Károly Pintér

Introduction to Britain


The Kirk

The most important of Scotland’s own institutions is the Kirk,56 which is seen by many Scots as a symbol of Scottish national identity. The origin of the church goes back to the Reformation of the 16th century. In England, Henry VIII carried out the Reformation by force in the 1530s, and created the Church of England (also known as the Anglican Church), which kept the hierarchy of bishops within the church and replaced the Pope with the monarch as the highest leader. The Scots, under the religious leadership of John Knox,57 a disciple of John Calvin, established their own Presbyterian58 church in 1560. Knox refused the idea that monarchs or the state should have any power or influence over spiritual matters, and as a result, the Kirk is organized far more democratically than the Anglicans. Each local congregation is led by elected church elders, also called presbyters, and local presbyters in turn elect the representatives to higher bodies. The Kirk is governed by the General Assembly, which meets every year in Edinburgh and elects a Moderator as its representative and spokesman, but even the Moderator is not the ‘head’ of the church in any way. There are no priests and no bishops in the Kirk; church services are performed by ordained ministers,59 who are among the presbyters, but otherwise do not have special privileges within the church.

Introduction to Britain

Tartalomjegyzék


Kiadó: Akadémiai Kiadó

Online megjelenés éve: 2018

ISBN: 978 963 454 262 9

This book attempts to establish a basic knowledge of British politics, society and culture among its readers. It is aimed primarily at students, and is intended to enrich their knowledge of the English language with an understanding of the history and key features of this society.

The book systematically explores Britain. Beginning with its geography, it divides the United Kingdom into its overarching countries- England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland- and explores the main regions, as well as political, social and linguistic background of each. This is followed by outlines of politics, the legal system, as well as education, healthcare and religion in the UK as a whole.

This book is distinguished by its scope; intended for a Hungarian audience and written through the lens of Hungarian culture, with so called Think of Hungary First sections at the beginning of chapters to compare historical and societal developments to those that have taken place here, and allow readers to better understand these. There are also lists of Key Concepts at the end of chapters, and explanations of these which also promote the reader’s understanding.

Thus, this book is a comprehensive and systematic guide, introducing Hungarian students to Britain’s history, culture and people.

Hivatkozás: https://mersz.hu/pinter-introduction-to-britain//

BibTeXEndNoteMendeleyZotero

Kivonat
fullscreenclose
printsave