5. Religion and Government

In the British Social Attitudes Survey 2010:

● 75% of those questioned believed their religious leaders should not influence their voting behaviour.

● 67% believe religious leaders should stay out of government decision making.

● 45% of Britons believe that the involvement of religious leaders would have a deleterious effect on policy.

● Only 25% of people believe religious involvement would produce better policy.

● 73% of respondents believe that “people with very strong religious beliefs are often too intolerant of others”. This view was held by 82% of people who class themselves as non-religious, and 63% of those who consider themselves religious.

5.1　Bishops in the House of Lords

74% of the British public believe it is wrong that Bishops have an automatic right to a seat in the House of Lords, including 70% of Christians according to an ICM survey conducted in 2010 on behalf of the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust.

5.2　Volunteering and the Non-religious

The BHA have produced a briefing on religion, belief and volunteering.

The report “Faith and Voluntary Action” from the National Council of Voluntary Organisations （2007） finds that: “Religious affiliation makes little difference in terms of volunteering”.

The report also states that motivation for volunteering is complex—and “faith” as a motivator is actually very difficult to prove/assess/measure.

The 2001 Citizenship Survey finds that the proportion of people who volunteered and had a religious affiliation is similar to the proportion of people who had no religious affiliation, and this is true of both informal and formal volunteering. In both categories of those with religious affiliation and those with none, 39% participated in formal volunteering at least once a year, and 68% of those with no religious affiliation participated in informal volunteering versus 67%of those who describe themselves as having a faith.

In the Cabinet Office research publication （2007） Helping Out . A national survey of volunteering and charitable giving, shows that the rates of volunteering differ between religious groups, differ within religious groups, and between religious and non-religious people. Non-religious people volunteer more than some, but less than others.

Notes

1. the Church of England英国国教，是依法确立下来的宗教，也称英格兰圣公会或安立甘教会。英国17世纪经历了很多战争、斗争，国王与国会之间的斗争。英国16世纪亨利八世，因为不满意教皇不批准他和他的西班牙妻子离婚，因为她没有生育，英国王位的继承权可能旁落到其对手西班牙王室的手中，所以在英国发起宗教改革，英国教会脱离罗马教会，成为英国的安立甘宗，英国国王把自己封为教会的最高领导人。

2. 2001 census英国全国范围的人口普查项目，实施于2001年4月29日，这是英国第20次人口普查。

3. British Social Attitudes Survey英国的一个年度统计调查项目，由全国社会研究中心实施，始于1983年。

4. Roman Catholic天主教徒。天主教是基督宗教三大宗派之一，正式名称为公教或公教会，起源自拉丁语的“catholicus”，意思是“普遍的”，翻译作中文“公”是取自“天下为公”的“公”；“公教会”一词的最早出现在宗徒信经中：“圣而公教会”，其涵义因着公元381年召开的第一次尼西亚大公会议诞生的尼西亚信经得到进一步的完善确立：“我信唯一、至圣、至公、从宗徒传下来的教会”。

5. Presbyterian长老会，基督教新教的一派，他们的根源是从十六世纪的西欧改革运动开始。长老会的协会起源可以追踪到英国苏格兰的改革。

6. Methodist循道宗，1738年由英国人约翰·卫斯理（John Wesley，1703-1791）和其弟弟查理·卫斯理于伦敦创立。原为圣公会内的一派，后逐渐独立。该宗认为传统教会的活动方式已不足以应付新的社会问题，主张着重在下层群众中进行传教活动，宣称求得“内心的平安喜乐”便是幸福。主要分布于英美等国。

7. Baptist浸信会，基督新教主要宗派之一。十七世纪上半叶产生于英国以及在荷兰的英国流亡者中。当时属清教徒中的独立派。反对给儿童行洗礼，主张教徒成年后方可受洗，且受洗者须全身浸入水中，称为“浸礼”，故名。并主张独立自主，反对英国国教和政府对地方教会的干涉。

8. Protestant新教即基督教新教，汉语意为“基督教的新教会或新教派”；或根据德

（Protestantismus）、英（Protestantism）、法（Protestantisme）等欧洲宗教改革中心地区主要语言中对应单词的原意译为抗议宗、抗罗宗、反罗宗、反对教、誓反教、更正教、改新教等，也经常被直接称作“基督教”），是与“公教”、“正教”并列的基督教三大派别之一。中国基督教新教各教会为了传福音方便，自称耶稣教或基督教而不称为“新教”。一般华人所称的“基督教”较常指“基督教新教”，而非基督宗教所有派别。

9. Congregational公理宗，是基督教新教宗派之一。该宗主张各个教堂的会众组成独立的教会，并由其教徒公众管理。由于该宗主要从教会的组织体制来划分，故它的一些教堂可能在别的方面又属其他宗派，如采用公理制的浸理会教堂，亦可在礼仪方面被列为浸礼宗。公理宗起源于16世纪的英格兰。其信仰与英语国家新教福音派相近，但更自由化。该宗尤其强调个人信仰自由，认为国家应对各种不同的信仰采取宽容态度。认为教会的基础是上帝之道，故在礼拜中重讲道。该宗主要分布在英语国家。

10. Islam伊斯兰教，是世界性的宗教之一，与佛教、基督教并称为世界三大宗教。中国旧称大食法、大食教、天方教、清真教、回回教、回教、回回教门等。截止到2009年底，世界人口约68亿人口中，穆斯林总人数是15.7亿， 分布在204个国家和地区，占全世界人口的23%。

11. Hinduism印度教，源于古印度韦陀教及婆罗门教，是世界主要宗教之一。它拥有10.5亿信徒（1993年统计数），仅次于拥有15亿信徒的基督教和11亿信徒的伊斯兰教。所谓“印度教”是存在于印度本土上的宗教、哲学、文化和社会习俗的综合称谓，它的信仰、哲学、伦理观点等复杂多样，甚至相互矛盾。印度的社会等级、集团和不同的文化阶层有着各自相异的信仰和实践。这种综合性、多样性使人们很难对印度教的信仰和特征作出公认、明确的定义。

12. Sikhism锡克教，是15世纪产生于印度的一神教，尊崇十位上师并以上师们传授的《阿底格兰特》为经典，《阿底格兰特》象征第十一位上师；以公平正义、扶贫济弱和宗教自由为基本教义。宗教符号的圆圈代表没有始终的唯一真神，左右两边的弯刀象征捍卫真理与正义，中间的双刃刀代表做饭的刀具。锡克教神寺每天给穷人提供免费餐饮。“锡克”一词，来源于梵文，意思是“学生”、“弟子”、“信徒”。锡克教徒被称为锡克人，长发、梳子、钢箍、匕首、短裤是锡克教徒的五大信仰标识。圣城是阿姆利则，朝圣地是被称为“神之所在”的阿姆利则金寺。

13. Judaism犹太教，是世界三大一神信仰中，最早而且最古老的宗教，也是犹太民族的生活方式及信仰。犹太教的主要诫命与教义，来自托拉（托辣），即圣经的前五卷书。托拉，英文：Torah。托拉广义上指上帝启示给以色列人的真义，亦指上帝启示给人类教导与指引。狭义上指《旧约》的首五卷（犹太人不称旧约），又称律法书或《摩西五经》即《创世纪》、《出埃及记》、《利未记》、《民数记》和《申命记》。

14. secularism世俗主义，意指人类宣称由传统性对神的信仰和信仰行为中得著释放的一种独特信念。基督教的世俗主义是在面对神圣和圣品信念时的一种抉择。

15. the General Synod英国圣公会总议会，英国国教管理组织。

Exercises

I. Define the following terms.

1. the Church of England

2. Methodism

3. Latter Day Saints

4. Baptist

5. Assisted Dying

II. Fill in the blanks according to the text. 1

. The 2001 census found that_____ of the U.K. population had a religion.

2. Religions other than Christianity are_____, _____, _____ and_____ and so on.

3. Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and Judaism have established a presence in the U.K., both through_____ and by_____, including the_____, _____and. In the 2001 census 3.30% were_____, _____Hindu, _____ Jewish, _____ Sikh and others.

4. There are also organisations which promote_____, _____, _____ and_____.

5. The U.K. has a large and growing non-religious population with of the U.K. population either claiming no religion or not answering the question on religion at the 2001 census. According to the British Humanist Association_____ of the population is humanist, and may, by the same token, be considered outright atheist.

6. In Scotland_____（known informally as）, is recognised as the national church. It is not subject to state control and__________ is an ordinary member, required to swear an oath to “__________” upon his or her accession.

7. There is a separate Baptist Union of Scotland and __________isan all-Ireland organisation.

8. Some churches have warned that the__________ could force them to go against their faith when hiring staff. In 2011 a British High Court held that the laws of the U.K. __________when banning Christian foster care.

9. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is led by__________. The current area president is__________ with Elder Gérald J. Caussé and Elder José A. Teixeira as first and second counselors respectively.

10. __________is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, with _____below her.

III. Questions for discussion.

1. What is the relationship between the Mother Church , Scottish Episcopal Church and the Church in Wales?

2. What is URC? Can you say something about it?

3. How did the earliest Buddhists influence Britain?

4. Has the religion been always publicized by the media positively? Explain.

5. What are the British attitudes towards belief according to some surveys?