蒙大英語國家-美國概況課件05 American Religion

1、Lecture Five American ReligionContentsWarm-Up 1Language Study2Detailed Study 3Extension4Warm-Up Discuss the Following QuestionsWho were the first immigrants to America?What are the main Protestant denominations?Warm-Up Discuss the Following QuestionsWhich denomination is derived directly from the Ch

2、urch of England?Which is the largest Protestant group? Language Study congregation: 全體教徒persecution: 迫害counterbalance: 抵銷，平衡doctrinaire: 教條主義的dissenter: 不信奉國教者outrage: 憤怒之極，傷害mythology: 神話 Detailed StudyAdd Your subtitleAdd Your subtitleAdd Your subtitleReligious freedomReligion &educationProtestant

3、ismBaptismMethodistsSociety of FriendsCatholicsOrthodox ChurchJewishProtestant Episcopal ProtestantismAmerica is remarkable for its attachment to the principle of freedom of belief or disbelief. The early Americans had escaped from religious persecution in their old countries. They were determined t

4、hat there would be no religious oppression in the new home. Bill of Rights began in its very first article by insisting that there should be no state religion.Even around 1800 great care was taken to ensure that non-believers were not made subject to religious laws desired by those who are religious

5、. Modern American religious freedom in the law is often counterbalanced by a spontaneous social pressure in favor of religion, though not of any particular kind of religion. Religious FreedomDevelopment of education in America was much influenced by religion in the early stages before and after Inde

6、pendence.The Constitution seems to imply that public educational institutions should not provide religious instruction as part of the regular curriculum. The Supreme Court delivered a ruling to the effect that religious instruction in public schools was against the Constitution. Religion and Educati

7、onProtestantism identified to some extent with the idea of an Establishment.Just over three-fifths of all Americans are Protestants. The different types of Protestant denominations: Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, with much smaller numbers of Unitarians, Society of Friends and Salvation Army. T

8、hese groups, which in England are dissenters, have together ten times as many members in America as the last of the British denominations, that of the Church of England. ProtestantismThe Protestant Episcopal Church is derived directly from the Church of England.Its adherents are often called Anglica

9、ns. Episcopalians in modern America include a high proportion of people with well paid jobs and considering themselves to be of rather high social status, but their position is in some way equivalent to that of Episcopalians in Scotland. Protestant EpiscopalAlter (圣壇）The Baptists are the largest Pro

10、testant group. One percent of the population; twenty-five million members.In the Southern Bible Belt. Most of the Negroes are Baptists In southern communities Negroes find their main social centre in their Baptist churches- and sometimes also a base from which to organize group action. Baptists Next

11、 to the Baptists the most numerous Protestants are the Methodists Most Methodists are united in the Methodist Church, which has a form of service based on that of the Church of England. Negro Methodists are mostly in two distinct African Methodist organizations. Methodists One of the greatest states

12、, Pennsylvania, was a Quaker foundation and for some time around 1700 the Quakers were the dominant group in New Jersey and Delaware. But the Friends do not go out to attract adherents, and, as in England, they remain a very small and select group, with little over 100,000 members. They lost politic

13、al power as a group long ago, because they insisted on making a really serous attempt to follow Christian morality, but many Quakers now hold important positions outside politics, and their group is greatly respected. Society of Friends The largest single religious group is that of Roman Catholics.

14、More than one-quarter of all Americans are now of the Roman Catholic faith.Most Catholics stayed nearer the east coast. They were concentrated especially in New York and Massachusetts, and are still a very important element of the population in those two states. Catholics There are about five millio

15、n members of the Orthodox Churches, mainly of course descendants of people who migrated from Russia or Greece or from other Orthodox parts of eastern Europe. It is probably safe to say that the Orthodox Church members are more outside the main stream of American social and religious life, or less as

16、similated, than members of other religious bodies. Descendants of Orthodox immigrants tend to become assimilated by adopting another religion, usually Protestant. Orthodox ChurchesThree percent of all Americans are Jews.Most of them originally from eastern Europe, including Russia. From the politica

17、l point of view their status has been rather similar and they too have tended to be concentrated in the eastern area, particularly New York, though with a very large element in Chicago. But a big proportion of them have been successful in the race for prosperity in American conditions. Jewish Extension Cultural NotesAssignmentCultural NotesEpiscopalian: 美國的圣公會教義和國家權(quán)力沒有什么聯(lián)系。這一點(diǎn)和英國的圣公會是不一樣的。但 美國，人們?nèi)粤?xí)慣稱這個教派為“Anglicanism”, 暗示它和英國圣公教的聯(lián)系。Salvation Army: