Christianity, migration and religious pluralism

• Migration has created multicultural societies which include Christianity
• British society has contained communities of people from other cultures for a long time in its history
• Multiculturalism and religious diversity became a recognised feature of British society only from the late twentieth century
• Outline of migration to Britain


  • Many people migrated from Eastern Europe after the Second World War
  • Many Indians and Pakistanis migrated after Indian Independence was declared in 1947
  • In the 1950s, there was a severe shortage of labour in the UK, so the British Government encouraged immigration from the Caribbean and
  • In the 1980s, many Somalis came to escape the civil war in their homeland
  • In the 1990s, the Balkan conflict led to many people migrating from there
  • Immigration has continued in the twenty-first century as a result of the expansion of the EU, migrants crossing into Europe from North Africa, and refugees from the civil war in Syria
• Some viewed immigration as a threat to traditional British values, which they linked to Christianity even if they had no real connections with any church
• Emotive and inflammatory language was used, such as talk of "being swamped" and Enoch Powell's speech in 1968, warning of disastrous results
• In modern times, this feeling has been encouraged by some political parties
• Most people saw multiculturalism as an opportunity for enrichment
• There was a desire to respect and protect all cultures
• Multiculturalism was seen as a way of promoting tolerance and equal opportunities in all aspects of British life
• Multiculturalism


  The presence of, or support for the presence of, several distinct cultural or ethnic groups within a society
• Religious diversity


  The fact that there are significant differences in religious beliefs and practices within a society
• Migration


  The movement of large numbers of people from one place to another
• The 2011 Census showed a continuing decline in numbers of those declaring they were Christian (now just over 59 per cent), a rise in those of no religion (just over 25 per cent) and in Muslims (almost 5 per cent), and an increase in statistics for Hinduism, Sikhism, Judaism and Buddhism
• Some areas of Britain are still monocultural as when people first migrated, they tended to settle in groups and in places where employment was to be readily found
• The European Convention on Human Rights adopted as law Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion
• Freedom to manifest one's religion or beliefs shall be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of public safety, for the protection of public order, health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others
• Religious pluralism


  A situation where people of different faiths live in the same society as one another without conflict and show respect to one another
• As a secular state, Britain's population contains many different faiths and many different cultures, and it is a society in which there is, to an extent, religious pluralism
• A society in which religious pluralism is embraced is characterised by exploring one another's traditions and helping one another and respecting differences
• Multiculturalism threatens social cohesion as there is no sense of a common identity
• Immigrant cultures might flourish without being assimilated, which can lead to a sense of isolation, or discrimination
• Certain practices carried out by some communities are illegal under British law and cause tensions, such as female genital mutilation and forced marriages
• Multiculturalism assumes that no culture can claim to be the best, but a major reason for belonging to a particular religion is the conviction that it offers the best way of life
• Religious pluralism might work with different practices but there is a real problem when it comes to different beliefs, as the existence of statements of belief may make it impossible for someone to accept that the teachings of two or more religions are true at the same time
• Secular state


  A country where the government, legal system and society are independent of the teachings of a religion
• Social cohesion


  A situation where different cultures work together, forging a national identity
• Assimilated


  When one culture or religious system is totally absorbed by another, losing its distinctive identity
• Exclusivism is the view that one religion alone is the only true one
• Emergency baptism refers to baptising those likely to die; it used to be believed that baptism was essential for salvation
• Evangelism


  Spreading Christianity by preaching or personal witness
• Inclusivism is the view that although one religion is true, other religions may show aspects of that one true religion
• Luke/Acts are two books in the New Testament that are believed by most Christians to have been written by the same person
• Anonymous Christians


  Karl Rahner's view that non-Christians are able to experience grace and salvation
• Inclusivism


  The view that although one religion is true, other religions may show aspects of that one true religion
• The Acts of the Apostles show that even in the early days there were disputes
• In 1054, what is known as the Great Schism occurred, which was the Old Church from the Western Church which became known as the Catholic Church
• Since the Reformation, there had been further splits and divisions
• Disagreements relate to a range of issues including leadership, the authority and interpretation of the Bible
• Those who do not make this personal commitment to God have rejected God's offer of salvation