Religion in Eahland

Eahland is an officially Christian nation, established in the Columban Catholic Church, with the cyning traditionally anointed and crowned by the Heahbisceop of Nearubæce in the cathedral at Idasmynster. The Crown, however, has never been willing to subordinate itself to the Church, and holds that what actually makes the cyning is not the religious coronation ceremony, but the presentation to and the acclaim of the folc, which traditionally occurs on the green outside Idasmynster immediately before the coronation ceremony.

Eahland also has a long tradition of religious freedom and tolerance, dating back to the founding of the cynerice by Ida Eahlene, who was born into the old heathen Esetreowþ, but converted to Christianity before his coronation as first cyning of Eahlande, and whose brother Æthere, who had been instrumental in winning that cynehelm, remained Esetreowe until his dying day.

Catholic clergy are exempted from the fyrdnoþ, and Catholic heahbisceopas hold seats in the witenagemot, but there are few other practical effects of Eahland's established religion. Few Eahlisc cyningas have had much truck with allowing the Church to exercise authority over them, and the current cyning, Æþelwulf v Wilrædessunu, less so than most.

Eahlisc cyningas are officially held to be Catholic, but Æþelwulf v Wilrædessunu, is, in truth, agnostic-atheist. Some of his predecessors likely were as well, and others were almost certainly actually Esetreowe.

Religion	Percent
Christian (Catholic)	53%
Agnostic or Atheist	18%
Esetreowe/Asatru	12%
Wiccan	5.6%
Jewish	5.2%
Christian (various Protestant)	2.4%
Christian (Kentric Orthodox)	1.6%
Islamic	0.8%
Other, various	1.4%