Abstract
THAT the Church of England represents the major religious affiliation of the people of England today appears at first sight undeniable. But how major is this majority? What degree and kind of majority does the Church of England possess in relation to all other religious bodies or communities now present in this country? These are important questions which receive too little attention in contemporary discussions on such matters as religion and the state, religious education in state schools and so on. A little thought, plus a little historical research, soon reveals the fact that to be established as ‘top religion’ requires more than numerical superiority. It is essential also to be the major body in terms of power, political, social and economic — as well as in terms of numbers of adherents — and on this count the Church of England certainly has a clear lead over all other recognised kinds of religious affiliation in England. Its lead in terms of numbers is not nearly so overwhelming, however, in spite of the common assumption that the Church of England is the form of religion of the English people, and that therefore on that score it has a right to some sort of presidential position in religious affairs. Its lead, and its presiding role, is in terms of its power. The reasons for this lie in the political history of modern England, and need to be clearly understood if any attempt is to be made to look objectively at the situation of religious pluralism which obtains in this country today.
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Notes
J. R. Western, Monarchy and Revolution (1972), p. 158.
Keith Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic (1971), p. 173.
See John D. Gay, The Geography of Religion in England (1971).
G. M. Trevelyan, English Social History (3rd edn, 1946 ), p. 253.
See George Clark, The Later Stuarts: 1660–1714 (2nd edn, 1956), p. 24;
and Peter Mathias, The First Industrial Nation (1969), p. 11.
Cecil Roth, A History of theJews in England (3rd edn, 1964), p. 157.
Bernard Lord Manning, The Protestant Dissenting Deputies (1952), p. 211.
D. Bowen, The Idea of the Victorian Church (1968), p. 254.
Winnington Ingram, Work in Great Cities (1896), p. 22.
Leslie Paul, The Development and Payment of the Clergy (1964), p. 54.
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© 1980 Trevor Ling
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Ling, T. (1980). State Religion in England. In: Karl Marx and Religion. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-16375-5_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-16375-5_3
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