Религия в обществе (Religion in Society)

Размещено на http://www.allbest.ru/

БЕЛОРУССКИЙ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ УНИВЕРСИТЕТ

ФАКУЛЬТЕТ МЕЖДУНАРАОДНЫХ ОТНОШЕНИЙ

Кафедра английского языка гуманитарных специальностей

Учебное пособие

для студентов факультетов международных отношений

Религия в обществе (Religion in Society)

Т 338 Religion in Society.Религия в обществе. Учеб. пособие / Авт.-сост. Т.В.Караичева, Т.П.Янушкова. - Мн.: БГУ, 2007. - 53 с.

МИНСК 2007

Данное учебное пособие предназначено для студентов факультета международных отношений БГУ и направлено на формирование навыков различных видов чтения, перевода и навыков и умений устной речи по актуальной теме взаимодействия религий и общества. Пособие содержит разнообразный языковой материал, который имеет общеобразовательную и лингвострановедческую ценность.

Contents

Part I. Religion in British Society

Part II. Exercises and Tasks Self-assessment test

Part III. Major Religious Holidays

Part IV. Texts for Translation and Discussion

4.1 Religion in the USA

4.2 Hard Faith

4.3 Духовный контекст

Part V. Terminological Glossarie

5.1 Term of address (Western)

5.2 Term of address (Russian Orthodox)

5.3 The Ten Commandments, Virtues, Sins

5.4 Names of Christian Holidays

Literature

Keys

Part I

Pre-reading tasks:

1. Read the definitions of the following terms and explain the difference between them:

religion -- 1) a belief in the life of the spirit and usually in one or more gods; 2) a particular system of this belief and all the ways of expressing your love for your god, ceremonies and duties that are connected with it.

faith -- belief and trust in God; one of the main religions in the world.

confession -- a statement of what your religious beliefs are.

denomination -- a religious group that is part of a larger religious organization

creed -- 1) a set of beliefs or principles; 2) The Creed -- a formal statement of belief spoken in certain Christions churches.

2. Consider the following questions:

Is Britain a monotheistic state?

Is Britain a secular state?

Is there a state religion in Britain?

Has there been a record of religious conflicts in Britain?

What is the relationship between the state and religious communities in Britain?

Read the text and see if you answered the questions correctly.

religion in british society

Religion has long held an honoured place in British public life, and has played an important part in shaping British history and culture. This history has shaped the distinctive character and geography of religion in contemporary Britain.

History

Of the religions practised in modern Britain Christianity is the most long-established and widely observed. It was first brought to Britain during the days of the Roman empire. There are, in fact, forty churches still in regular use, parts of which date from that period. With the departure of the legions and the Anglo-Saxon invasions of the fifth century Christianity was reduced to pockets of support in Wales, Scotland and Ireland. This situation changed with the arrival of missionaries sent by the Pope led by Augustine in 597. The next few centuries saw Christianity established throughout Britain. Augustine meanwhile became the first Bishop of Canterbury. The Archbishop of Canterbury remains the most important figure in the Church of England.

Bishops were also established in a number of other centres, and by the end of the eleventh century a system of dioceses and parishes had been established across much of England, This system, with the creation of additional parishes and dioceses in the nineteenth century to cope with population growth and urban development, remains the basis of the structure of the Church of England.

The Reformation of the sixteenth century did not disturb this structure. It did, however, fracture the Christian community in the British Isles. Links with Rome were broken and an established church owing its allegiance to the English crown replaced the mediaeval Church in England, Wales and Ireland. In Scotland it was replaced by the established Presbyterian Church of Scotland. Roman Catholicism survived in strength only in Ireland.

The Reformation was followed by further divisions. Conflicts over theology, church order and freedom of conscience led to a series of secessions from the Church of England in the course of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. These Free Churches, as they are now called, were joined in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by the Methodist products of the Evangelical Revival. This and the resurgence of Roman Catholicism throughout Britain in the course of the nineteenth century, largely as a result of immigration, particularly from Ireland, produced an increasingly diverse religious scene. Further immigration in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries has added to this diversity. Orthodox churches have been established by immigrants from eastern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean. There are now over 200 different Christian denominations in Britain. Immigration has also led to the arrival of a number of other faiths in Britain. In addition to the long-established Jewish community, there are now large and growing communities of Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs, as well as a variety of other faiths.

Religious Liberty

Such diversity was not envisaged at the time of the religious settlements of the sixteenth century. These recognised the importance of religion in the life of the nation, but assumed that it would be expressed within the state Churches which emerged from the Reformation. The development of Free Churches outside of and bearing witness to individual conscience against the established Church in England, made clear that this would not be the case. The Free Churches emphasised freedom of conscience as a religious ideal, a matter of the individual's relationship with God. The following centuries saw the gradual recognition of this ideal of religious liberty and the removal of disabilities from those who conscientiously dissented from the established Church, including non-Christians. Freedom of worship was granted to the Free Churches by the Toleration Act 1688. Reforms of 1828, 1829 and 1858 respectively extended political rights to Free Churchmen, Catholics and Jews, and by the end of the nineteenth century all remaining disabilities had effectively been removed.

Everyone in Britain, whatever their creed, enjoys religious freedom -- in teaching, worship and proselytisation -- without interference from the community or the State.

Religion in British Public Life

The recognition of this religious liberty for everyone to worship God in his or her own way in freedom of conscience has not downgraded the role of religion in British life, it simply led to the extension of the privileges once exclusive to the established churches to those of other churches and creeds.

Religion continues to enjoy a recognised position in British public life. Religious values and their role in guiding the counsels of the nation and of civic life are reflected in the prayers with which each day in parliament begins, and which open many council meetings of local authorities. There is a considerable amount of religious broadcasting, mainly, though by no means exclusively, Christian in nature. Indeed, the oldest regular radio programme in the world is the Daily Service on the BBC. The Broadcasting Act 1990 provides for the continuing role of religion in British public service broadcasting, requiring the independent television companies running stations on the Channel 3 network to show religious programmes at peak times.

The Act also allowed religious groups to compete for licences for local radio stations, for some cable and satellite television channels and to place advertisements on television for the first time.

Religion also has a recognised place within the educational system. This is reflected in State support for some voluntary schools provided by religious groups. These can be either voluntary controlled (where all costs are met by the State but the Church retains influence on the management of the school), or voluntary aided (where 100 per cent of the running costs and 85 per cent of the capital costs are met by the State but the Church continues to appoint a majority of the school governors). The vast majority of these schools are Anglican or Catholic, though there are also a .small number of Methodist and Jewish schools. New voluntary schools can be established by these or other bodies, providing that there is a clear need for the additional school places they would provide in the areas they are intended to serve. There are also a number of privately funded schools with religious foundations, including a growing number of Muslim schools.

Religious education in publicly maintained schools is required by law throughout Britain, and under the Education Reform Act 1988 it forms part of the basic curriculum for all pupils in England and Wales (there are slightly different requirements in Scotland under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980). The Act requires due recognition be given to Christianity, as the majority religion in Britain, in the teaching of religious education, but the subject also covers other faiths. In addition, schools have to provide a daily act of collective worship. This, again reflecting its importance in the religious life of the nation, must be mainly Christian in character. However, this requirement can be lifted if the headteacher considers it inappropriate for some or all the children, and non-Christian worship may be allowed in such circumstances. Where there are substantial religious minorities schools often celebrate the festivals of other faiths, as well as Christian ones. Schools also provide for special religious requirements, such as halal meat for Muslims. Parents may withdraw their children from religious education and collective worship if they wish.

Provision is also made for people's spiritual needs in other areas of public life. Religious groups provide chaplains in universities, industry and even in a growing number of organised sports, especially for football clubs. An increasing number of firms make special arrangements to allow Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs to follow their religious observances.

The State also pays for chaplains to minister full-time to the spiritual needs of those in the armed forces and in prison. The bulk of these are clergy from the Church of England, the Church of Scotland and the Roman Catholic Church.

Relations with the State

The largest religious communities in Britain, in terms of adherence, are the Church of Scotland north of the border, and the Church of England to the south. These Churches are established by law in their respective kingdoms, and the Queen is pledged by her coronation oath to defend each in its respective territory. They are thus linked to the State, but are not under its authority.

There is no established Church in either Wales or Northern Ireland

Funding

The State does not make direct contributions to church expenses. Religious bodies raise their own finance, through investments, donations and congregational giving. However, since 1977, State aid has been given for the repair of historic church buildings. In 1990 the government announced that ?11.5 million would be made available to assist with the cost of repairs to cathedrals and comparable buildings over the following three years. Such funding is not restricted to Church of England buildings.

The Government also contributes 70 per cent of the costs of the Redundant Churches Fund, the rest coming from the Church Commissioners, with small contributions from local authorities and the general public. This Fund was set up by the Church of England in 1969 to preserve redundant Church of England buildings which are of architectural or historical importance. At the end of 1992 it had 288 such buildings in its care. A similar body, the Historic Chapels Trust, was established in 1993 with the aid of a grant from the Department of National Heritage to preserve, repair and maintain redundant non-Anglican places of worship, including synagogues and temples, which are of particular architectural or historic interest. There are, as yet, no comparable bodies in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

Ministering to the Local Community

An important component of the life of the religious groups in Britain has always been care for the social as well as the spiritual needs of the community. Indeed, evangelical groups in the late nineteenth century pioneered many of the welfare services, such as care for the elderly and orphans, employment exchanges, legal aid and probation work, which were later to be taken over by the State.

The Salvation Army, for instance, which was founded in 1865 "for Christ's sake, to care for the poor, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, love the unlovable and befriend the friendless", is particularly well known for its work with the homeless and with alcoholics, and for its work in tracing missing persons. In Britain it is second only to the Government as a provider of social services. Similar work is also carried out by the Church Army, which is part of the Church of England.

The Churches provide training and counselling services and sheltered housing for the elderly. They work with and provide care for those in great need: the terminally ill, AIDS patients, drug addicts. The Samaritans, which works to help and heal the suicidally depressed, was set up by a London clergyman in 1953. Individual congregations, meanwhile, may minister to the local community through the provision of youth clubs, job dubs for the unemployed or work with the homeless. At a denominational level all the main Churches have bodies which advise on social welfare and community relations. Other faith communities are also involved in welfare provision for their own and the wider community.

A particular area of concern for all the faith communities in recent years has been the need to respond to the problems of the inner city.

Concern about the inner cities led the government to establish the Inner Cities Religious Council in November 1991. The establishment of this body gives official recognition to the significance of faith communities, and gives them an opportunity to advise on issues such as employment, housing or urban development. It is chaired by a minister at the Department of the Environment and its members are drawn from all the major faith communities with a presence in deprived urban areas in England.

Ministering to the World

Religious groups in Britain have been no less concerned to serve human needs overseas. A survey in 1989 found that 98 per cent of congregations in England were involved in collecting for and supporting overseas work.

The largest Church aid agency, Christian Aid, was set up in 1944 when the British Protestant Churches decided that they should help towards the relief of refugees and reconstruction of social life in war-torn Europe. More than ? 1 million was raised, being mostly used for emergency supplies, such as food, In the 1950s, whilst still trying to tackle the problems of refugees in Europe, Christian Aid began to focus on the need for development and nation-building elsewhere in the world. Supported by 40 British and Irish churches, it now works in over 70 countries. It continues to be fully involved in emergency relief work. However, a particular concern is to support long-term programmes, run by the local communities themselves, to overcome poverty once and for all. The aim is to build the local infrastructure and local self-reliance.

There are also two Muslim aid agencies, Islamic Relief and Muslim Aid, established in 1984 and 1985 respectively. They provide emergency relief and are now establishing long term development projects. Between them, they are active in more than 20 countries.

Who Belongs?

Church membership is highest in Northern Ireland, and lowest in England. Regular church attendance is generally somewhat lower than church membership. There has been no recent detailed guide to church attendance in Northern Ireland, but the surveys in the 1980s put regular church attendance at 17 per cent of the adult population in Scotland, 13 per cent in Wales and 9.6 per cent in England. There is also a considerable penumbra who attend church more infrequently. The majority of people in Britain, if not committed Christians, are at least nominal believers. Most people in England continue to regard themselves as Church of England, and in Scotland as Church of Scotland or Catholic.

About half of all parents choose to have their children baptised, and a similar proportion of all weddings are conducted as religious, as opposed to civil ceremonies. The vast majority of funerals are religious, and recent surveys have put belief in God at around 63-70 per cent of the population.

In the absence of detailed statistics it is very difficult to assess what proportion of the population are active members of other faiths, though the most common estimate seems to be about 6-8 per cent.

Religious Life

There are around 50,000 places of worship in Britain. These range from ancient country churches (over half of Anglican churches date entirely or in part from before 1500) to large city centre missions, temples, gurdwaras and mosques. There are some Catholic churches with congregations of over 6,000, whilst attendance at the Central Mosque in London may number over 5,000 during festivals.

Christian worship varies considerably, from the silence of a Quaker meeting to the ritual and splendour of Mass in a Catholic cathedral. Music has always played an important part in the worship of most Christian traditions in Britain, whether expressed through choral singing, hymns, the gospel choirs of the Afro-Caribbean churches or the brass bands of the Salvation Army.

Worship is personal as well as communal. All the religions, to a greater or lesser extent, stress personal prayer or contemplation. In some faith communities, such as the Hindus and the Jains, although major festivals are observed, there is little emphasis on collective worship. Instead, worship is centred more in the home than the temple, and most Hindu and Jain houses have a room set aside for a domestic shrine.

Churches, temples, synagogues and mosques are not only centres for worshipping communities, but also centres of social life. Sunday schools in most churches provide guidance to the young on the principles of Christianity, whilst schools associated with mosques give instruction on the Koran. There are similar teaching activities associated with Sikh gurdwaras and Hindu temples.

Many congregations also provide youth clubs, with games and recreational facilities. In addition, they provide services and a meeting point for the wider community through activities such as mother and toddler groups or luncheon clubs for the elderly.

Monastic orders ceased to exist, except in Ireland, after the Reformation. Catholic orders returned in the nineteenth century, and there are now 76 male and 230 female orders active in Britain. The nineteenth century also saw the founding of a number of Anglican religious communities, and there are now 11 male and 43 female communities. Many of these orders are active in educational and social work. More recently a number of Buddhist monasteries and contemplative centres have been established in Britain.

religious groups in britain

The largest religious community in Britain is the Church of England. An estimated 26 million people have been baptised into the Church of England. It is, however, important to distinguish between the community and the active membership.

The Church of England and other Anglican churches

The Church of England is the successor of the mediaeval church in England. It has its own liturgy, the Book of Common Prayer dating from 1549 and the Alternative Service Book which was introduced in 1980. It is divided into two provinces, Canterbury in the south and York in the north of England. The archbishops of these respective provinces are the two most senior clergy in the Church. Each province contains a number of dioceses. The province of Canterbury has 30 dioceses, including the Diocese of Europe, and the province of York has 14. The dioceses are further divided into parishes. There are 13,150 of these, covering the length and breadth of England. The majority of the Church's 13,920 clergy are involved in parish ministry.

The Church nominates two candidates to fill each vacancy of an archbishop or bishop. One of these candidates is then appointed by the Sovereign on the advice of the Prime Minister, The two archbishops, the bishops of London, Durham and Winchester, together with 21 other bishops in order of seniority, sit in the House of Lords. Clergy of the Church of England, in common with those of the Church of Scotland, the Church of Ireland and the Roman Catholic Church may not sit in the House of Commons.

The Church of England has its own central governing and legislative body, the General Synod. This has three houses, one for the diocesan bishops, whilst the other two are made up respectively of elected representatives of the clergy and the laity of the Church. Lay people are also involved in church government in the parishes. The various organisations within the Church report to the Synod on such matters as the mission of clergy and laity, missionary work, inter-church relations, social questions, the care of church buildings, education and recruitment and training for the ministry.

The Church of England is part of a worldwide communion of Anglican churches. These are similar in organisation and worship to the Church of England and originated from it.

There are three of these sister churches in the other parts of the British Isles, the Church of Ireland, the Scottish Episcopal Church and the Church in Wales. A number of Anglican churches around the world now ordain women as priests. The Church of Ireland, has ordained women since 1991. The Church of England's Jeneral Synod voted in 1992 to allow the ordination of women, and the first such ordinations took place in spring 1994.

The Church of Scotland and other Presbyterian Churches

The Reformation in Scotland led to the replacement of the mediaeval church by one which is presbyterian in form. That is, it has no bishops but is governed by its ministers and elders. Whilst it is an established Church, the State has always recognised the complete freedom of the Church in all matters of doctrine, worship and church government. The Church also appoints its own office bearers.

Both men and women may join the ministry, which is, as in the Church of England, exercised through a network of parishes across the country. There are about 1,600 of these parishes, which are governed locally by Kirk Sessions, consisting of ministers and elders. Above the Kirk Session are 47 Presbyteries. These select a number of ministers and ruling elders, varying according the size of the Presbytery, to sit on the General Assembly. This meets annually under the presidency of an elected Moderator, who serves for one year. The Sovereign is normally represented at the General Assembly by the Lord High Commissioner.

The Roman Catholic Church

The organisational structures and buildings of the mediaeval Roman Catholic Church in Britain were taken over by the reformed established Churches of England and Scotland during the Reformation. The Church did not re-establish a formal hierarchy in England and Wales until 1850 and in Scotland until 1878.

There are now seven Roman Catholic provinces in Great Britain, each under an archbishop, and 29 dioceses, each under a bishop (22 in England and Wales and seven in Scotland) independently responsible to the Pope. Northern Ireland has six dioceses, some with territory partly in the Irish Republic, and the Archbishop of Armagh is the spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Church in the whole of Ireland.

These dioceses are divided into a network of over 3,000 parishes across the whole of the country. The parishes are served by 7,800 priests. Only men may become priests in the Roman Catholic Church.

The Church tends to be better supported in urban than in rural parishes. Across the United Kingdom as a whole however, it is the strongest Church in terms of attendance.

The Free Churches

The term 'Free Churches' is often used to describe those Protestant churches in Britain which, unlike the Churches of England and Scotland, are not established churches. This does not mean that the churches thus described have a great deal in common with each other. Whilst this historical experience has given these churches a certain sense of shared identity, it should be noted that they otherwise vary greatly in terms of doctrine, worship and church government. All the major Free Churches -- Methodist, Baptist, United Reformed and Salvation Army -- allow both men and women to become ministers.

The largest of the Free Churches is the Methodist Church, with a community about 1 million strong. It originated in the eighteenth century Evangelical Revival. Its 6,950 churches are organised into circuits containing one or several churches served by one or more ministers and several of the 10,000 lay preachers. Above the circuits are the 33 districts, each with its own Chairman. The whole Church is governed by the Methodist Conference, on which both ministers and lay people are represented. The worldwide Methodist Community numbers 60 million.

Baptist churches first began to appear in the sixteenth century. Their name derives from their conviction that people should not be christened as infants but baptised by total immersion when old enough to make their Christian commitment. In contrast to the parish system of providing churches for a particular community their churches grew up on the 'gathered church' principle of a congregation of believers.

Alongside these churches are other historic Free Church bodies. Of these the most significant are the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and the Salvation Army. The Quaker's originated in the middle of the seventeenth century, and are characterised by their silent worship and their distinctive witness for liberty of conscience and the promotion of international peace. The Salvation Army was founded in 1865. It has around 1,800 officers serving some 1.000 worship centres, and is particularly well known for its social work. Other small but long established groups include the Moravian Church, the Seventh Day Adventists and the Brethren.

A particular development in recent years has been the rise of Pentecostalism and the charismatic movement. A number of Pentecostalist bodies were formed in Britain at the turn of the century. Since the Second World War West Indian immigration has led to the growth of a number of distinctively Afro-Caribbean Pentecostalist churches.

Other Christian Communities

Britain has always been a trading nation, and churches for sailors from other countries have long been established in the major ports. There is a small Lutheran Church. And immigration from eastern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean in the twentieth century has brought a number of Orthodox Churches. Of these the largest is the Greek Orthodox, but there are congregations of other Eastern traditions, including Russian, Ukrainian, Egyptian (Coptic), Ethiopian and Armenian, as well.

The Jewish Community

Jews first settled in England at the time of the Norman Conquest in the latter half of the eleventh century. They were expelled front England at the end of the thirteenth century and the present community dates from 1656. It was founded by Spanish and Portuguese settlers, known as Sephardim. Later more settlers came from Germany and eastern Europe; they are known as Ashkenazim. The present Jewish community, numbering about 330,000, is the second largest in Europe.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews is the representative body for all the groups across the whole of British Jewry. It has over 400 members, mainly elected by synagogues. It was founded in 1760 and serves as the voice of the Jewish community to both government and to the wider non-Jewish community.

There are about 350 congregations in Britain, and about one in three Jewish children attend Jewish schools, some of which are supported by public funds.

The Muslim Community

Academic interest in Islam in Britain's universities began in the nineteenth century. So did Muslim settlement, and the first mosque was established at Woking in Surrey in 1890. Muslim numbers have been swollen by immigration in recent years. The largest number of Muslim immigrants came from Pakistan and Bangladesh, whilst sizeable numbers have come from India, Cyprus, the Middle East, Malaysia and parts of Africa. There is now a growing community of British-born Muslims, mainly the children of immigrant parents, but also including a number of converts. There are no official figures on the size of the Muslim community, but census data suggest that it is between 900,000 and 1 million strong.

There are now at least 600 mosques in Britain, each with a full-time Imam. These range from converted buildings in many industrial towns to the Central Mosque in London's Regent's Park, with its associated Islamic Cultural Centre, one of the most important Muslim institutions in the Western world.

Important mosques and cultural centres are also to be found in east London, Liverpool, Manchester, Leicester, Edinburgh and Glasgow,

Most British Muslims are Sunnis. A number of Shia traditions are also established in Britain, including a small community of Ismailis. Some of the major Sufi traditions have branches in the larger cities.

The Sikh Community

A large British Sikh community, over 400,000 strong, originates mainly from India. The largest groups of Sikhs are in Greater London, Manchester, Birmingham, Nottingham and Wolverhampton.

Sikh temples or gurdwaras cater for the religious, educational, social and cultural needs of their community.

The Hindu Community

The Hindu community in Britain is about 400,000 strong, and also originates largely from India. It includes groups such as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, which contains a considerable number of Western converts. Hindus are particularly numerous in Leicester, north and north-west London, Birmingham and Bradford. Hindus generally have an area for worship in their own homes. They are not required to attend a place of worship regularly, but large numbers go to the temples for Hindu festivals. The first Hindu temple or mandir was opened in Leicester in 1969, and there are now over 150 mandirs in Britain.

Buddhism

The oldest Buddhist organisation in Britain is the Buddhist Society, founded in 1924. It does not belong to any particular school of Buddhism. Based in London, it acts to provide information about and to promote Buddhism. Since the Second World War, organisations representing important schools of Buddhism deriving particularly from Japan, Thailand, Tibet and Sri Lanka have become established in Britain. There is also the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order, which practises Buddhism but studies alongside it Western literature and texts from other religions.

There are now some 55 Buddhist centres, at least 20 monasteries and a number of retreat houses and temples.

Other Faiths

There are small communities of other faiths in Britain. Since the nineteenth century Indian settlement has brought a number of Parsees to Britain. Indeed, the first Indian elected to Parliament, Dadabhai Naoriji in 1892 was a Parsee. The estimated Parsee community in Britain is 5,000 strong.

There is a community of about 30,000 Jains, mainly living in London, Leicester and Coventry. Jainism is an ancient religion brought to Britain by immigrants from India. There is a Jain temple (or derasar) which opened in Leicester in 1988, and worship centres elsewhere.

Baha'ism originated in Iran in the nineteenth century. Baha'is regard all the major world religions as divine in origin and consider that although each religion has had its own particular historical origins and development, each has contributed to progress towards world harmony. They therefore support many international institutions dealing with world affairs and harmony. There are about 5,000 Baha'is in Britain organised in 500 local assemblies, and administered by the National Spiritual Assembly in London.

A more recent religious development is Rastafarianism. This emerged out of the Back to Africa movement in the West Indies, and particularly Jamaica, before the Second World War, and arrived in Britain through Jamaican immigration in the 1950s. It is non-credal, but draws heavily on the Old Testament.

New Religious Movements

Rastafarianism is just one example of a whole series of new groups which have developed in Britain since the Second World War, often with overseas origins. Although there are no clear criteria for what constitutes a New Religious Movement [NRM], it is estimated that there are some 600 such bodies active in Britain today.

Some NRMs tend to be very loose coalitions; some have charismatic and authoritarian leaderships. Membership of these groups tends to be disproportionately young and the turnover of members is high. There has been considerable public concern about the activities of some of these groups, and in response the government provided funding to establish the Information Network Focus on Religious Movements (INFORM). INFORM is housed at the London School of Economics, and is supported by the major Churches. Its aims are to conduct research into new religious movements and to provide objective information about them.

religious co-operation

AII the major churches support efforts to encourage co-operation between them and to express their common Christian unity. There has been a steady growth in appreciation of areas of common ground in matters such as the ministry, doctrine and sacraments.

This has been fostered by inter-church dialogue conducted at both national and international level, through bodies such as the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission.

Co-operation between the Churches

The main ecumenical body in Britain is the Council of Churches for Britain and Ireland. This was established in 1990 in succession to the British Council of Churches as the forum for inter-church co-operation between all the main churches and to co-ordinate the work of the churches grouped in the separate ecumenical bodies for England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

All the main churches, except the Roman Catholic church are also members of the World Council of Churches. This was established in 1948 to promote inter-church cooperation and unity, and links some 300 churches in over 100 countries.

Inter-church co-operation does not take place just between the principal denominations at national and international level. It also takes place between individual congregations. Some share church buildings, for instance a number of Anglican parishes in rural areas allow Roman Catholic congregations to use their church. There are also a growing number of united congregations involving people from two or more denominations. By 1989 there were 738 such congregations in existence. In some new housing estates and new towns several churches have agreed to pool their resources and build and share one building, most notably in Milton Keynes where the main church for the new city, shared between Anglicans, Catholics, Methodists, Baptists and the United Reformed Church, was opened by the Queen in 1992.

In addition, there have long been a number of inter-denominational bodies such as the Young Men's and Women's Christian Associations (YMCA and YWCA) founded in the mid-nineteenth century.

Co-operation between the different faiths

The Council of Christians and Jews was founded in 1942 at the initiative of William Temple, the then Archbishop of Canterbury, to affirm common humanity and promote Christian-Jewish understanding in contrast to the horrors of anti-semitism then engulfing Europe. It continues to work to promote better relations between the two religions and to combat anti-semitism.

At an international level, St George's House, Windsor has been responsible since the early 1980s for promoting a dialogue between Christians, Jews and Muslims under the joint patronage of Prince Philip and Crown Prince Hassan of Jordan, to encourage mutual understanding and respect between the principal religions of the Middle East.

Comprehension Questions

1. How did the arrival of missionaries in 597 affect Christianity in Britain?

2. What was the medieval Church in England replaced by during Reformation?

3. What led to a number of secessions from the established Church in the 16th and the 17th centuries?

4. What was the Toleration Act about?

5. How are religious values recognized in modern Britain?

6. Is religious education mandatory in Britain?

7. What provision is made for people's spiritual needs in various areas of public life?

8. What does the Queen's title the “Defender of Faith” mean?

9. How are religious bodies funded?

10. What is the Redundant Churches Fund?

11. What social services do the Churches provide?

12. What is the aim of the Church aid agencies?

13. What is the difference between the church attendance and church membership?

14. In what way does Christian worship vary?

15. Who are the two most senior clergy in the Church of England?

16. What is the structure of the Church of England?

17. In what way is the Church of Scotland different from the Church of England?

18. Which Church is the strongest in terms of attendance?

19. What are the Free Churches and how do they differ from each other?

20. What is the origin of various religious communities in Britain?

21. What are the new developments in the religious life in British?

22. What bodies promote inter-church and inter-faith cooperation?

Vocabulary Work

Task 1. Compare the meanings of similar-looking words in English and Russian:

Dissenter -- диссидент Baptist --баптист

Methodist -- методистminister -- министр

Orthodox -- ортодоксto convert -- конвертировать

Reformation -- реформацияmission -- миссия

chaplain -- капелланdoctrine -- доктрина

Task 2. Match the words and their definitions.

III

1) diocesea) a strong feeling of respect and love for a God

2) allegianceb) a part of a religious ceremony

3) consciencec) the act of behaving according to a particular rule or belief

4) denominationd) a group of people gathered together in a church

5) to proselytizee) all the members of a religious group apart from the priests

6) worshipf) words that you say when praying to God

7) parishg) loyalty to a leader, country, belief

8) observance h) to try to persuade someone to join a religious group,

political group etc. esp. in a way that people find offensive

9) spirituali) to officially make someone a priest or religious leader

10) adherencej) a religious group that is part of a larger religious

organisation

11) congregationk) the area under the control of a bishop

12) to baptizel) the area that a priest is responsible for

13) prayerm) the part of your mind that tells you whether what you

are doing is morally right or wrong

14) laityn) connected with religion

15) to ordaino) to perform the ceremony of baptism on someone

Task 3.

-- What does the adjective `established' refer to in the text?

Write out from the text the nouns with which it is used.

-- With what nouns is the adjective `religious' used in the text? Make a list.

-- In what meaning is the verb `to minister' used in the text?

Write out the word-combinations with this word.

Task 4. Group the words referring to:

People in connection to religion under the following headings:

Christian/other religions

priest, laity, clergy, rabbi, minister, guru, bishop, imam, martyr, saint, chaplain.

Task 5. Make a list of the names of the buildings for religious worship. Start with those from the text: a temple, a synagogue, a gurdwara, a mosque ……

Task 6. Fill in the table with the necessary derivatives (sometimes several variants with different meanings).

V	N	Adj
to observe to pray to worship to adhere to contemplate to ordain to convert	conscience minister congregation attendance immersion secession	spiritual

Task 7. Match the word-combinations in English and Russian.

III

1) to practise a religiona) совместное богослужение

2) to ordain a priestb) обеспечивать духовные потребности

3) to dissent from a churchc) отступать от взглядов ортодоксальной

церкви

4) freedom of conscienced) исповедовать религию

5) to fracture the communitye) направлять жизнь страны

6) to establish a diocesef) рукоположить в священники

7) religious libertyg) постоянное посещение церкви

8) to downgrade the role h) отмечать основные праздники

of religion

9) religious settlementi) свобода совести

10) to guide the counsels j) монашеские ордена

of the nation

11) an act of collective worshipk) расколоть общество

12) to minister to the l) соглашение по религиозным вопросам

spiritual needs

13) regular church attendancem) учредить епископат

14) to observe major festivalsn) снизить роль религии

15) monastic orderso) религиозные свободы

Task 8. Continue the sentences on the basis of the contents of the text.

1. The Roman legions withdrew but Christianity …

2. There are two archbishops in Britain, but …

3. The Reformation did not disturb the structure of the Church of England; however, …

4. A series of secessions from the Church of England occurred because …

5. It was immigration that led to…

6. Though the religious settlements of the 16th century recognized the importance of religion in the life of the nation, …

7. The following centuries saw the gradual recognition of the ideal of religious liberty, yet …

8. Religious education in publicly maintained schools is required by law in Britain and …

9. The Education Reform Act requires due recognition he given to Christianity because …

10. However this requirement can be lifted if …

11. One of the Queen's titles is the Defender of the Faith, because …

12. Religious bodies raise their own finance, since …

Task 9. Write out of the text the words and phrases to expand, illustrate or substantiate the given concept. Follow the example given below.

1) to establish a religion	To convert, to baptize, to prozelytise, to create parishes, to send missionaries
2) Reformation 3) freedom of worship 4) a recognized position of religion 5) religious education 6) spiritual needs in public life 7) state aid to church expenses 8) care for those in need 9) ministering to the world 10) church attendance 11) places of worship 12) rituals of worship

Discussion. Express your opinion on the following:

1. Religious diversity as a factor in society.

2. Religious values in community life.

3. The role of religion in British and Belarusian society.

Talking points

1. “Oh, East is East, and West is West,

and never the twain shall meet,

Till Earth and Sky stand presently

At God's great Judgment Seat;

But there is neither East nor West,

Border, not Breed, nor Birth,

When two strong men stand face to face,

Though they come from the ends of the earth.”

Rudyard Kipling

The Ballad of East and West. 1889

Would the statement above remain true if Breed were substituted by Creed? Give your arguments.

2. Nothing is so fatal to religion as indifference, which is, at least, half infidelity.

Edmund Burke

3. There is only one religion though there are a hundred versions of is.

G.B.Shaw

текст английский язык упражнения религия

Part II

Exercises and tasks

Task 1. CHRISTIANITY

Restore the omitted parts of the text. The number of asterisks corresponds to the number of missing letters.

Christianity is one of the major world religions, arising out of Judaism and (1)*** on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christians regard the Bible as authoritative, but the place given to the tradition and reason varies. Early Christians suffered (2)** until the Emperor Constantine proclaimed freedom of worship throughout the Roman Empire (313 AD). He made Christianity Rome's (3)*** religion in 324 AD/СЕ. Almost from the beginning the Church had been divided into the Greek-speaking East and the Latin-speaking West. This division finally (4)*** to the Great Schism of 1054. In medieval Western Europe the increasing secular power and corruption of the Roman Church sparked the Reformation of the 16th century and Protestantism (5)*** as various national churches separated from the Roman Catholic Church. Modern Ecumenical Movement among the Christian churches encourages greater cooperation and eventual unity. But substantial progress was not (6)*** until 1948, when representatives of 147 world churches agreed to form the World Council of Churches.

Orthodox Christianity is characterized by monasticism and (7)*** of icons. It rejects papal claims, the 'immaculate conception', purgatory and does not require clerical celibacy.

Task 2. Restore the omitted parts of the text from the list below.

The Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church is the largest Christian organization in the world, found in many countries. The Church stands under the authority of (1)***, and is ruled by him and bishops who are held to be successors of (2)***. As successor to Peter, the Pope is the Vicar of Christ.

Roman Catholics believe their Church to be the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, possessing all the (3)*** of the one, true Church of Christ.

The faith of the Church is understood to be identical with that taught by Christ and his (4)***. New definitions of doctrines, such as (5)*** of Mary (1854) and the bodily (6)*** of Mary (1950), have been declared by Popes. At Vatican Council I (1870) the Pope was proclaimed "endowed with infallibility, (7)***, i. e. when exercising the office of Pastor and Teacher of all Christians".

The centre of Roman Catholic worship is the celebration of the (8)***, the Eucharist, which is the commemoration of Christ's sacrificial death and of his resurrection. Other sacraments are Baptism, (9)***, Confession, Matrimony, Ordination, and Extreme Unction, seven in all. The Virgin Mary and saints, and their relics, are highly (10)*** and prayers are made to them to intercede with God, in whose presence they are believed to dwell.

Confirmation, Assumption, the Apostles, properties, Mass, the Immaculate Conception, Peter, the Bishop of Rome -- the Pope, venerated, ex cathedra.

Task 3. Restore the omitted parts of the text.

The Reformation

[This is] the movement that led to the division of Western Christendom in the (1)*** century. Pressure for the reform of medieval Christendom came frorn many quarters: unease at the political power of the Italian (2)***, distress at the externality of much medieval religion, a sense of the gulf between contemporary theology and religious life and that found in the New Testament and (3)*** period, made increasingly evident by the access provided by the humanists, especially (4)*** and the Fathers. Reluctance by the papacy to allow a reforming council meant that (5)*** protest against indulgence led to schism.

A parallel movement in (6)*** effected a still more complete break with medieval religion, and the Reformation, influenced in the second generation especially by (7)***, spread to most European countries. All Protestants rejected the authority of the papacy, both religious and political, and found authority in the original text of the (8)***, made available to all in vernacular translation. The authority of the clergy and the sacramental system was weakened in various degrees, and the way opened for religious (9)***.

Protestantism.

In the 16th century, the name 'Protestant' was generally taken in Germany by the (10)***, while the Swiss and French called themselves (11)***.

In England the use has varied with time and circumstances. In the 17th century, (12)*** was generally accepted and used by members of the Established Church, and was even so applied to the exclusion of (13)***, Quakers, and Separatists; it was primarily opposed to 'papist'. Later it was opposed to 'Roman Catholic' or to 'Catholic', and was viewed with disfavour by those who laid stress on the claim of the (14)*** Church to be equally Catholic with the Roman [OEED].

Task 4. Restore the omitted parts of the text.

Church of England

The name is used in reference to the English branch of the (1)*** Church, rejecting the pope's authority since the Reformation and having the monarch as its titular head and nominator of its bishops and archbishops. A (2)*** held at Whitby in 664 resolved the earlier conflict between the indigenous Celtic Church, dominated by missionaries from Ireland and Scotland, and the Roman customs, introduced by (3)*** mission (597), in favour of the latter.

The English Church remained part of the Western (4)*** Church until the 16th century, when, against a background of religious dissatisfaction and growing national self-awareness, (5)*** failed to obtain a divorce from Catherine of Aragon and subsequently repudiated papal supremacy, bringing the Church under the control of the (6)***.

Some of Henry's advisers, notably Thomas Cromwell and Archbishop Cranmer, were deeply influenced by the (7)*** Reformation, and the influence of Continental Protestantism reached a peak in the reign of (8)***. The Church achieved its definitive form under Elizabeth I, when the Book of (9)*** became its service-book and the Thirty-nine Articles its statement of doctrine.

The aim of the Church of England has been, while rejecting the claims of (10)***, to maintain its continuity with earlier tradition [OEED].

Task 5. Restore the omitted parts of the text.

Church of Scotland

This is the official name of] the national (1)*** Church of Scotland. At the Reformation the (2)*** party in Scotland, under John Knox, reformed the established Church and organized it on (3)*** lines (1560).

During the next century there were repeated attempts by the (4)*** monarchs to impose episcopalianism, and the Church of Scotland was not finally established as (5)*** until 1690. Its statement of doctrine is the Westminister Confession (1643).

Like many Protestant Churches it has a complicated history of (6)*** and reunification [OEED].