Christians worldwide face scrutiny, prejudice, and disdain frequently for their beliefs and behaviors, including in government. According to an exclusive report from the UK’s Mirror, progressive members of the UK Parliament (MPs) want opening session prayers to be “scrapped” because they are “outdated and outmoded.”

Neil Duncan-Jones, a ranking member of the majority Labour Party, is behind the motion to halt all morning prayers, a tradition dating back to the 1500s during King Charles II.

“Having prayers at the beginning of the day feels like an outdated and outmoded practice. In a modern workplace, it doesn’t really make a lot of sense,” he said. “We now have quite a diverse group of Parliamentarians with different religious beliefs and people like myself who have no religion at all.”

The UK Parliament is the nation’s governing body, similar to Congress. It is a bicameral legislature comprising the House of Commons and House of Lords, which have structures similar to those of the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.

Members of four political groups in the UK—Labour, Liberal Democrat, Green, and Scottish National Party—have signed the official letter to the House of Commons Modernization Committee. They stress their belief that opening prayers are “one of the many privileges given to the Church of England due to its established status.”

The letter also stressed that prayers are an “imposition” that is forced upon MPs who do not celebrate or acknowledge God openly.

“Given that 46 percent of MPs took the secular affirmation or swore on a non-Christian text when they took office, we believe that the continued use of this procedure is now out of date and needs replacing.” their letter read. “With such a diverse Parliament, we need to make it clear that MPs of all religions and beliefs are equally welcome and valued.”

That notwithstanding, the Commons’ Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, has previously told the National Secular Society that he believed there is “no harm in a moment’s private reflection for Members before they begin Chamber business.”

When asked for comment, Megan Manson, who heads the society’s campaigns, said, “Members of Parliament are, of course, free to pray in their own time, but institutionalized prayer doesn’t belong in the legislative process.”

Concerning MPs who do not wish to participate in an opening prayer, the motion states in part, “Parliamentary Prayers are not compatible with a society which respects the principle of freedom of and from religion, and urges that prayers should not form part of the official business of Parliament, and calls on the Modernisation Committee to consider alternative arrangements.”

According to the 2021 census, the makeup of MPs reflects the United Kingdom’s religious demographics. The country’s religious demographics show that 46 percent of people in England and Wales identify as Christian, a considerable drop from 2011, when 59 percent of adherents were recorded.

That reduction across the country and in Parliament could be the foundation for another part of the motion, underscoring the House of Commons should be “equally welcoming to all attendees, irrespective of personal beliefs.”