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robertsnj A convert! Just kidding. :-)
I think one of the big differences is that most of the churches in England, Europe generally have mostly been part of the landscape for time immemorial so they are both part of the scenery and a symbol of continuity that is quite independent of their function as religious sites. In a sense they belong to us all not just those of a specific faith or denomination.
Back in Norway where my wife's ashes are buried every resident of a kommune (that's the word for the local authority) has the right to be buried in the local churchyard. The churches are Lutheran and until quite recently that was the established church, it was in fact a department of the state apparatus. But any resident can be buried in the local churchyard regardless of faith or, like my wife, lack of. So my wife's plot is surrounded by those of people who were probably nominally Christian but a few metres away is a small group of gravestones with Muslim crescents instead of Christian crosses. But actually not many of the stones are marked with overt markers of faith.
I often walk through churchyards when I visit a place and go inside the church if I have time and the church looks like it expects tourists (or cafe patrons!). I do it because of the sense of wonder I feel when I look at a, for instance, Norman church that was built eight hundred years ago without benefit of power tools or tower cranes. I sit there, sometimes with a cup of tea and a toasted sandwich as in Malmesbury, and appreciate the craftsmanship and artistry that people put into the building.
I feel much the same about some more modern buildings such as the Laing Gallery in Newcastle and the Clifton Park museum in Rotherham as you can see by some my posts concentrating on the building and it's decoration rather than the exhibits.
I should stop waffling on now and get dressed and packed, it's time to leave Newcastle and head for the opposite coast.
