Paganism on the rise in post-faith Britain says historical past boff

History boffins have noticed an increase in paganism across the UK, with them putting this down to one key reason – commitment issues of the general population

Paganism is soaring in Britain with people drawn to it because it’s an “unorganised religion”.

A historian argues that Paganism offers a way to believe in something and engage in ancient rituals without having to commit to the expectations of organised religion. Francis Young says it no longer “feels countercultural” as it’s become so acceptable. Only 74,000 people openly identified themselves as pagans in the 2021 Census.

But Mr Young reckons people might follow its traditions and rituals before they actually identify as belonging to the sect.

He also highlighted that in recent years Paganism has been supercharged by online trends such as “WitchTok” – TikTok videos dedicated to spells and rituals of self-realisation.

The history boffin said: “What is most remarkable about the progress of Paganism in modern Britain is not its numerical growth, but its social acceptability

“It was inevitable that Paganism would become a religion for the post-religious.

“Archaic scriptures, pesky dogmas that require consistency, confessions of guilt and membership obligations all appear to be rather a big ask in the 21st century.

“Strip all those specificities away, and maybe Paganism is simply what is left.”

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