Spirituality by Graham Bradford

Šestiměsíční kurs angličtiny - professional english 22

Pre-reading task
1 Are you religious?
2 What do you think about New Age beliefs?
Now, read the article and compare your experiences with those outlined in the article.

Are people in the modern world losing their sense of spirituality? A hundred and fifty years ago in Britain the question may never have occurred to many people. Britain then was an almost entirely Christian nation. Virtually everybody attended church regularly. Christian faith played a central role in people's daily lives. But Britain at the beginning of the new millennium is a very different place.

Although about 70 per cent of Britons today consider themselves to be Christians, only a small percentage of these are actively involved with their faith. Almost half of the population never attend religious services of any kind and 16 per cent say they have no religion at all. Many of the nation's churches no longer act as places of worship, having become secular community centres instead. Still others stand closed and derelict.

After so many centuries of devout Christianity, what could have brought about such a dramatic break from tradition? A number of intellectual influences and social changes are probably responsible. Advances in scientific knowledge have cast a shadow of doubt, and made many question their religious beliefs. The horrific events of 20th-century history have also caused others to question the existence of God. A wealthier population and all the temptations of the consumer society have made religious worship seem less appealing.

Yet despite these changes, it would be wrong to say that Britain has lost its sense of spirituality. Membership of many non-Christian faiths has increased dramatically over recent decades. Islam, for example, is Britain's fastest growing religion and there are now over one and a half million Muslims in the population. Members of the Sikh and Hindu faiths have also greatly increased in number over the past 30 years, and there is a rapidly growing interest in Buddhism.

Officially, Buddhists in Britain today number over a 150,000, but there are also many Christians who practise Buddhist meditation in addition to attending church services. So what is it that draws people to Buddhism? For many the appeal is the healing power, both physical and psychological, of meditation. For others, Buddhism seems less dogmatic than many other forms of organised religion. This may also be the reason why many people are turning to so called New Age religions.

New Age is a catch-all term that includes a variety of beliefs and practices, often with roots in ancient Celtic religions such as Druidry or mystical eastern faiths like Taoism. It is not a religion in the traditional sense, with a holy text or an organised membership, and this is part of its appeal. Faiths such as Druidry tap into spirituality by turning to the forces of the natural world. In an age of environmental destruction, many people are searching for a faith that brings them closer to nature.

So it seems that people in Britain are still searching for something spiritual in their lives. Is this true in your country, too?

Exercise 1

Comprehension: Multiple choice. For each sentence choose the correct ending.

1) 150 years ago the British . . .

a) were more influenced by Christianity than they are today.
b) never missed a church service.
c) never had any doubts about their faith.
d) were more religious than they are today.

2) Half of the British population . . .

a) regularly go to community centres.
b) do not have any religious beliefs.
c) do not consider themselves to be Christians.
d) never go to religious services.

3) People in Britain may be turning away from Christianity because . . .

a) they haven't got time to attend church services.
b) they find church services boring.
c) their lives have become more materialistic.
d) they think it's old-fashioned.

4) Many practising Christians . . .

a) find church services boring.
b) have converted to Buddhism.
c) are also Buddhists.
d) also attend Buddhist services.

5) Some people are attracted to New Age spirituality because . . .

a) it's something completely new.
b) they're unhappy with the consumer society.
c) they care about the environment.
d) there are no church services to attend.

Exercise 2

Vocabulary: Matching. Choose the correct words to fill the gaps in the sentences:
faiths / worship / services / devout secular / holy text / dogmatic / organised religion

1) Church ........ in Britain often involve people singing hymns.
2) This shop specialises in religious books, but it does sell a number of ........ works as well.
3) He eventually left the church because he found its rules far too ........
4) For Christians, Sunday is a day of ........
5) People of many different ........ live in this community, including Hindus, Muslims, Catholics and Protestants.
6) Many religions have a ........ Islam, for example, has the Qur'an.
7) My Grandmother was an incredibly ........ Catholic - she never missed church on a in her entire life, and was always reading the Bible.
8) Many people find ........ ........ too restricting; they don't want to be told when and how to worship.

Word search

See if you can find these words in the grid. They can be horizontal, vertical, diagonal and backwards.
BEL_EF
MEMBERSHIP
CHUR_H
ORGANI_ED
DOU_T
PRACTI_E
FAI_H
RELIG_OUS
MEDITATI_N
WO_SHIP

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