Religion in Jersey

Despite its small size, the population of Jersey is made of people with a diverse range of religions and beliefs. Traditionally seen as a Christian island, Jersey's established church is the Church of England, and Anglicanism and Catholicism are practised on the island in roughly equal numbers. Together, these religions account for around half the population of Jersey. Other denominations of Christianity and other religions such as Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, and Buddhism account for handfuls of people on the island. In recent years, irreligion has been an increasing force in Jersey, with two fifths of the population identifying as having no religion. This number rises to 52% for Jersey people under 35. These finds indicate that Neolithic settlers possibly believed in an afterlife much like many modern religions, the burial of the dead with their belongings showing similarities to the burial process in the Egyptian religion. However recent excavations at La Hougue Bie by archaeologist Mark Patton, together with consideration of solar alignments, suggest that the Jersey Dolmens functioned more as centres of worship like cathedrals or churches, where burials are incidental to the main function.

There were several waves of Catholic immigration, notably in the 1790s during the French Revolution, in the 1830s and 1840s with the influx of Irish laborers and towards the end of the 19th century with the settlement of Catholic religious institutes.

In 1774 Pierre Le Sueur and Jean Tentin returned to Jersey from Newfoundland and started to preach Methodism to which they had been converted while engaged in the Newfoundland fisheries. Some Huguenots were drawn to the ideas of Methodism similar to those of Calvinism. Conflict with the authorities ensued when men refused to attend Militia drill when that coincided with chapel meetings. The Royal Court attempted to proscribe Methodist meetings, but King George III refused to countenance such interference with liberty of religion. The first Methodist minister in Jersey was appointed in 1783, and John Wesley preached in Jersey in August 1787, his words being interpreted into the vernacular for the benefit of those from the country parishes. The first building constructed specifically for Methodist worship was erected in Saint Ouen in 1809.

Jews first established a synagogue in Saint Helier in 1843. There were only a small number of foreign and British Jews in Jersey before the start of the Occupation of the Channel Islands in the Second World War. Most of the Jewish population of Jersey evacuated to safety in June 1940 to the United Kingdom, but the United Kingdom did not permit foreign nationals, including Jews, to leave for the United Kingdom, leaving them trapped in Jersey. 12 Jews were registered under the laws imposed by the Germans and administered by the Jersey authorities (a higher number concealed their Jewish identity or were helped to conceal their identity by resisters in the bureaucracy). The Bailiff of Jersey refused to ratify the registration of the eighth order requiring the wearing of a yellow star as a "measure too far".

The established church of Jersey tried to reform in the 19th century. This faced some resistance and was led by individuals such as the Rector of Grouville (1851 1885) the Rev. Abraham Le Sueur. Steps taken included abolishing pew ownership. Pew ownership allowed richer families to buy certain pews within the parish church, which was associated with status. Its abolishment made the parish churches more equitable.