Religious denominations in England from 1688 to 1828

According to the Toleration Act of 1689, anyone who is willing to practice the following points can worship freely: (1) swear allegiance to William and Mary; (2) refuse to accept the authority of the Pope and Catholic laws ; (3) Accept the "Thirty-nine Articles of Faith". Under such conditions, or as long as these conditions are accepted, various Protestant sects can exist and operate freely in Britain. However, this freedom of religious belief was only the freedom of certain sects in the Protestant Church, such as Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Baptists, Quakers, etc., and their total number only accounted for about 1/10 of the total population of Britain at that time ( Note: Qi Boer: "The Trajectory of History—Two Thousand Years of Church History", Chapter 31). At that time, not only were Catholics unable to hold public office, but other people who did not believe in the state religion also did not receive equal treatment. Therefore, religious freedom was still an empty talk. Since then, some emerging sects such as Quakerism, Methodism, Arminianism, Socinianism, and Deism have launched an attack on the state religion. Therefore, the religious pluralism in England during this period was simply the pluralism of various denominations within the Church of England.

During the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, British religious beliefs were greatly impacted. In particular, the religious thoughts of ordinary workers could no longer be constrained by the original precepts of the state religion. The religious enthusiasm of workers It has not declined, but traditional religious concepts are changing. The Anglican Church is increasingly facing challenges. British scholars assert that Britain has entered a "post-Christian era." Of course, the Industrial Revolution did not hasten secularization or the decline of religion in England. As Gilbert said: "The modern industrial environment seems to be less interested in attacking religion, but very active in religious belief" (Note: A.D. Gilbert: "The Formation of Post-Christian Britain-A History of Secularization in Modern Society" (Alan D.Gilbert, The Making of Post-Christian Britain, A History of the Secularization of Modern Society), Longman Publishing Limited, 1980 edition, p. 54). Due to the uneven regional economic development brought about by the Industrial Revolution, and also because the Industrial Revolution allowed some "marginal religions" in "marginal areas" to develop on their own track, the trend of religious pluralism in Britain became more obvious in the 18th century.

It should be said that England has a long history of hostility to Catholicism, and one of its manifestations is the exclusion of Catholics from most areas of public life. However, from 1800 onwards, Roman Catholicism experienced vigorous growth. In England, this growth was the result of the growth of English Catholicism itself and the influx of large numbers of Irish immigrants. By the 1820s, the question of whether Roman Catholics had the right to become members of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland attracted widespread attention, and in 1829 it was finally decided to grant equal rights to Catholics. Since then, not only Roman Catholics have become a legal part of the nation, but all non-believers have also acquired legal rights (Note: Pieter van Veer Hatmut Leibmann: "Perspectives on Nationality and Religion" (Peter van Veer Hartmut Lebmann, Nation and Religion Perspectives on Europe and Asia, Princeton University Press, New Jersey, 1999, p. 24). By the 20th century, Catholicism had even become the largest independent church in Britain. Thus, from the 19th century onwards, British religious pluralism has expanded to include Catholicism.

In fact, since the 1880s and 1890s, Britain is no longer dominated by Christianity. Protestantism has begun to be challenged by Catholicism and other non-Christian faiths in all aspects, and religious diversity has The reality has been accepted. In 1880, the atheist Bradlaugh Chades was elected to the House of Commons, which, despite protracted controversy, was publicly recognized in 1886, thus granting full citizenship to members of religious minorities.

In addition to having the same beliefs, the six major Christian sects also have differences: (1) Lutheran Church, also known as Lutheranism, is a Protestant religion that emerged after the Reformation. One of the major denominations is a collective name for churches based on the religious ideas of Martin Luther. It emphasizes "justification by faith" and the authority of the Bible is higher than that of the pope; believers communicate directly with God based on the Bible without going through the intermediary of church clergy; they do not submit to the jurisdiction of the Roman Pope; the organizational form of the church can be adapted to local conditions. Lutheranism emerged in Germany during the European Reformation in the 16th century, and later spread mainly to northern Germany and Nordic countries. It was introduced to the United States with German immigrants in the 18th century. In the modern Christian missionary movement, Lutheranism also spread to Asia, Africa, and Latin America. It was introduced to China after the Opium War.

(2) Calvinists, also known as Presbyterians and Reformed sects, are one of the main sects of Protestantism and are the collective name for churches based on Calvin’s religious thoughts.

It emphasizes that believers are saved by faith; the Bible is the only source of faith; it believes in God’s predestination, that is, people’s salvation depends entirely on God’s predestination and there is nothing they can do about it; Christ died only for the “elect”; it does not believe in the bread in the Eucharist Wine is the body and blood of Jesus, and it opposes infant baptism; abandons altars, icons, and sacrifices; and advocates that believers should elect elders and pastors to govern the church together. Calvinism emerged in Switzerland during the European Reformation in the 16th century, and later gradually spread to the Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom, southeastern European countries, and North America. During the Christian missionary movement, it was introduced into Asia, Africa, and Latin America. It was introduced to China after the Opium War.

(3) Anglican Communion, also known as Anglicanism, was born in England during the European Reformation and is one of the main Protestant denominations. In 1534, King Henry VIII of England had Parliament pass a bill stipulating that the Church of England was not under the jurisdiction of the Holy See, the king was the supreme head of the church, and the Anglican Church was the Anglican Church. It claims to be an ancient church along with the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, and maintains the episcopal system and orthodox teachings handed down by the apostles; it supports the religious reform; it inherits the traditions of the Roman Catholic Church in all aspects of liturgy, but it is also greatly influenced by churches such as Calvinism. During the British colonial expansion, Anglican Buddhism gradually spread to countries in North America, Asia, Africa and Oceania. After the 19th century, Anli Ganzong was introduced to China. Before 1949, it had been an important sect of Chinese Christianity (Protestant).

(4) Wesleyans, also known as "Methodism", are the collective name for the churches based on the religious ideas of the founder of the sect, John Wesley of England. The sect originated in England in the 18th century. It advocates following various moral norms; it believes that traditional missionary activities are not enough to deal with existing social problems, advocates reforming society, and focuses on carrying out missionary activities among the lower classes; it promotes inner peace and joy as happiness. Wesleyanism is mainly distributed in Britain, the United States, Canada and other countries. After the Opium War, it was introduced to China and was called the Methodist-American Council or the Supervisory Council. In 1940, various Wesleyan factions in China united into the Chinese Christian Methodist Church.

(5) Congregationalists are one of the main Protestant denominations and originated in England in the late 16th century. The Axiom means "public governance" and advocates that each church be independent and governed by the public of believers, with pastors elected democratically; it does not support the establishment of unified management institutions, only associational institutions; the system and rituals of each church are determined by the believers of the church themselves. Independent churches are governed by the masses of believers. Congregationalists generally insist that the Bible is the authority of faith and emphasize individual freedom of belief. It was introduced to North America with British immigrants in the 17th century and has a greater influence in English-speaking countries. ]Introduced to China in the early 9th century.

(6) Baptists are one of the main Protestant denominations. They originated in England and among British exiles in the Netherlands in the early 17th century. It opposes the baptism of infants and believes that the baptized person must reach adulthood to understand the meaning of baptism before being baptized. It also advocates that the baptized person must be fully immersed in water to symbolize death, burial and rebirth; it emphasizes that each church is independent and independent of the government or other Church intervention. Baptistism has a greater influence in Britain and the United States. It was introduced to China after the Opium War. The church that came to China from the American South was called "Baptist".