🇬🇧TBB
Chapter 4

Religion

Religious diversity and the role of religion in UK society

Table of Contents

Chapter 4: Religion

Religious Composition of the UK

According to the 2009 Citizenship Survey:

| Religion | Percentage of Population | |----------|------------------------| | Christian | ~70% | | Muslim | 4% | | Hindu | 2% | | Sikh | 1% | | Jewish | Less than 0.5% | | Buddhist | Less than 0.5% | | No religion | 21% |

Religious buildings representing many faiths exist throughout the UK, including:

  • Christian churches and cathedrals
  • Islamic mosques
  • Hindu temples
  • Jewish synagogues
  • Sikh gurdwaras
  • Buddhist temples

Everyone in the UK has the legal right to practise any religion or none.

Christian Churches in the UK

The Church of England

  • The Church of England is the official state church (also known as the Anglican Church)
  • It is a Protestant denomination, established during the 1530s Reformation when Henry VIII broke from Rome
  • The monarch is the head of the Church of England
  • The church is spiritually led by the Archbishop of Canterbury
  • The monarch traditionally selects senior church officials, based on recommendations from the Prime Minister and a Church-appointed committee
  • Several Church of England bishops sit in the House of Lords
  • The Church of England is known as the Episcopal Church in Scotland and the USA

The Church of Scotland

  • Scotland's national church is the Presbyterian Church of Scotland
  • It is governed by ministers and elders
  • An annually appointed Moderator leads the General Assembly
  • It is not an established church in the same way as the Church of England

Other Churches

  • Wales and Northern Ireland do not have established churches
  • Other Protestant denominations include Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, and Quakers
  • Roman Catholicism is another major Christian denomination in the UK

Patron Saints and Their Days

Each nation of the UK has a patron saint with a designated day of celebration:

| Nation | Patron Saint | Date | |--------|-------------|------| | Wales | St David | 1 March | | Northern Ireland | St Patrick | 17 March | | England | St George | 23 April | | Scotland | St Andrew | 30 November |

  • Only Scotland and Northern Ireland recognise their patron saint's day as an official public holiday
  • However, celebrations occur throughout all four nations with parades and festivals
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