We are entering the humanist age, and we must embrace it for ourselves.

It’s Christmas, at least, it feels like Christmas. Oxford Street has become a massive game of ‘sardines’, the smell of mulled wine and roasted chestnuts is filling the air. However, those more religiously observant will note that this is Advent, not Christmas, for that starts on the 25^th December and ends on Twelfth Night, i.e. the 6^th January. Meanwhile, Christmas, according to the retailers, starts, at the latest, in mid-November and ends on the 26^th, the start of the Boxing Day Sales. I’m trying to humour you, but if we look deeper into this common perception, what does this say about society? I say, it’s a sign society is being weaned off the religious aspect of Christmas, whilst going back to the meaning of Yule as being a winter festival.  It’s a      sign of an increasingly popular ‘humanist’ approach, which cannot be stopped, and one which must be adopted if western civilisation doesn’t wish to regress.

Yes, yes, respond the naysayers to this trend, but Christmas has always had another meaning other than the religious aspect. But I maintain my stance through facts and figures. Statistics nerds like me point to the evidence that is the Census. In 2001, the number of people who listed their religion as ‘Christian’ was 71%. The most recent Census, taken last year, showed a 12% drop, to 59%, whilst the category of ‘no religion’ went up by nearly 11% to 25%, and this question was voluntary, which further questions the true number of people who do not affiliate themselves to a religion. Combined with a multi-faith society, where the numbers of Muslims went up to 5%, it is clear that tolerance of religion is definitely the norm, which means that if we are to welcome people of different faiths, a middle-ground must be sought. It is simply no good to stick to the tribes of faiths if we wish to create communities with people who don’t share similar upbringing and culture. It makes sense to be a humanist.

What is more, attitudes towards the Church and the stances of the Church are changing, even in religions traditionally seen as moderate, such as the Church of England. We have had scandals involving the sex abuses in Catholic institutions, and the response from the Pope, largely seen as apathetic to the victims. In the Church of England itself, there has been considerable change since the 1960s. I noticed that David Starkey once said, in an interview with the Guardian, that Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael Ramsey, oversaw the change in the Church of England to become more hard-line Christian. Indeed, one gets the sense from older relatives that the Church of England was once like an institution on par with the NHS, highly revered and respected by its people. Indeed, figures such as Chad Varah, who founded the Samaritans in 1953, play testament to a progressive and compassionate attitude. Yet today, the Church has hit a brick wall of Bible-bashing evangelicals who seem to impeach those who want their organisation to remain relevant, and it lags behind even the Episcopal Church of the United States, a fellow member of the Anglican Communion, through the reluctance of a minority to allow female vicars to become bishops, and by asking the Government to exempt the Church from holding same-sex marriages. What do these actions say to the people, who already leave the flock of such an organised religion that it is the established church of this country? It is not just the Christian organisations which are turning people away from religion but other fundamentalist groups, such as those of Islam, which force us into questioning our beliefs and their hierarchy. When the scriptures tell us that God is good, benevolent and omnipotent, we, as an inquisitive and demanding species, ask for the evidence. The case for religion is becoming ever weaker.

But that does not mean that churches, in the individual, parish sense, are doomed entirely. Some will close due to lack of patronage, but the role of churches as a cultural reference, and one which records the evolution of civilisation, is still strong and is, perhaps, growing stronger. According to some, churches are becoming busier at Christmas. More people attend carol concerts and Midnight Mass to celebrate Christmas, whilst weekly worshippers continue their steady decline. Indeed, whilst I myself question the existence of a supernatural all-powerful being, I still like listening to, and singing, hymns. The harmony and the melody of some hymns send shivers down my spine. To do away with this would be a travesty, but slowly, churches are recognising that their role will have to be adjusted to remain relevant, and will be treated in the same way as temples in the East, whereby people go for cultural, rather than spiritual, enrichment. Why do big religious landmarks, such as Westminster Abbey and the Notre Dame, charge admission and have queues on the street?  One doubts whether they are ‘true believers’.

Humans are compassionate. We say ‘bless you’ when someone sneezes, we pick up people’s shopping if their bag has split, and we give up our seat for those who need them. However, the necessity to cite religion as the motivation to do is dwindling at a quickening rate. Religion is becoming irrelevant, as China, the new global superpower, is a country of atheists, whilst we are a civilisation of increased consumption. But society helps each other, therefore, because we wish to help a fellow human being in their time of need, simply because they are human and we are there. This is humanism to the core. We are living it, and it’s about time that we accept it.

Merry Christmas.