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Church of scotland

The Church of Scotland was created in 1560 by John Knox, who was opposed to the idea of bishop’s rule and considered that the English Church had not moved sufficiently far from Rome. The Scottish Church followed the teachings of Calvin, a leading proponent of the European Reformation, and developed a rather severe form of Presbyterian Protestantism. Its churches are plain (there is no alter, only a table) and the emphasis is on pulpit, where the gospel is preached. Unlike the Church of England, the Church of Scotland is subject neither to the Crown, nor to Parliament. The church is generally known as the Scottish Kirk and has the adult membership of about 800 000.

The Kirk is more democratic than the Church of England in that it has a Presbyterian form of government. The principal governing body of the Church- the General Assembly. It meets every year under the presidency of an elected Moderator, who serves for 1 year and is the leader of the church.

In keeping with its democratic nature, it admits women as well as men to the ministry.

Roman catholic church

The Roman Catholic Church in Britain experienced much persecution and discrimination after the Reformation. In England it had ceased to exist in the 16th century and was formally restored in 1850. In Scotland the Church’s formal structure was not restored until 1878. However, through this period Catholicism never disappeared entirely. For the preceding 300 years some Catholic families had refused to accept the new Church and were regarded not wholeheartedly English.

Since 1850 the Roman Catholic Church has grown rapidly. Today Catholicism is widely practiced throughout Britain and enjoys complete freedom, except that no Catholic can become monarch. There are now 7 Catholic provinces in Great Britain (4 in England, 2 in Scotland and 1 in Wales), each under the supervision of an archbishop; 30 dioceses, each under the control of a bishop; and over 3 320 parishes and about 4800 priests (only men may become priests). The head of the Church in England is the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, and the senior lay Catholic is the Duke of Norfolk.

About 10% of British citizens claim to be Roman Catholics. It would the Catholic community is made principally of the very rich and very poor.

Most Catholics are seemingly strict in their adherence to religious customs. The church continues to emphasise the important role of education for its children, and requires its members to try to bring up their children in the Catholic faith.

Free churches

The Free (or Nonconformist) Churches are those Protestant sects in Britain, which, unlike the Church of England and the Church of Scotland, are not established as official churches of the state. Their history is that of schism and separation, not only from the Church of England but also from each other. This has resulted in the formation of many different sects and the continuation of the nonconformist tradition. These sects have developed their own convictions and traditions. The major Free Churches today are the Methodists, the Baptists, the United Reformed Church and the Salvation Army. All of these allow both men and women to become priests.

The Methodist Church is the largest of the Free Churches with 389 000 full adult members and a community of 1,2 million. It was established in 1784 by John Wesley (1703-91)after Church of England obliged him to separate and form his own organization. The present church is based on the 1932 union of most of the separate Methodist sects, though independent Methodist churches still exist in Britain and abroad, with a worldwide membership of several million.

Members of this church are sometimes referred as Weslians, after their founder. The organization of this church is similar to that of Presbyterians in practice, that is, it is governed by ‘presbyteries’ or local councils in which each congregation is represented by its minister and laymen. Most of the ministers in this church are laymen.

The Baptists date from the 17th century, being the oldest dissenters in Britain. They reject state authority over the church, each congregation is governed by its own Church Meeting of members over whom the minister presides. The Baptists practice Believers Baptism. The membership of this union is 150 000.

The third largest of the Free Churches is the United Reformed Church (with 95 000 members). It was formed in 1972 when the Congregational Church in England and Wales and the Presbyterian Church of England merged.

The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) came into being in the middle of the 17th century under the leadership of George Fox (1624- 91).It has no ordained ministers and no conventionally organized services, like liturgy or sacraments. Silent worship is central to its life as a religious organization. Their churches, called meeting- houses, are found only in large towns (18 000 adult members).

The Salvation Army, with its emphasis upon saving souls through a very practical Christian mission, was founded in the East End of London by William Booth in 1865 and now has 55 000 members, 3000 officers and more than 1000 centers of warship. It has since spread to 85 countries. The members of this church wear a special dark- blue uniform.

The Free Churches of Britain are growing and part of their revival may be attributed to the vitality of the West Indian churches.

A recent development has been the rise of Pentecostalism, the movement that began in the early 20th century and who are increasing in number. The 2 main Pentecostalist organizations operating in Britain today are the Assemblies of God (54 000 members) and the Elim Pentecostal Church.

Other Protestant Churches include the Unitarians (who do accept the divinity of Christ), and Free Christians, whose origins go back to the Reformation.

The Christian ‘house church’ movement began in the early 1970th when some charismatics began to establish their own congregations. The movement, whose growth has been most marked in England, is characterized by lay leadership and is organized into a number of loose fellowships, such as the Ichtus Fellowship in south –east London. Their membership is 120 000.

There are also a number of Christian communities of foreign origin, including Orthodox, Lutheran and Reformed Churches of European countries, the Coptic Orthodox Church and the American Church.

There are also several other religious organizations in the UK, which were founded in the United States in the last century. These include the Christadelphians, the Christian Scientists, the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Seventh –Day Adventists, and the Spiritualists.

This diversity of Christian groups and affiliations results in the extremely varied religious life in Britain today, but one, which is an important reality for a large number of people.


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