:: RELIGION AND FAITH
Sunday Breakfast, Sunday 7 October 2007
Mike Wagstaff (Social Responsibility Officer at Diocese of Sheffield), and Alan McGauley (expert in Sociology and Politics at Sheffield Hallam University) joined Dean and Sarah for Sunday Breakfast to talk about the big changes in faith and religion in South Yorkshire over the past 40 years.
Inside Sheffield Gurdwara
Listen to the discussion by clicking on the link...
- Faiths other than Christianity have become prominent. The Christian church has adapted to exist alongside other religions
- In 1967 church was: ladies in big hats, traditional Church of England sermons, "nice" Sunday best, importance of looking respectable - washing behind your ears!
- In the 1970s, deference to senior clergy and bishops was diminishing
- People in the 1970s didn't predict how religion would get a more serious hold, especially in Third World countries; politics of religion; the rise of Islam
Changes in religion as parallel to changes in society - Different faiths have always existed well alongside each other in South Yorkshire. Sheffield has a Buddhist temple, a mosque, a gurdwara and so on. Church leaders in South Yorkshire work together a lot, despite being from different faiths: "all in the same game of being part of the community" (Mike Wagstaff)
- Decline in congregation numbers. Coming to church is a culture shock for many people
- Rise of church advertising campaigns recently in Sheffield. The Christian Church is trying its best to keep up
- Competition for religion: many bestseller books question religion; demands on people's time
- Catholic churches in the UK have had an unexpected boost to their congregations, including in some parishes of South Yorkshire which have been benefiting from incoming Eastern European populations
- The future: importance of places of worship to be open and welcoming to everyone
