Topics / Religion and the public square
Should the Church of England remain the established church?
Should the Church of England keep its position as the established church in England, with constitutional links to the Crown and Parliament (including 26 bishops who sit in the House of Lords), or should those links be ended or reformed? People disagree mainly about how to weigh heritage and continuity, the public role of religion, equal treatment of citizens of all beliefs, democratic legitimacy and the Church's own freedom.
Positions
- Yes: The Church of England should remain the established church. Establishment is part of the nation's constitutional heritage, and it gives faith a gentle, accountable public role that holds open space for all religious communities, not only Anglicans.
- No, disestablish: The Church of England should be disestablished. In a country where most people are not Anglican and many have no religion, the state should treat all citizens equally regardless of belief and should not give one church a privileged constitutional position.
- Reform: Keep the constitutional link between the Church of England and the state, but end the automatic right of Church of England bishops to sit in the House of Lords. Establishment can be preserved without clergy voting on legislation by virtue of their office.