The Church of England
• At the same time as King Henry established the Anglican church, a religious movement known as the Reformation spread throughout Europe,. Many of the Protestant churches were founded as a result of it. The leader of this movement in Germany was Martin Luther. He sought to make the church less concerned with ritual & ceremony and to find ways of making the doctrines more accessible and understandable to the ordinary people. • In England Henry ordered the Bible to be translated from Latin into English. The Methodist & the Congregational churches developed from the Reformation movement. They are less ceremonial. The focus is on the individual’s personal relationship to God achieved through prayer & reading the Bible.
• The Ten Commandments • History---Although Britain has been predominantly Christian since Saxon times, following the Reformation in the 16th century many different Christian denominations have existed. • The 3 main branches of the Christian church in Britain
• The Anglican or Church of England • The Protestant Church e.g. The Methodists and Congregationalists • The Roman Catholic Church (though they share the same origins and have common beliefs, historically they developed different forms of rituals and doctrines which have led to some major differences between the churches. Up util 1534, Britain was a Roman Catholic country and the Pope of Rome was the head of the church. Two events(1.2) which occurred during the 16th century saw the establishment of both the Church of England and the growth of the Protestant churches.
BRITAIN CULTURE
Religion
Abstract
• There is complete religious freedom in Britain. Religion has always played an important part in the national way of life and this is still true today, though changes are taking place and will continue to do so. • In this lecture, we are going to take a look at the major religions in Britain and their origin, development and changes.
The Ten Commandments (2)
• The Christian faith still maintains the first 4 which insist upon belief in only one God. • Commandment 5-10 are: Love thy father and thy mother; Do not commit murder; Do not commit adultery; Do not steal; Do not accuse others falsely; Do not desire another man’s property of anything that he owns. • Commandment 5-10 are still the basic moral principles accepted by most British people and many of the laws of the land can be seen to have been derived from them.
Major Differences Between C & P Catholic Vs. Protestant
• Power and authority of • More individualistic the Pope as head of attitude generally the Church in setting • importance of rules of moral conduct individual conscience • emphasis on ritual in relationship to God • education of children • less formal services of into the faith worship (less ceremonial) • importance of Virgin Mary
Major Religions in Britain
• • • • • Christian---Christianity Jewish---Judaism Muslim---Islam Hindu---Hinduism Buddhist---Buddhism
The Christian Religion
Another Major Difference
• Another major difference is the emphasis given to Virgin Mary, Jesus' mother. In C, she is seen as a mediator between worshipper & God and as such is worshipped and is the subject of prayer. For A she has no special power.
3 Main Branches of the Christian Church in Britain
• It was established in 1534. King Henry the 8th wanted to obtain permission from the Pope to divorce his queen. When the Pope refused the request Henry disestablished the Church in England from the Church in Rome and founded the Anglican, or Church of England, with himself as its head. • Most of the time since the 16th century the reigning King or Queen of England has been head of the Church of England and today it is still the established and official church in England.
The Ten Commandments (1)
• The Ten Commandments are found in the Bible and are central to the Christian faith. They are believed to be the word of God and to have been handed down to his people through the prophet Moses. They set out a basic ethical system of moral and social behavior, governing the standards of family relations, regard for human life, sex, property, speech and thought. • The first four commandments are: I am the Lord your God; Thou shalt not worship any other God but me; Thou shalt not take the name of thy God in vain; Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day (the day of rest-Sunday).