Chapter 9

Social Affairs 英國社會(huì)

Religion 宗教

1. Everyone in Britain has the right to religious freedom with out interference from the community or the State. (He may believe in any church or none at all.) He may change his religion at will may manifest his faith in teaching, worship and observance. Except that the Lord Chancellor may be a Roman Catholic, public offices are open without distinction to members of all churches or none.

在英國，人人都有信仰宗教的權(quán)利，社會(huì)和政府不得干涉。他可以隨意改變宗教信仰，可以在布道，禮拜和儀式中表明他的信仰。除了大法官不可以是羅馬天主教徒外，公共職務(wù)對(duì)各種信仰或沒有信仰的人一律公開。

2. Established churches國教

There are two established church in Britain: in England the church of England and in Scotland the (Presbyterian) Church of Scotland.

英國有兩大國教，在英格蘭是英格蘭國教，蘇格蘭是蘇格蘭教會(huì)（長(zhǎng)老教）。

3. Church of England is uniquely related to the Crown in that the Sovereign must be a member of that Church and as "Defender of the Faith". The Church is also linked with the State through the House of loads. The church of England is not free to change its form of worship, as laid down in the Book of Common Prayer without the consent of Parliament.

英格蘭國教與君主有獨(dú)特的聯(lián)系。因?yàn)榫髯鳛?ldquo;國教的捍衛(wèi)者”必須是此教會(huì)的一員，他在登基時(shí)必須承諾維持國教。國教還通過上議院與國家聯(lián)系起來。沒有議會(huì)同意，英格蘭教會(huì)不可隨意改變“國教祈禱書”中規(guī)定的禮拜儀式。

4. The government of the Church of Scotland is Presbyterian, that is, government by ministers and elders, all of whom are ordained to office. The Monarch is normally represented at the general assembly by the Lord High Commissioner.

蘇格蘭教的管理時(shí)長(zhǎng)老制，也就是由教士和長(zhǎng)老治理。他們被授予圣職，王室高級(jí)代表通常代表君主光臨會(huì)議。

5. Unestablished churches

非國教教會(huì)

There are include: the Anglican Churches(圣公會(huì))，the Free Churches(自由教會(huì))；(the largest of the Free Churches —the Methodist Church 最大的自由教會(huì)—衛(wèi)

理公會(huì))，the Roman Catholic Church（羅馬天主教）。

IV. Festival and Public Holidays

節(jié)假日

1.Christian festivals 基督教節(jié)日

The Christian festival of the year and Christmas, Easter, and Whit Sunday.

其主要的節(jié)日有圣誕節(jié)，復(fù)活節(jié)，圣靈降臨節(jié)

Christmas day, December 25th, celebrates the birth of Christ, and it is the greatest of Christian festivals. Easter celebrates the Resurrection (復(fù)活) of Christ. Easter is traditionally associated with the eating Easter eggs.Whit Sunday (圣靈節(jié)) celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit to Christ's apostles seven days after his death, and it is on the seventh Sunday after Easter.

圣誕節(jié)，12.25，紀(jì)念耶穌的誕生，是最盛大的基督教節(jié)日。復(fù)活節(jié)是慶祝基督的復(fù)活。復(fù)活節(jié)有吃復(fù)活節(jié)彩蛋的習(xí)慣。圣靈節(jié)是慶祝基督去世7周后，重新降臨到他的使徒們中間，在復(fù)活節(jié)后第7個(gè)周日。

2.Other festivals 其他節(jié)日

Britain’s other festivals include New Year's Day, Gy Fawkes Day (篝火節(jié)), April Fools Day（愚人節(jié)）, Mother's Day and the Remembrance Day (Armistice Day)