A country of many religions

The official religion of Britain is Christianity. Schools in Britain must teach pupils about Christianity and Christian festivals, but Britain is a country in which many faiths are important.

Although 65 per cent of British people are Christian, very few of them go to church. More and more traditional churches are closing.

Other religions in Britain are Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and Judaism. Altogether about 5 per cent of the population follow these faiths, and except for Judaism, they are all growing religions in Britain. There are 1.4 million Muslims, about 400,000 Hindus and about 600,000 Sikhs. Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus, in contrast to Christians, are more likely to practise their religion.

Michael Vaughan-Rees, Geraldine Sweeney, Picot Cassidy: In Britain. 21st Century Edition, Cornelsen Verlag, 2000, page 28