Summary: <p>The number of people who have "no religion" is rising in the West – but what does this mean?</p><br> <p>---</p><br> <p>While statistics suggest that religion is in decline across most of the West, being irreligious is perhaps more complex than it seems.</p><br> <p>In the UK, for example, only 25 per cent of people who claim to have “no religion” are atheists or agnostics – but even within this group there is a mix of spirituality and beliefs.</p><br> <p>"Plurality and diversity define who we are," Elizabeth Oldfield, Director of Theos, said at a public lecture in Sydney. "Many people would like to believe, and belong, but they don't know how."</p><br> <p>In this episode of 'Life & Faith', Elizabeth takes us on a tour of the religious landscape in the UK and Europe, and how the West’s religious identity is more complex than we think.</p><br> <p>---</p><br> <p>Elizabeth Oldfield is the Director of Theos, a leading religion and society think tank in the UK: <a href="http://www.theosthinktank.co.uk">http://www.theosthinktank.co.uk</a> </p><br> <p>For more conversations like this, SUBSCRIBE to 'Life & Faith' on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you get your podcasts): <a href="http://bit.ly/cpxpodcast">http://bit.ly/cpxpodcast</a> </p><br> <p>---</p><br> <p>This episode was first broadcast on 8 September 2016.</p>
