Christianity in Britain.

3.4.1. Christianity was brought to Britain from Rome by Chris­tian refugees who were fiercely prosecuted for their faith at home. In the year 306, the Roman Emperor Constantine stopped the prosecution of the Christians and became a Christian himself. It became the official reli­gion in Britain, too. The Druids disappeared. The new religion was called the Catholic Church ("catholic" means "universal"). The Greek and Latin languages became the languages of the Church all over Europe. When the Anglo-Saxons, who were pagans, invad­ed Britain, most of the British Christians were killed. Towards the end of the VI century Christian monks began coming from Rome to Britain again. The first Catholic Church was built in the town of Саnterbury.

3.4.2. Curiously, the spread of Christianity is also associated with the activities of St Patrick, the national saint of Ireland. He was probably born in Wales, the son of a Roman father. Patrick became a monk in Gaul (= France) and went to Ireland in AD 432. He converted many people to Christianity, and there are many stories about his great powers, including one which explains why there are no snakes in Ireland. Patrick is said to have tricked them all so that they went into the sea and drowned. He is also said to have used the shamrock plant to explain the Christian idea of the Trinity, because it has three leaves on one stem. That is why it is traditional for Irish people to wear a shamrock on St Patrick’s Day, 17 March.

3.4.3. Nowadays, the United Kingdom guarantees its citizens religious freedom without interference from the state or the community, and most of the world’s religions have followers in Britain. As in many European countries today, the majority of the population in Britain does not regularly attend religious services, yet nearly all faiths have devoted congregations of active members. An increasing percentage of the population professes no religious faith and some organizations represent secular outlooks. The United Kingdom has two established churches: the Church of England and the Church of Scotland. Anglicans also speak of themselves as a catholic, or universal, church, with a lowercase c, meaning that their beliefs are intended for humankind as a whole.

3.4.4. The British monarch, who must be a member of the Anglican Church, holds the titles of Supreme Governor of the Church of England and Defender of the Faith. The monarch appoints archbishops and bishops upon the advice of the prime minister, who consults a commission that includes both lay people and clergy. Two archbishops and 24 senior bishops sit in the House of Lords. About 45 percent of the British population is Anglican. A third of the marriages in Britain are performed in the Anglican Church. Many members are merely baptized, married, and buried in the church, but do not otherwise attend services. More than a million people attend the Church of England on an average Sunday.

LECTURE 04

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