United Kingdom

More people are attending church services in the U.K., and many are sharing their theories behind this rise.

According to Peter Oborne of The Telegraph, although figures have shown church attendance in the U.K. to have declined since the 1980s, recent figures show this is now changing. The report refers to one British church, St. Mary's congregation, which he claims has seen a 20 percent rise in church attendees in the past twelve months.

In the U.K., 76.8 percent are said to be religious according to sources, with Christianity being the dominant faith. more >>

A lawyer in Scotland has called for the abolition of the religious court oath, quoting an increasing number of atheists in the country.

"Historically swearing, an oath to God served two purposes; firstly, the religious aspect is that the witness is promising to tell the truth and shall answer to God if they lie in court," lawyer Sean Templeton wrote in a piece for The Scottish Herald, published Monday. "Secondly, the legal aspect is that the witnesses' status changes from an everyday citizen to a person whose answers to questions must be truthful as otherwise they are committing an offence, and potentially a very serious offence."

The current oath in the United Kingdom is: "I swear by Almighty God that I will tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth." more >>

Last week British Prime Minister David Cameron went to Oxford and gave a speech commemorating the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Bible in 1611.

The prime minister seized the occasion to deliver a discourse on the profound role the Bible, and the Christianity it espouses, have played in forming the British character, culture, and nation.

In his speech, Prime Minister Cameron declared “Britain is a Christian country and we should not be afraid to say so.” He went on to argue that “the Bible has helped give Britain a set of values and morals which made Britain what it is today.” The Prime Minister argued “the King James Bible has bequeathed a body of language that permeates every aspect of our culture” and “our politics.” more >>

British Prime Minister David Cameron said in a recent speech that England must embrace its Christian roots and maintain moral practices in politics and finance.

“We are a Christian country and we should not be afraid to say so,” he said at Christ Church in Oxford on Friday, Dec. 16.

Cameron was delivering a speech on the 400-year anniversary of the King James Bible, a fundamental part of British culture which he says “is a book that has not just shaped our country, but shaped the world.” more >>

Animal rights group Vegetarians International Voice for Animals started a campaign against U.K. store Harvey Nichols for selling reindeer meat, and the publicity led to a spike in sales.

VIVA feels there are a host of problems that make the Swedish delicacy unfit to mass produce.

According to the animal rights group, when reindeer are herded to be farmed, they are frightened. Because the furry creatures are highly susceptible to stress, they can be adversely affected by the snowmobiles and helicopters used to guide them. more >>

A Church of England reverend is gaining some notoriety on the Web after he created a video of himself rapping and beatboxing to the story of Jesus' birth for a U.K. competition.

The Rev. Gavin Tyte, part-time vicar of Uplyme and Axmouth churches, created a video in which he raps and beatboxes – creation of percussion and other instrumental sounds using only one’s mouth – to share the Nativity story.

In the video, which is set on a digital drum machine that is reminiscent of the 1980s, Tyte appears at the top of the screen in three separate boxes dressed as an angel, a shepherd and a narrator who each help in telling his variation of the account told in Luke 2:1-21. more >>