Religion in Britain
Date: 2015-10-07; view: 533.
Religious life in Britain in the past 30 years is characterized by an increasingly diverse pattern of religious beliefs and affiliations. Although the UK is predominantly Christian, most of the world's religions are represented in the country. There are large Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh communities, and also smaller communities of Baha'is, Buddhists, Zoroastrians that are common in the areas with large ethnic communities.
Britain today may be characterized by considerable religious freedom, which allows one to belong to any religion or sect, including no religion at all. Churches and religious societies may own property, run schools and promote their beliefs in speech and writing. Religious discrimination is unlawful and there are no religious restrictions to the holding of public office — except that the monarch must always be a member of the Church of England.
British religious history is marked by various forms of heathen belief in prehistoric times and consequent conversion to Christianity in the 5th century AD. Ireland was the first to be converted to Christianity around AD 432 by St Patrick, who brought that faith from Rome. His followers then spread Christianity to Wales, Scotland and Northern England and established a number of religious centres. In 596 — 597 the pagan Saxons of southern England were converted to Christianity by St Augustine and other monks who had been sent from Rome by Pope Gregory. In AD 597 they also founded the ecclesiastical capital of Canterbury, and St Augustine was appointed its first Archbishop in AD 601.
Christianity soon became an important and central force in national life. Its influence continued to increase from those early times into the Middle Ages, when the church became an essential part not onlyof religious life but also of law, administration and government. Heresy was then a legal offence. Until the mid-19th century those who did not belong to the official church (nonconformists) could not be appointed to public office or become Members of Parliament.
If you happened to be a visitor to a 14th-century town, your first impression would be a great number of churches, chantries, monasteries and chapels, towering above the humble streets like stone giants in a world of wooden dwarfs. All day long their bells regulated the community life: calling for worship, giving the time of day, summoning a meeting, announcing the beginning of the market for townspeople, the hours at which strangers were allowed to buy, and the close of business. The church was the centre of the all-important spiritual life of the town. The churchyard was often where much of the official business was conducted. Odd as it may seem to us, it was among the graves that the people met for the annual elections of the town officials and leaders.