Religion in Britain

Religion in Britain

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 only of 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. As the influence and the wealth of the church grew it was increasingly accused of worldliness and materialism and was sometimes considered to be corrupt. Gradually the relationship between England and Rome became increasingly difficult as the English monarchs were jealous of the expanded wealth and power of the church and resented the dominant influence of Rome in national affairs. One example would suffice to show how great the power of Rome was. King John the Lackland (1199 -1216) attacked the Church by confiscating its lands and levying excessive fines. In addition, he got into a direct dispute with Pope Innocent I over the filling of the vacant Archbishopric of Canterbury. Ignoring the King's nominee and contrary to the well-established custom, the Pope appointed another man and placed England under an interdict to enforce the appointment. He followed this by declaring John excommunicated and deposed, and persuaded the Kings of France and Scotland to declare war on him. At the last minute John submitted to Innocent but he failed to win back the support of the Church of England. Another English king who ruled some 300 years later did succeed in his effort. Henry VIII argued in 1529 that as King of England he, not the Pope, was the supreme legal authority in the country, and that the English Church and its courts should owe their allegiance only to him. In 1534 Henry broke away from Rome by the Act of Supremacy and became Head of the Church of England, then called 'Anglicana Ecclesia'. The immediate reason for this breach was purely political: the Pope refused to accept Henry's divorce from his Queen, Catharine of Aragon, who was then too old to produce the required male heir to the throne. But Henry also wanted to restrict the church's legal authority and wealth. By 1540 he had the power to appoint 43 bishops of the Church of England (who were loyal to the king) and to control 800 richest monasteries. He then dissolved many monasteries, confiscating a large part of the church's property and wealth. However, although he had established what in effect was a national church, that church retained its medieval organization and was still Roman Catholic in its faith and practices. Henry did not regard himself as a Protestant nor did he consider the English Church to be part of the Protestant Reformation, which was then profoundly affecting religious life in continental Europe. Indeed, Henry had defended the papacy against Martin Luther in 1521 and the Pope had rewarded the King with the title of Fidei Defensor (Defender of the Faith) which British monarchs still have today and which can be seen on all British coins. The theological changes were to come later. They were the work of the middle and lower classes, which had kept alive the teachings of John Wyclif, and welcomed those of Luther. This new social and religious force, increased by the influence of the European Reformation, caused the English, Scottish and Welsh Churches to move gradually away from some of Rome's doctrines both in belief and organization. This movement in England accelerated under Henry's successors Edward VI and Elizabeth I, whose practices and beliefs became more Protestant. In fact, it was Elizabeth I who established the Protestant status of the Church of England by the terms of her Church Settlement. The Church's doctrine was stated in the Thirty-Nine Articles of Faith (1562) and its rituals were largely contained in the central document of the Church of England — the Book of Common Prayer, compiled in 1549 and not altered since 1662.
In 1611 England saw the appearance of the famous King James Bible, the Authorized Version. This translation, originally intended «to be read in stone buildings, became the indispensable foundation of the whole of the English system of education culture and literature and continued to be so for over three hundred years. This also meant that English replaced Latin in church documents and services. A further break with Rome occurred later when priests of the Church of England were allowed to marry. The English Church now occupied an intermediate position between Roman Catholicism and the Protestant Churches of Europe. This, however, did not stop the religious arguments, which were to affect Britain in later years. Many Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries, wishing to distance themselves further from Rome, separated from the Church and formed their own religious organizations. Those who left the established Church to form their own churches were called Dissenters because they disagreed with the majority view. These Puritan congregations were extremely radical both in politics and in religion, and were subjected to severe repression and persecution. Later they became known as Nonconformists, and today the term members of the Free Churches is more common. Today: A recent survey concluded that just over half of Britain considers itself Christian. A further six per cent aligned themselves with other faiths, while almost 40 per cent claimed no religion. Half the population might be Christian but only one in ten people actually go to church on a regular basis.
Two thirds of Brits have no physical connection with the church at all, despite their belief (ingrained in childhood for many). It seems that many who claim some Christian belief are choosing a ‘Christian’ approach to life rather than allegiance to a congregation. ‘Believing without belonging’ is the glib media-friendly evaluation.