Religious pluralism and society
How should Christians relate to people who follow non-Christian religions or who
have no religious belief?
The UK has become increasingly religiously diverse and although Christianity is still
the predominant religion, significant proportions of the population practise other
religions or reject religion entirely
People are encouraged by modern society to tolerate and respect the religions of
others, to welcome diversity, and to embrace everyone’s freedom to have their own
beliefs and opinions
Modern society in the UK seems to hold the view that religious belief is a personal
matter and should not be on public display in case it offends the rights of others to
have different beliefs
However, Christians can wonder whether it is then appropriate for them to share
their faith openly with others and try to convert other people to Christianity
Christian Churches have attempted to address the difficulties for Christians living in a
multi-faith society. E.g. Catholic Church and Church of England have issued
statements giving guidance to their members about living a Christian life and
speaking about Christianity with members of other faiths
Some Christians have also become involved in more formal practises of inter-faith
dialogue, where they meet up with members of other faith communities for
discussion to gain a better understanding
Development of Contemporary Multi-Faith Societies:
In the past in the UK, most people lived in communities dominated by Christianity
Samuel Pepys visited a London synagogue in 1663 and was fascinated by a Jewish
celebration. His experiences of encountering a religion other than Christianity were
unusual
Before the Romans came to Britain, local religious practices centred around
agriculture, fertility and ancestor worship. Christianity was introduced by the
Romans and coexisted alongside traditional religious practices until when Christian
missionaries established Christianity as the primary faith of the British
The UK became a predominantly Christian country around the 7th century as the
result of missionary work by Christians. In 2011, UK census, 60% of people
responded to the question ‘what is your religion?’ with Christian
Multi-faith societies are those in which there are significant populations of people
from different religious backgrounds
How should Christians relate to people who follow non-Christian religions or who
have no religious belief?
The UK has become increasingly religiously diverse and although Christianity is still
the predominant religion, significant proportions of the population practise other
religions or reject religion entirely
People are encouraged by modern society to tolerate and respect the religions of
others, to welcome diversity, and to embrace everyone’s freedom to have their own
beliefs and opinions
Modern society in the UK seems to hold the view that religious belief is a personal
matter and should not be on public display in case it offends the rights of others to
have different beliefs
However, Christians can wonder whether it is then appropriate for them to share
their faith openly with others and try to convert other people to Christianity
Christian Churches have attempted to address the difficulties for Christians living in a
multi-faith society. E.g. Catholic Church and Church of England have issued
statements giving guidance to their members about living a Christian life and
speaking about Christianity with members of other faiths
Some Christians have also become involved in more formal practises of inter-faith
dialogue, where they meet up with members of other faith communities for
discussion to gain a better understanding
Development of Contemporary Multi-Faith Societies:
In the past in the UK, most people lived in communities dominated by Christianity
Samuel Pepys visited a London synagogue in 1663 and was fascinated by a Jewish
celebration. His experiences of encountering a religion other than Christianity were
unusual
Before the Romans came to Britain, local religious practices centred around
agriculture, fertility and ancestor worship. Christianity was introduced by the
Romans and coexisted alongside traditional religious practices until when Christian
missionaries established Christianity as the primary faith of the British
The UK became a predominantly Christian country around the 7th century as the
result of missionary work by Christians. In 2011, UK census, 60% of people
responded to the question ‘what is your religion?’ with Christian
Multi-faith societies are those in which there are significant populations of people
from different religious backgrounds
