Development of Multi-Faith Societies
Religious Studies: OCR A Level, topic 3.8.1
The UK's Development into a Multi-Faith Society
For centuries, the dominant religion in the UK was Christianity. But there were also small communities of Jews and Muslims living in the UK.
What is a multi-faith society?
- The UK has changed to become a more multi-faith society.
- This is a society where there are significant proportions of people with different religious beliefs.
Developing multi-faith societies
- Multi-faith societies develop for many reasons.
- These include international migration, refugees who travel to seek a better quality of life and better access to information about other beliefs.
2011 UK Census - religion
- The 2011 UK Census asked people ‘What is your religion?’.
- 59.3% identified as Christian.
- 25.1% stated no religion.
- 4.8% identified as Muslim.
Impacts on UK public life
- The UK's emergence as a multi-faith society has influenced many areas of public life.
- For example, children learn about different world religions in schools.
- Atheism and rejection of religious belief has become socially acceptable.
Benefits of multi-faith societies
- Provides Christians with the opportunity to learn about others' faith and practices.
- Allows Christians to think about why their Christian faith is valuable to them.
Objections to multi-faith society
- Some Christians might feel that the existence of other faiths undermines the unique message of Christianity and salvation through Jesus Christ.
- Some Christian parents may not wish for their child to learn about other world religions.
Test yourself on Development of Multi-Faith Societies
What has been the dominant religion in the UK, historically?
Factors that cause societies to become multi-faith.