hope you enjoyed your visit anyway. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-hard-data-on-uk-christian-belief/612916/103 "2012-02-18T04:47:22Z")
> [@rat\_avatar](#): > > As an out atheist is is very difficult to land a job that requires “trust” What do you mean by “an out atheist” and what jobs have you not been able to get because of that? > [@](#): > > I know you want to discount it but it is a real issue in the US. You mean that atheists do have to worry about being beaten up and murdered in the US? I suspect that a large percentage of the board’s membership don’t believe in God and I suspect most don’t worry about being murdered for doing so. > [@](#): > > Note how Religious tests for office are illegal but A president needs to be a particular sect to be elected? What particular sect do you have to be in order to get elected President? ---
**Author:** ![rat\_avatar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rat_avatar/32/255_2.png) [@rat\_avatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rat_avatar)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-hard-data-on-uk-christian-belief/612916/104 "2012-02-18T05:24:33Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > What do you mean by “an out atheist” and what jobs have you not been able to get because of that? > You mean that atheists do have to worry about being beaten up and murdered in the US? > > I suspect that a large percentage of the board’s membership don’t believe in God and I suspect most don’t worry about being murdered for doing so. > What particular sect do you have to be in order to get elected President? Start a new thread, I am sorry I attracted attention to this one with this statement. We will see but it appears you can not Mormon, or Muslim, or Jewish or an atheist, really protestant christian unless you are a Kennedy but it changes over time. [http://www.atheists.org/orphans/Hate\_mail](http://www.atheists.org/orphans/Hate_mail) > **[FFRFcrankmail](https://www.youtube.com/user/FFRFcrankmail)** > > I read a lot of bad words that aren't mine. > **[Religious Believers Don’t Trust Atheists, Says New Study](https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2011/12/14/religious-believers-dont-trust-atheists-says-new-study/)** > > Get breaking national and world news, broadcast video coverage, and exclusive interviews. Find the top news online at ABC news. [http://atheism.about.com/b/2006/06/30/atheist-acquitted-on-assault-charges-after-being-harassed-by-local-christians.htm](http://atheism.about.com/b/2006/06/30/atheist-acquitted-on-assault-charges-after-being-harassed-by-local-christians.htm) [http://newsjunkiepost.com/2009/09/19/research-finds-that-atheists-are-most-hated-and-distrusted-minority/](http://newsjunkiepost.com/2009/09/19/research-finds-that-atheists-are-most-hated-and-distrusted-minority/) [http://morallowground.com/2012/01/28/atheist-teen-jessica-ahlquist-bombarded-with-death-rape-threats-over-cranston-high-school-west-prayer-banner-lawsuit/](http://morallowground.com/2012/01/28/atheist-teen-jessica-ahlquist-bombarded-with-death-rape-threats-over-cranston-high-school-west-prayer-banner-lawsuit/) ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-hard-data-on-uk-christian-belief/612916/105 "2012-02-18T08:16:37Z")
I haven’t seen the latest responses in this thread, but for those that are interested I did a youtube vid on this topic which was fuelled partly by discussions I’ve had here. It’s turned out to be a very interesting topic discussion overall 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-hard-data-on-uk-christian-belief/612916/106 "2012-02-18T08:29:19Z")
> [@Illuminatiprimus](#): > > I haven’t seen the latest responses in this thread, but for those that are interested I did a youtube vid on this topic which was fuelled partly by discussions I’ve had here. It’s turned out to be a very interesting topic discussion overall 🙂 Oh, the accent! How YOU doin? 😃 Sorry. Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-hard-data-on-uk-christian-belief/612916/107 "2012-02-18T08:51:47Z")
> [@rat\_avatar](#): > > As an out atheist is is very difficult to land a job that requires “trust” > > I know you want to discount it but it is a real issue in the US. Thing is your original statement was worded as if to suggest that being atheist was a risk to atheists EVERYWHERE, and in the western world apart from the US it’s not. I’d be surprised if it’s a big deal in Canada either. The UK is not some strange artefact in Europe in this respect, most countries in it are the same (particularly the western and northern ones). ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-hard-data-on-uk-christian-belief/612916/108 "2012-02-18T08:54:07Z")
> [@PandaBear77](#): > > Oh, the accent! > > How YOU doin? 😃 > Sorry. Carry on. Oh stop :o ---
**Author:** ![rat\_avatar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rat_avatar/32/255_2.png) [@rat\_avatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rat_avatar)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-hard-data-on-uk-christian-belief/612916/109 "2012-02-18T09:25:30Z")
> [@Illuminatiprimus](#): > > Thing is your original statement was worded as if to suggest that being atheist was a risk to atheists EVERYWHERE, and in the western world apart from the US it’s not. I’d be surprised if it’s a big deal in Canada either. The UK is not some strange artefact in Europe in this respect, most countries in it are the same (particularly the western and northern ones). Sir, I have already conceded that I was looking at old data and was in error. It is a big deal in Canada though. [http://www2.psych.ubc.ca/~will/Gervais%20et%20al-%20Atheist%20Distrust.pdf](http://www2.psych.ubc.ca/~will/Gervais%20et%20al-%20Atheist%20Distrust.pdf) I am in liberal Seattle, and it would be logical that the cost would be lower however this is also the home of the “Discovery Institute” who are the group who attempted to push “intelegent design” I am also just a few blocks from “Mars Hill” which is one of the fastest growing fundamentalist churches in the country. The larger issue is that corporate executives tend to be older than the general population. As they are replaced by younger generations things will improve but not nearly as quickly as they did in the UK. 20 years ago 70% in the UK claimed to be religious, and that same age group is not far off from that mark even today in the UK ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-hard-data-on-uk-christian-belief/612916/110 "2012-02-18T11:14:35Z")
Possibly they did, haven’t seen any data to that effect. However I can tell you that 20 years ago (1992) the country was not particularly more religious, that is to so actively participating in religion, than it is today. If it was then it was absolutely not apparent to me, although that said I was 13 and living in London so maybe I just didn’t realise. Sorry if you thought I was putting the boot in with my reply to you earlier, by he way. I hadn’t read your concession when I posted. ---
**Author:** ![spankthecrumpet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a87d85/32.png) [@spankthecrumpet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spankthecrumpet)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-hard-data-on-uk-christian-belief/612916/111 "2012-02-18T11:16:52Z")
Not to mention that Lakenheath is in the middle of the fens. The average inhabitant is basically a British equivilant of a yokel. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-hard-data-on-uk-christian-belief/612916/112 "2012-02-18T11:46:06Z")
> [@spankthecrumpet](#): > > Not to mention that Lakenheath is in the middle of the fens. The average inhabitant is basically a British equivilant of a yokel. Errr…isn’t that like saying “the american equivalent of a redneck?” ---
**Author:** ![PrettyVacant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/49beb7/32.png) [@PrettyVacant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PrettyVacant)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-hard-data-on-uk-christian-belief/612916/113 "2012-02-18T15:29:46Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > I suspect that those are people who check Christian because they come from a Christian tradition. They celebrate Christmas with gift giving and caroling and crackers, and celebrate Easter with Eggs, believe in love thy neighbor etc. Basically there is a lot of Christian tradition one can be a part of without actually believing the doctrine. The Christian Church has always done a good job of bundling what are essentially family matters as part of their domain. Ditto, the whole ‘traditional’ church wedding thing; how many people want the white wedding but think the bible is a nonsense… ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-hard-data-on-uk-christian-belief/612916/114 "2012-02-24T04:12:23Z")
I am at best agnostic but identify myself as a cultural christian. There are believe it or not many flavours of christians from fundy bible bashers to people who don’t believe that jesus was the actual son of god. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-hard-data-on-uk-christian-belief/612916.md?page=5)