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Religious Adaptation in Britain
People in Britain have shown remarkable difference in the religious expression towards the later part of the twentieth century (Parsons, 1994, p. 7). A secular society with a different culture became obvious. There was in addition a tendency to the emergence as a diverse population with a variety of cultures, much different from the post Second World war period. Life in Britain has also exhibited an intricacy interwoven into the religious nature of the society. Following a football tragedy where nearly a hundred people were killed, people turned out by the hundreds to mourn for the lost ones. Oblivious of religion or creed, the society was one as the situation demanded. The field was full of floral tributes, messages and football scarves. All rose to the occasion in one breath and prayed for the lost people whether they belonged to them or not. Arnfield, the football ground, had become a shrine with long queues of mourners and ‘pilgrims’ who did not belong locally but came from afar. The intricate intermingling of cultures was evident from those days (Parsons, 1994, p. 7). The press played up their news and religious leaders could not help making statements which recognized the secularity of the religions in Britain. The churches had special services which were attended by all leaving behind more football memorabilia. People from contemporary life traveled to graves and historical sites in memory of heroes of the war. Wives whose husbands died long ago were permitted to visit their graves at subsidized costs.
Llanpumsaint used to be a place of pilgrimage for Christians in Wales. However pilgrimages to this place in present days are mostly to visit the Community of the Many Names of God. This is a Hindu-Buddhist community close to the village of Llanpumsaint. In 1973, a guru of Hindu-Buddhist descent founded this community (Parsons, 1994, p.11). Two farms and a temple are situated here. A small community of members who are residing here and accommodation for a few visitors are available. It was a sought after place for around 15000 visitors a year in the 1980s. Two thirds of the visitors were Hindus and the rest from all religions. This indicates the secular situation in Britain. Buddhists from London, Milton Keynes and Chithurst in Sussex have been regular visitors. The Community has mainly Hindu traditions and then Buddhist elements. Christian, Jewish, Sikh and Muslim traditions have contributed to the community in addition. The statues and pictures of Guru Nanak, Jesus, Mary, St Francis of Assissi apart from those of the Hindu deities and Buddha are found here (Parsons, 1994, p. 11). The message imparted speaks of one God and anyone can worship the Lord in this temple. God’s family is one and divisions based on religion, race or background has no meaning here.
Hinduism
A word about Hinduism is appropriate here. The term Hindu has Persian roots. It is a term referring to people living beyond the Indus (Bowen, 1998, p. 1). Does Hinduism just mean that Hindus are people who are not Muslim or Jain or Sikh or Christian? There is no single definition of Hinduism. It could mean that a large number of traditions, beliefs and practices exist which may differ only slightly from the other religions. Hinduism has no founder but it has many texts which give somewhat similar pictures of Hinduism (Bowen, 1998, p. 2). The religionist Heinrich von Stietencron suggested Hinduism could be a socio-cultural unit with many religions. Probably Western colonialism in the nineteenth century may have had to use a term to identify the people of India. The term probably gave a national identity and empowerment to the Indian people who were being trampled upon by the Colonialists.
What is keeping the Hindus together in this religion in India? Is it the same religious thoughts or is it only a way of life of a large group of people who have been thrown together by History and the infringement of their rights by Colonialists? Does this necessarily have to be a religion with borders and specific differences from other religions?
1500 years before the birth of Christ, a migration from Asia Minor started and continued for many years. Nomadic warrior tribes moved into what is demarcated as India. They were called Aryans. They began to grow in numbers and had to move into the interior and south of India, mingling with the Dravidians who were probably the people of the Indus civilization (Bowen, 1998, p. 4). The Aryan invasion did not erase the Dravidians. There was intermingling and the Dravidians were introduced to the Sanskrit language. This was the language which gave Hinduism its identity and provides us with a picture of the religious thought of those days (Bowen, 1998, p. 4). The four Vedas which are oceans of knowledge dating between 1000 and 1500 B.C. have been compiled at the hands of the sages of Hinduism called Rishis. They constituted rituals, hymns and sacrificial rites of the Aryans. Brahman-controlled writing of Sanskrit became the language of all religious texts. The Vedas and Sanskrit were the dominant themes of Hinduism (Bowen, 1998, p.4). The Vedas have traversed the generations of Brahmans, the highest caste, by recitation or chanting at rituals. These Vedic mantras are used for births, religious ceremonies, weddings and funerals and for private or personal occasions of devotion and prayer.
The word Hinduism has come to stay after a number of events in history. The main factor appears to be the presence of the British Raj. Three major incidents which contributed to the formation of Hinduism and a Hindu community begin with the Christian missionary activity (Vertovec, 2000, p. 9). The missionaries were critiques of another faith. This coerced the Hindus to become a united front. The nineteenth century foreign scholars believed that Indian heritage was grounded in a single religion. The Indians welcomed this approach that meant unity for them. The British Raj itself was conducive to the beliefs of Hinduism and Hindu community. Colonial control, brought with it new Laws over several religious institutions and practices (Vertovec, 2000, p. 10).
Hinduism in Britain
Hinduism may not be the same in Britain. Hinduism has been undergoing transformation over the long years of history that it has. Reforming beliefs and practices has been part of Hinduism. With the migration of Hindus overseas and Indian students having education in foreign soils, the changes are more obvious. Hinduism outside India has been described as a ‘divergent diaspora’ (Vertovec, 2000, p. 1). The socio-religious phenomena and identities of Hindus outside India are quite different from those in India. This has probably been due to an evolutionary process affecting the new era of overseas Hindus much depending on their area of origin in India and the countries they have traversed in their journey outside India. Diasporic Indians are believed to live a ‘watered down’ style of culture (Vertovec, 2000, p.1).
One feature of Hinduism is that Hindus do not attempt to convert foreigners to Hinduism which has its roots in the social system and the land that is India. Not all Indians are Hindus but all Hindus are Indians (Vertovec, 2000, p. 3). For most Hindus the tie to India is just not confined to ethnicity but much beyond. Sacred as it, India has many sacred places and Bharat is the home of Brahma, the creator divinity. Many Hindus undergo purification rites when they return to the homeland.
There are Hindus who do not come back to the homeland of India. They have opted to remain in their new land whether it is they or their forefathers who have migrated (Vertovec, 2000, p.3). However, the Indians who reached the Caribbeans have been cut off from India for more than 150years. The British-based Hindus keep returning to India every few months. Their present state of Hindu culture would certainly be different.
Hindus have developed an assortment of practices in various countries like Mauritius, East Africa, Malaysia and Britain. Hindu temples in Guyana and Fiji have their own look and function. Temples in Guyana have the same rituals and practices which could be dispensed by anyone. Fiji temples are more of specialized centers providing unique benefits. Malaysian temples unite the local Hindus in a community style and produce hierarchies (Vertovec, 2000, p. 16). Hindu temples in the United States are of the following types: Hare Krishna, North Indian and South Indian. In Britain temples function in different manners. They reflect the regional background, settlement patterns and the institutional strategies of their founders. The rites have been condensed, refashioned, or eclectically performed. A whole body of rites may be invented to suit the social changes in the communities which attend that temple. Considering the diversity of the Hindus coming from various parts of India, rites have been ‘negotiated’ to suit the tastes of all concerned (Vertovec, 2000, p. 17). Many rites have in fact been changed to suit the younger generation. Malaysia has spoken about the ‘disco-ization’ of Hindu rites.
The changing role of the Hindu women and their status have played a significant role. They maintain control over religious practice and are the primary agents in religious nurture and the organization of temple practice. Their key positions as ‘moulders’ of new traditions and cultural reproduction have predominantly played an influential role in the practices of the Hindu diaspora.
Local structure and social environments have influenced the devotional orientation in Malaysia, Trinidad and Fiji (Vertovec, 2000, p.17). “Neo-Hindu ‘ movements like ISKCON have affected or produced conflict in Malaysia, Trinidad, Canada, Britain, South Africa and Fiji. The Satya Sai Baba movement has taken roots in South Africa, Singapore and the Caribbean.
Emergent patterns resulting in fission and fusion due to migrants from different castes, regions and language are evident in Britain and the United States (Vertovec, 2000, p. 18). Cultural and religious forms have also emerged to enhance social cohesion in Mauritius and the Caribbean. However Hinduism has turned out to be an embodiment of ethnic consciousness and community mobilization among Indian migrants and their descendants.
Diversity of religion in Britain
The diversity of the religious life is evident from places like the Community of the Many Names of God. The Christian religion has strongholds in the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches of Liverpool. Their role in the Hillsborough tragedy cannot be denied, going by the numbers who attended church the next day. They were from all religions in society and they had no qualms in attending the services there. Christian pilgrimages to Glastonbury are still prevalent (Parsons, 1994, p. 12). The Bishops of both the Protestant and Catholic churches carry out their services together after planning them unitedly with the leading Nonconformist Minister.
The people of Britain respond in a religious manner to the challenges of life and the accompanying tragedies. Tragedies have time and again brought all the different parts of society together (Parsons, 1994, p.12). The appalling response to sudden deaths in large numbers demonstrates the secularization that is occurring in the British Community. The British cosmopolitan population has reached a stage where all have official religion and unofficial religion. Diversification has occurred in Britain after the Second World War. Many spiritualisms and mysticisms exist in Glastonbury. Books of any religion will be sitting on the shelves in Glastonbury along with homeopathy books, holistic books and ecological recipes, astrology books and books of combinations of religious and spiritual ideas from anywhere on earth.
Britain has not actually become a straight secular nation. It is better to describe it as a nation which has acquired a large number of diverse religious options and alternatives. Apart from the Christian traditional churches a large number of religious bodies have sprouted. Thriving Muslim, Hindu and Sikh communities are surviving side–by–side in total harmony (Parsons, 1994, p.13). A number of new Christian groups have arisen too especially in the Afro-Caribbean communities and others of independent evangelistic and charismatic groups. Moments of crisis have evolved occasional spurts of religious fervour with the revival of favoured hymns and songs of praise. Active participation in churches may have shown a decline but the pattern still exists.
References
- Bowen, P. 1998. “Themes and Issues in Hinduism”. Published by Continuum International Publishing Group, 1998
- Parsons, G. 1994 “The Growth of Religious Diversity: Britain from 1945 Published by Routledge, 1994
- Vertovec, S. 2000. “The Hindu Diaspora: Comparative Patterns”. Published by Routledge, 2000
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