IT'S been till bells, not church bells, ringing out across Worcestershire this Christmas.

According to the latest statistics we have apparently turned into a "Godless society".

Fewer people are attending church in Worcestershire, according to the research by the University of Manchester and based on Church of England attendance records.

In the Faithful City, just 4.9 per cent of us will go to church this Christmas.

Interestingly it's a different story across the border in Herefordshire.

The research shows Hereford has the highest number of people attending church at Christmas than any other city in the country.

On the face of it the research would appear to show an increasingly divided nation - the God-fearing country folk and the Godless urban dwellers.

With stores reporting a rise in the number of shoppers this Christmas, it would be easy to assume that the soulless urbanites are more interested in consumer power than divine intervention.

But we would like to see attendance figures for other faiths and denominations before we jump to that conclusion.

Our cities now encompass more cultures and faiths than ever before.

At the same time various new Christian churches are springing up and reporting huge increases in congregations.

At this time of "goodwill to all men", could it be that many of us are simply practising this in different churches and places of worship?