Religion in Britain

Religion in Britain

Church of England (Anglican Church):

History: Founded in 1534 by Henry VIII; "Act of Supremacy"

27 million members

2 branches: - Anglo-Catholics (High Church)

- Evangelicals (Low Church)

2 provinces: Canterbury and York

Structure of administration: 2 heads , the secular (the sovereign) and the religious one (Archbishop of Canterbury); furthermore the General Synod as the central governing body

Relationship of Church and State: Based on mutual obligation and control

Church of Scotland ("Kirk"):

History: Presbyterian church; founded in 1559 by John Knox in the Protestant Reformation and established as the national Church of Scotland in 1707 in the "Treaty of Union"

1 million members

Structure of administration: No episcopal, but democratic government by elders; each year election of the Moderator

Northern Ireland Conflict

Free Churches (Dissenters/Nonconformists):

History: - Protestant churches; deriving from the Puritans which came up in the 16^th century

- 16^th and 17^th century: Persecution of Puritans; emigration to America (Mayflower)

- 1648: Winners of the Civil War (1642-1648) under Oliver Cromwell

- 1649-1660: Abolition of monarchy

- 1661/1673: Anti-Puritan legislation

- 1828: Equal rights for Puritans

7 million members

Bible as sole authority

Structure of administration: No church hierarchy, but democratic church organization with equal status of ministers and laymen, of men and women

Achievement of Puritanism in Britain: Social legislation in the 19^th century (e.g. end of child labour)

Roman Catholics:

History: - 664: England submitted to papal domination

- 16^th and 17^th century: Persecution of Roman-Catholics

- 1829-1850: Reintroduction of Roman-Catholics (Oxford Movement)

6 million members

Structure of administration: British head: Archbishop of Westminster

Non-Christian Religious Communities:

Resulting from a great immigration from Asian and African countries since the 1950s

1,5 million Muslims

400,000 Jews

About 150,000 Sikhs and Hindus each

Current Religious Issues:

Decline in membership

Ordination of women

Relationship between Church and State

Vocabulary:

attendance: Anwesenheit

austere: einfach, wenig anspruchsvoll

child labour: Kinderarbeit

clergy: Klerus

confession of faith: Glaubensbekenntnis

creed: Glaube, Überzeugung

diocese: Diözese

dissent: abweichend, andersgläubig

domination: (Vor-)Herrschaft

elders: Altere, hier: Vorsitzende

episcopal: bischöflich

layman: Kirchenangehöriger, der nicht zum Klerus gehört

mutual: gegenseitig

papal: päpstlich

parish: Gemeinde

secular: weltlich

sovereign: Oberhaupt

struggle: Kampf, Auseinandersetzung

supremacy: Überlegenheit

synod: Zusammenkunft, Versammlung

worship: Gebet