Download or read book Religion in Britain Since 1945 written by Grace Davie and published by Wiley-Blackwell. This book was released on 1994-12-05 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This important book describes as accurately as possible the religious situation of Great Britain at the end of the twentieth century, and evaluates this evidence within a sociological framework.

Download or read book Religion in Modern Europe written by Grace Davie and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2000 with total page 231 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is intended for scholars and students of Sociology, Religion, Politics, European Studies, and Philosophy.

Download or read book Finding Myself in Britain written by Amy Boucher Pye and published by Authentic Media Inc. This book was released on 2015-10-01 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Think Michele Guinness meets Bill Bryson. Finding Myself In Britain is a witty, insightful look at faith, identity and the quirks of British life by a stranger-turned-friend. With a conversational style, this book explores rooting our faith in Christ to weather any storm and flourish in the sunshine. It helps readers look at Britain and its culture with fresh eyes while finding Jesus in the midst of it. "You don't have to be an American to enjoy this book. Or British. Or a vicar's wife. You just have to be somebody who has found themselves in an unusual place, felt a bit out of their depth, and wondered where God was in all of that. That's most of us, I think." Bob Hartman.

Download or read book The Science of Religion in Britain 1860 1915 written by Marjorie Wheeler-Barclay and published by University of Virginia Press. This book was released on 2010-10-21 with total page 327 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Marjorie Wheeler-Barclay argues that, although the existence and significance of the science of religion has been barely visible to modern scholars of the Victorian period, it was a subject of lively and extensive debate among nineteenth-century readers and audiences. She shows how an earlier generation of scholars in Victorian Britain attempted to arrive at a dispassionate understanding of the psychological and social meanings of religious beliefs and practices—a topic not without contemporary resonance in a time when so many people feel both empowered and threatened by religious passion—and provides the kind of history she feels has been neglected. Wheeler-Barclay examines the lives and work of six scholars: Friedrich Max Müller, Edward B. Tylor, Andrew Lang, William Robertson Smith, James G. Frazer, and Jane Ellen Harrison. She illuminates their attempts to create a scholarly, non-apologetic study of religion and religions that drew upon several different disciplines, including anthropology, sociology, the classics, and Oriental studies, and relied upon contributions from those outside as well as within the universities. This intellectual enterprise—variously known as comparative religion, the history of religions, or the science of religion—was primarily focused on non-Christian religions. Yet in Wheeler-Barclay’s study of the history of this field within the broad contexts of Victorian cultural, intellectual, social, and political history, she traces the links between the emergence of the science of religion to debates about Christianity and to the history of British imperialism, the latter of which made possible the collection of so much of the ethnographic data on which the scholars relied and which legitimized exploration and conquest. Far from promoting an anti-religious or materialistic agenda, the science of religion opened up cultural space for an exploration of religion that was not constricted by the terms of contemporary conflicts over Darwin and the Bible and that made it possible to think in new and more flexible ways about the very definition of religion.

Download or read book Pagan Britain written by Ronald Hutton and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2014-05-13 with total page 496 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Britain's pagan past, with its mysterious monuments, atmospheric sites, enigmatic artifacts, bloodthirsty legends, and cryptic inscriptions, is both enthralling and perplexing to a resident of the twenty-first century. In this ambitious and thoroughly up-to-date book, Ronald Hutton reveals the long development, rapid suppression, and enduring cultural significance of paganism, from the Paleolithic Era to the coming of Christianity. He draws on an array of recently discovered evidence and shows how new findings have radically transformed understandings of belief and ritual in Britain before the arrival of organized religion. Setting forth a chronological narrative, Hutton along the way makes side visits to explore specific locations of ancient pagan activity. He includes the well-known sacred sites—Stonehenge, Avebury, Seahenge, Maiden Castle, Anglesey—as well as more obscure locations across the mainland and coastal islands. In tireless pursuit of the elusive “why” of pagan behavior, Hutton astonishes with the breadth of his understanding of Britain’s deep past and inspires with the originality of his insights.

Download or read book Reimagining Britain written by Justin Welby and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2018-03-08 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby sets out a radical vision for 21st century Britain in this updated paperback edition. It is now three years since Justin Welby first published his Reimagining Britain. The fundamental message of that book remains as urgent as ever. But in this revised and expanded edition, Welby has taken fully into account the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brexit and all the social and political unrest that has ensued. If anything, the new edition of Archbishop Welby's book is even more important than its predecessor. Here is a radical vision for 21st century Britain. The thesis of this book is that the work of reimagining is as great as it was in 1945, and will happen either by accident – and thus badly – or deliberately. Welby explores the areas in which values are translated into action, including the traditional three of recent history: health (especially public, and mental), housing and education. To these he adds family; the environment; economics and finance; peacebuilding and overseas development; immigration; and integration. He looks particularly at the role of faith groups in enabling, and contributing to, a fairer future. When so many are immobilized by political turmoil, this book builds on our past to offer hope for the future, and practical ways of achieving a more equitable society.

Download or read book Religion in Britain written by Grace Davie and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2015-02-23 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Religion in Britain evaluates and sheds light on the religious situation in twenty-first century Britain; it explores the country's increasing secularity alongside religion's growing presence in public debate, and the impact of this paradox on Britain's society. Describes and explains the religious situation in twenty-first century Britain Based on the highly successful Religion in Britain Since 1945 (Blackwell, 1994) but extensively revised with the majority of the text re-written to reflect the current situation Investigates the paradox of why Britain has become increasingly secular and how religion is increasingly present in public debate compared with 20 years ago Explores the impact this paradox has on churches, faith communities, the law, politics, education, and welfare

Download or read book Religion and Change in Modern Britain written by Linda Woodhead and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-03-01 with total page 595 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers a fully up-to-date and comprehensive guide to religion in Britain since 1945. A team of leading scholars provide a fresh analysis and overview, with a particular focus on diversity and change. They examine: relations between religious and secular beliefs and institutions the evolving role and status of the churches the growth and ‘settlement’ of non-Christian religious communities the spread and diversification of alternative spiritualities religion in welfare, education, media, politics and law theoretical perspectives on religious change. The volume presents the latest research, including results from the largest-ever research initiative on religion in Britain, the AHRC/ESRC Religion and Society Programme. Survey chapters are combined with detailed case studies to give both breadth and depth of coverage. The text is accompanied by relevant photographs and a companion website.

Download or read book Believing in Britain written by Ian Bradley and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2006-11-24 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why is there such intense interest today in the idea of 'Britishness'? Does it really matter, and what is 'Britishness' anyway? Why does the notion of 'being British' seem to have most resonance amongst recent immigrant - especially Asian and Afro-Caribbean - communities? And why is that 'traditional' British values now seem to be most widely practised and cherished by newcomers, not by the dominant majority? This book answers these vital questions by making a unique contribution to the current debate about British identity. It investigates why Liverpool is the most British of UK cities, with a regional accent representing a medley of Welsh, Scots, Irish and English; how a small village off the M6 motorway is arguably Britain's spiritual heart; and what theme parks, airport shops and eating habits have to tell us about the contemporary national character. It is often claimed that Great Britain is one of the most secular nations on earth. But - controversially - Ian Bradley argues that Britishness is best envisaged as a series of overlapping identities which are at root religious. He views the 400 year-old Union Jack, with its overlaid crosses of three of the nation's four patron saints, as symbolising the United Kingdom's unparalleled combination of unity in diversity, the diversity of a society which now embodies Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist and many other - including secular - traditions. He goes on to argue that 'Britishness' has special value as a broad church measure of spiritual and cultural inclusiveness - and as a positive alternative to fundamentalism, narrow nationalism and jingoism. The author explores in separate chapters the distinctive contributions to Britishness made over the centuries by the Celtic traditions of the Welsh and Irish, the Anglo-Saxon strain of tolerance and freedom associated with the English, the moral seriousness of the Scots, and the characteristics of exuberance, modesty and privacy introduced by new black and Asian Britons. Published to coincide with the three hundredth anniversary of the 1707 Act of Union, his book offers a number of radical proposals. These include re-designing the Union flag to incorporate a black cross on a gold background, to better reflect the hybridity of contemporary Britain, and replacing George, Andrew and Patrick with a new trinity of patron saints - Columba, Bridget and Edward the Confessor. Ian Bradley contends that a rejuvenated BBC, monarchy and Commonwealth all have a part to play in forging a new sense of British identity which combines myth, imagination and tradition with a broad, open-minded inclusivity and respect for difference. Believing in Britain makes a consistently thoughtful and challenging contribution to one of the most important discussions of our time.

Download or read book Britain B C written by Francis Pryor and published by HarperCollins Publishers. This book was released on 2003 with total page 568 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Based on new archaeological finds, this book introduces a novel rethinking of the whole of British history before the coming of the Romans. So many extraordinary archaeological discoveries (many of them involving the author) have been made since the early 1970s that our whole understanding of British prehistory needs to be updated. So far only the specialists have twigged on to these developments; now, Francis Pryor broadcasts them to a much wider, general audience. Aided by aerial photography, coastal erosion (which has helped expose such coastal sites as Seahenge) and new planning legislation which requires developers to excavate the land they build on, archaeologists have unearthed a far more sophisticated life among the Ancient Britons than has been previously supposed. Far from being the woaded barbarians of Roman propaganda, we Brits had our own religion, laws, crafts, arts, trade, farms, priesthood and royalty. And the Scots, English and Welsh were fundamentally one and the same people.

Download or read book Londonistan written by Melanie Phillips and published by Encounter Books. This book was released on 2007-06-25 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The suicide bombings carried out in London in 2005 by British Muslims revealed an enormous fifth column of Islamist terrorists and their sympathizers. Under the noses of British intelligence, London has become the European hub for the promotion, recruitment and financing of Islamic terror and extremism - so much so that it has been mockingly dubbed Londonistan. In this ground-breaking book Melanie Phillips pieces together the story of how Londonistan developed as a result of the collapse of traditional English identity and accommodation of a particularly virulent form of multiculturalism. Londonistan has become a country within the country and not only threatens Britain but its special relationship with the U.S. as well.

Download or read book Class in Britain written by David Cannadine and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2000-03-30 with total page 399 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: David Cannadine's unique history examines the British preoccupation with class and the different ways the British have thought about their own society. From the eighteenth through the twentieth century, he traces the different ways British society has been viewed, unveiling the different purposes each model has served. This is a social, intellectual and political history and a powerful account of how and why class has shaped British identity.

Download or read book Religion and Society in Twentieth Century Britain written by Callum G. Brown and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-09-11 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During the twentieth century, Britain turned from one of the most deeply religious nations of the world into one of the most secularised nations. This book provides a comprehensive account of religion in British society and culture between 1900 and 2000. It traces how Christian Puritanism and respectability framed the people amidst world wars, economic depressions, and social protest, and how until the 1950s religious revivals fostered mass enthusiasm. It then examines the sudden and dramatic changes seen in the 1960’s and the appearance of religious militancy in the 1980s and 1990s. With a focus on the themes of faith cultures, secularisation, religious militancy and the spiritual revolution of the New Age, this book uses people’s own experiences and the stories of the churches to display the diversity and richness of British religion. Suitable for undergraduate students studying modern British history, church history and sociology of religion.

Download or read book British Gods written by Steve Bruce and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2020-08-28 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The big picture is well-known: over the last century, religion in Britain has lost power, popularity, and plausibility. Here, Steve Bruce charts the quantifiable changes in religious interest and observance over the last fifty years by returning to a number of towns and villages that were the subject of detailed community studies in the 1950s and 1960s, to see how the status and nature of religion has changed. Drawing on both detailed data on baptism rates, church weddings, church attendance and the like, and on his extensive fieldwork, he considers the broader picture of religion today: the status of the clergy, the churches' attempts to find new roles, links between religion and violence, and the impact of the charismatic movement. Along the way, Bruce encounters and engages with the contemporary rise of secularism, considering our everyday secular tensions with religion: arguments over moral issues such as abortion and gay rights, the effect of social class on belief, the impact of religion on British politics, and the ways that local social structures strengthen or weaken religion. Analysing the obstacles to any religious revival, he explores how the current stock of religious knowledge is so depleted, religion so unpopular, and committed believers so scarce that any significant reversal of religion's decline in Britain is unlikely.

Download or read book Political and Religious Identities of British Evangelicals written by Andrea C. Hatcher and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-07-19 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines the paradoxical relationship between the religious and political behaviors of American and British Evangelicals, who exhibit nearly identical religious canon and practice, but sharply divergent political beliefs and action. Relying on interviews with British religious and political elites (journalists, MPs, activists, clergy) as well as focus groups in ten Evangelical congregations, this study reveals that British Evangelicals, unlike their American counterparts known for their extensive involvement in party politics, have no discernible ideological or partisan orientation, choosing to pursue their political interests through civic or social organizations rather than electoral influence. It goes further to show that many British Evangelicals shun the label itself for its negative political connotations and in-/out-group sensibility, and choose to focus on a broader social justice imperative rendered almost incoherent by a lack of group identity. Placing itself at the forefront of an incipient but growing segment of comparative research into the intersectionality of religion and politics, the work satisfies a lacuna of how the same religious tradition can act differently in public squares contextualized by political and cultural variables.

Download or read book Cursed Britain written by Thomas Waters and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2019-10-07 with total page 375 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The definitive history of how witchcraft and black magic have survived, through the modern era and into the present dayCursed Britain unveils the enduring power of witchcraft, curses and black magic in modern times. Few topics are so secretive or controversial. Yet, whether in the 1800s or the early 2000s, when disasters struck or personal misfortunes mounted, many Britons found themselves believing in things they had previously dismissed – dark supernatural forces.Historian Thomas Waters here explores the lives of cursed or bewitched people, along with the witches and witch-busters who helped and harmed them. Waters takes us on a fascinating journey from Scottish islands to the folklore-rich West Country, from the immense territories of the British Empire to metropolitan London. We learn why magic caters to deep-seated human needs but see how it can also be abused, and discover how witchcraft survives by evolving and changing. Along the way, we examine an array of remarkable beliefs and rituals, from traditional folk magic to diverse spiritualities originating in Africa and Asia.This is a tale of cynical quacks and sincere magical healers, depressed people and furious vigilantes, innocent victims and rogues who claimed to possess evil abilities. Their spellbinding stories raise important questions about the state’s role in regulating radical spiritualities, the fragility of secularism and the true nature of magic.

Download or read book Being British written by Chris Parish and published by John Hunt Publishing. This book was released on 2016-06-24 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Being British: Our Once & Future Selves is a journey into British culture and identity today, outlining a welcome new story for ourselves in these times of lack of belonging. It's a book for the liberally minded, and those who feel themselves to be post-traditional, not defined by nationality. The book takes a thought-provoking angle, which is neither Left nor Right, but instead brings the novel lens of a developmental view. It connects the dots between past, present and future, integrating the shadow side, and draws on many unusual examples. This is a fresh story of what it means to be British, where the author is included in the narrative. Without being nostalgic, it restores a sense of rootedness and helps us appreciate our British qualities, incrementally built over a millennium and a half. It celebrates being British as elective and not based on race, and demonstrates how to have pride in our nationality in a post-traditional way.