Title:

Religion in Society

Publish Date:

September 2011

ISBN:

978 1 86168 595 7

Covering Ages:

16 to 18 years

Issue Description

Religion in Society looks at the different faiths and faith-based cultures at work in our communities. It covers all the majors faiths present in Britain today, and looks in detail at some of the recent debates surrounding religion: for example, whether people of faith are discriminated against by new equalities legislation; if it is right to create more faith schools, and whether Britain should follow the example of France and ban full face veils for Muslim women. It also covers trends in religion and worship, including the decline in church attendance and whether Britain can still be called a ‘Christian country’.
The information comes from a wide range of sources and includes government reports and statistics, newspaper articles, features, magazine articles and surveys, literature from lobby groups and charitable organisations.

Price:

£7.95

Quantity:

Key Facts

• Buddhism began in Northern India over 2,500 years ago, and is based upon the teachings of Siddattha Gotoma who became known as the ‘Buddha’ – the enlightened one. (page 1)
  
  
• Judaism is the faith of the Jews dating back over 4,000 years, originating in the Middle East. The Jewish community in Britain dates back to the Middle Ages. (page 3)
  
  
• In a poll conducted by YouGov in March 2011 on behalf of the BHA, when asked the census question ‘What is your religion?’, 61% of people in England and Wales ticked a religious box (53.48% Christian and 7.22% other) while 39% ticked ‘No religion’. (page 5)
  
  
• By 2015, the level of church attendance in the UK is predicted to fall to 3,081,500 people, or 5% of the population. (page 6)
  
  
• In a survey of 18,192 citizens of 23 nations worldwide, half (48%) agreed that ‘religion provides the common values and ethical foundations that diverse societies need to thrive in the 21st century’. (page 7)
  
  
• A study led by academics at Oxford University has concluded that believing in gods and an afterlife is part of human nature. (page 16)
  
  
• People are twice as likely to say the media is to blame for Islamophobia (29%) than far-right groups (13%), or indeed Muslims themselves either abroad (14%) or in the UK (11%). (page 33)
  
  
• 23% of all serious acts of violence and vandalism perpetrated against Jews and Jewish property globally in 2010 took place in the UK, according to Antisemitism Worldwide, 2010: General Analysis. (page 36)
  
  
• Two-thirds of the British public agree with the statement ‘the burqa should be banned in Britain’. (page 39)

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Religion in the UK

Faith and culture in the community, What is humanism?, Religion and belief, Is religion a force for good in the world?, Religion today, Islam in the UK, Traditional practice may be down, but media coverage of religion is up, What is ‘Christian Britain’?, Not atheist, not religious: typical Briton is a ‘fuzzy believer’, Oxford study: belief in God is natural, Faith schools, Faith school admissions may promote social inequality, Does God belong in the classroom?.

Chapter 2 Religious Tolerance

Religion or belief: rights at work, Has equalities legislation gone too far?, The law of England is not Christian, Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hate crime, Hatred of Muslims is one of the last bastions of British bigotry, British public most likely to blame the media for Islamophobia, Fear factor: Europe bans the burqa, Anti-Semitism worldwide, 2010, For and against the face veil, Two-thirds of Brits want burqa ban.

Key Facts
Glossary
Index
Acknowledgements
Assignments

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