5.The Decline of Religion

A striking thing about religion in Britain today is that a large proportion of people are not really interested in it at all.This situation is comparatively new.Today only a minority of the British go to any kind of church regularly.The suchesses of modern science are partly responsible for this，the prime example being the development of Darwin’s famous theory of evolution，which shows to the satisfaction of most thinking people，including Church leaders，that man，far from being separately created by God as a unique being，has evolved extremely slowly from humble forms of life.Science seems to be taking the mystery，and therefore the holiness，out of the universe.Then，too，the general improvement in social conditions and the variety of modern entertainment have made religion appear rather irrelevant.

Many people who do not go to church still believe in God and Heaven in a confused sort of way.They like to get married in church and perhaps have their children christened in church，and they would certainly like to have a Christian funeral when they die.But they never go to church otherwise，and they may never even pray.Some will tell you frankly that they do not believe in the miraculous element of religion，such as the fact that Jesus rose from the dead，and they cannot see that religion has any use.Others，perhaps most，never really think about it.They might have certain vague beliefs，but they cannot really justify them，and the same thing might be said of some churchgoers.None of these people are of course necessarily immoral in any way.Among intellectuals，at one end of the scale there are some who manage to reconcile reason with religion and these include the greatest leaders of the modern church.At the other end of this scale there are many who are convinced atheists or agnostics，and some of these believe that the world would actually be a better place if Christianity and other religions died out altogether.This does not of course deny the sincerity and devotion of those quite ordinary Christians of all denominations，both priests and laymen，who for instance，spend their whole lives in unpleasant districts at home，or in remote places abroad，sometimes in difficult conditions and on very low salaries，simply to help others.

Notes

1.Thirty-Nine Articles：the doctrine of the Church of England，agreed upon by convocation of clergy in 1562and finally ratified in 1571.This statement of doctrine is still authoritative，without alteration.It is essentially a Protestant statement，which shows the attitude and viewpoint of the Church of England towards some religious issues.

2.Quakers：also called Friends.The Friends were established by the English religious mystic George Fox（1624-1691）in the mid 1600s.They were persecuted in England for refusing to take oaths or to serve as combatants in war.According to Fox，they were called Quakers because they were admonished to“tremble at the word of the Lord”.The most distinctive doctrine of the Friends is the Inner Light，the spark of God in each individual.

Exercises

Ⅰ.Choose the correct answer.

1.The secular head of the Church of England is the________.A.Archbishop of Canterbury B.Archbishop of York C.Prime Minister D.sovereign

2.Who is in charge of the parish in the Church of England？

A.Dean.　　　B.Vicar.　　　C.Patron.　　　D.Canon.

3.The Roman Catholics in England are mainly the descendants of immigrants from________，which has always remained predominantly Roman Catholic.

A.France　　　B.Germany　　　C.Ireland　　　D.Italy

4.The Nonconformist churches include the following ones except________.

A.Presbyterian Church　　　B.Methodist Church

C.Quaker Church　　　　　　D.Roman Catholic Church

5.Puritanism advocates the following ones except________.

A.strict morality　　　B.stern simplicity

C.temperance　　　　　 D.tedious Catholic ritual

6.Which word in the following is not proper to describe the Puritan？A.Teetotaler.B.Kill-joys.C.Faddist.D.Moralist.

7.Presbyterianism was inspired by the teachings of the Protestant reformer.

A.Martin Luther　　　　B.John Calvin

C.John Knox　　　　　　D.Joseph Smith

8.A striking thing about religion in Britain todayis that________.

A.many people go to church regularly

B.most people like to get married in church

C.a large proportion of people is not really interested in religion at all

D.people like to have a Christian funeral when they die

Ⅱ.Fill in the blanks.

1.The established church in Scotland is the ________Church.

2.Anglicanism began in England after ________declared that the King，not the________，was the ________head of the English Church.

3.________believe that the bread and wine at Communion are actually become the body and blood of Christ，whereas most Anglicans think they are simply________.

4.The Puritans were radical________who determined to purify the________ Church of all the corruption and ceremonial pompof the ________Church of that time.

5.The growth of Presbyterianism was so complete that by ________it was the official religion of the ________nation.

6.According to Darwin’s theory of evolution，man has evolved extremely slowlyfrom________.

Ⅲ.Questions for discussion.

1.How is a diocesan bishop appointed？

2.What are the general beliefs of the Roman Catholics？

3.What do Presbyterians generally believe？

4.How do you explain the decline of religion in Britain？