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movements. WORD STUDY
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movements
Since it is a multicultural country where the pressure to conform is comparatively weak, Britain is home to followers of almost every religion and sect imaginable. Some of these are offshoots, or local combinations, of those already mentioned.. The numbers of followers of all the traditional Christian churches have been slowly but steadily declining in the second half of the twentieth century. Other Christian sects and churches have been growing. Because of their energetic enthusiasm and their desire to attract new followers, they are sometimes characterized by the term 'evangelical'. Most of them are similar to traditional nonconformist groups in mat they avoid rigid ritual and place great emphasis on scripture. In the Case of some groups, their interpretations of the Bible are often literal! . the Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses and Seventh Day Adventists (all of which originated in the USA) are examples.
These groups, and others, also provide a strict code of behaviour for their followers.
The fastest-growing type of evangelical Christianity, however, places less emphasis on dogma, sin, or giving people a code of behaviour. Instead, the emphasis is on the spiritual and miraculous; on revelation. Gatherings often involve joyful singing. There is a belief in spiritual healing of the sick. The oldest existing church of this type in Britain is called Pentecostal, and this term is sometimes used to denote all such groups. Pentecostalism has had a small working-class following for many years. Its recent growth is among the middle class. Many groups began with meetings in people's living rooms, where formality is at a minimum. Another term sometimes used of these groups is 'charismatic', reflecting both their enthusiasm and their emphasis on the miraculous. The growth of these groups might indicate that many British people feel a gap in their lives which neither the material benefits of modern life nor the conventional churches can fill.
The remaining religious groups with significant numbers of followers in Britain are all associated with racial minorities. The most well-established of these are the Jews. Anti-Semitism exists in Britain, but for a long time it has been weaker than it is in most other parts of Europe. The security and confidence of Judaism in Britain can be seen both in the healthy proportion of Jews in Parliament and in the fact that within it there is, quite openly, the same struggle between orthodox/conservative and liberal/radical viewpoints as there is in the Anglican and Catholic churches.
The numbers of followers of the Christian Orthodox, Sikh, Hindu and Muslim religions are all growing, mainly because of high birth rates among families belonging to them. The last of these is by far the largest. Its continued growth is also for another reason. Relative authorities have caused people brought up as Muslims to be politicized — more so than any other religious group in the country. As a result young Muslims are less likely to drift away from their religion than the young of other faiths. One example of conflict is the Salman Rushdie affair. Another is the question of Muslim schools. There have been both Catholic and Jewish state schools for some time now. The country's Muslims are demanding the same opportunity.
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[2. 125, 126, 128]
GUIDE
WORD STUDY
I. Match the words with their explanatory phrases:
| 1. moderator 2. monk 3. friar 4. dissenter 5. teetotal 6. nun | A. a member of a religious group of men who often live apart from other people in a monastery and who do not marry or have personal possessions B. a religious leader in the Presbyterian Church who is in charge of the Church council C. a member of a religious community of women who promise to serve God all their lives and often live together in a convent D. religious communities of men who in the past travelled around teaching people about Christianity and lived by asking other people for food E. a person who does not agree with opinions that are officially or generally accepted F. never drinking alcohol |
II. Find the information about the following denominations and religious organizations existing in Great Britain
Methodists
Baptists
Quakers
Mormons
Jehovah’s Witnesses
Seventh Day Adventists
III. Give derivatives to the following words:
| Noun | Verb | Adjective |
| To preach | ||
| Conformation | ||
| Cohesive | ||
| To deny | ||
| Dissenter | ||
| Hierarchy | ||
| To pursue | ||
| Revelation | ||
| Elaborate |
IV. Make up word combinations:
1. Hierarchical a) doctrine
2. To reject b) structure
3. Orthodox c) life
4. Austere d) ritual
5. Marginal e) opposing beliefs
6. To detect f) status
7. To conform g) members
8. Lay h) the Established Church
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9. Material i) religion
10. To drift away from j) benefits
V. Insert the required prepositions where necessary:
1. Many people who hardly ever step …. a church still feel entitled …. describe themselves as " Anglican”.
2. Instead, they placed great importance …. finding the truth …. oneself in the words of the Bible and …. living an austere life of hard work and self-sacrifice.
3. They disapproved … the pursuit … pleasure and therefore frowned …. public entertainments.
4. However, he and his followers considered that it did not care enough …. the needs …. ordinary people and that its hierarchy was not serious enough …. the Christian message.
5. Young Muslims are less likely to drift … … their religion than the young of other faiths.
VI. Fill in the words and word combinations given below:
- austere
- to under-represent
- sacraments
- to conform
- revelation
- self-denial
- to be entitled to
1. It is characteristic of monks to lead an ………………….. way of life.
2. Those who believe in god normally go to church every Sunday and receive…………………..
3. A person whose views did not …………….. to those of the Established Church used to be called a dissenter and later a nonconformist.
4. Some evangelical groups put a lot of emphasis on spiritual life, often on …………….
5. The original puritans praised …………………. and they were all teetotal.
6. Catholics are still dissatisfied with the fact that they are ………………… at the top levels and they are sure they are ……………… to the same rights as Protestants in Great Britain.
VII. Give the synonyms to the following words from the text:
1. Disclosure
2. Correspond to
3. Abstinence
4. Communion
5. Priest
6. To have right to
7. Very complicated
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