Conclusion

In this concluding chapter, we cover three things. Firstly, we will give an overview of the key findings of the project, including how most parishioners felt that abortions were conscience decisions for the individual to make and one should not interfere in the decision-making of others. Secondly, we will examine the findings in relation to our conceptual framework of lived religion, illustrating how the different elements of lived religion help to explain our data. Thirdly, we will focus on the broader implications for the Church in relation to three particular issues—the saliency of personal conscience as a theological tool, the gendered implications of our findings, and the consequences for Church membership and disaffiliation.