Religion

Britain has been a Christian country ever since St.Augustine and his missionaries converted the English to Christianity in the 7th century.In the 16th century，the country embraced Protestantism and rejected the Pope as the head of the church.Today，although people of many religious beliefs coexist peacefully in the country，the majority of the population is still Christian.As of 2011，about 60％ of the British population professes belief in Christianity，26％ believes in no religion，and the remainder adheres to other religions，such as Islam，Hinduism and Judaism.Practitioners of Buddhism make up about 4％ of the population.

There are two“established”Christian churches in Britain，meaning churches that are legally recognized as official Churches of State;these are the Anglican Church of England and the Presbyterian Church of Scotland.The Queen is by law the“Supreme Governor”of the Church of England.

The Church of England in its modern form was established in the 16th century.The total baptized members of the Church of England as of 2010 were around 26 million，including those in the United States，Europe and other parts of the world.

The church is divided into 2 provinces，York and Canterbury.Each province is headed by an archbishop，with the Archbishop of Canterbury being the spiritual leader of the whole Church.The provinces are again divided into 43 dioceses，each led by a bishop，and the dioceses are further divided into parishes，each led by a parish priest who is usually called a vicar or rector.The parish priests are directly involved with community life and thus are the most important part of the clergy in preaching the doctrines of the Church.

The official status of the Church of England as a State Church was established in the beginning of the 19th century，with 2 archbishops and 24 senior bishops being authorized to sit in the House of Lords in Parliament.Other religious groups such as Nonconformists and Roman Catholics suffered severe legal discrimination.Their members were not allowed to hold civil or military office and could not obtain academic degrees from Oxford and Cambridge universities.Nor were they able to enter Parliament.Even today the religious representatives of the House of Lords are still exclusively Anglican.

The Presbyterian Church of Scotland has about 400，000 pledged members，or roughly 8％ of the total population.The Queen maintains a very close relationship with the Church of Scotland，although she is not officially recognized as its leader.

The Roman Catholic Church does not have official status as a State Church，but it nonetheless also plays an important part in British religious life，especially in Northern Ireland.About 10％ of the British profess the Roman Catholic faith.The Roman Catholic archbishops and bishops are appointed by the Pope in Rome.

Other major Free Churches（A Free Church is a Christian denomination which is intrinsically separated from government as opposed to an“established”or state church）include the Methodist Church，the Baptist Church and the United Reformed Church.The Salvation Army is also in this category，but it is a unique religious organization due to its extensive involvement in worldly affairs（such as through its many charitable works）and its use of military titles for various levels of leadership.Major Barbara，a play by Bernard Shaw，presents a vivid description of some of the characteristics of this religious body.