Задача №No. 3 по английскому языку (10 класс, Афанасьева О.В.)

Religion and Politics Freedom of religious belief and worship and also the freedom to be a non-believer is taken for granted in modern Britain. A person's religion has almost no political significance. The exception is only Northern Ireland. To describe oneself as Catholic or Church of England or Methodist or member of any other denomination is to indicate one's personal beliefs but not the way one votes. The religious conflicts of the past and their close relationship with politics have left only a few traces in modern times. For example, the monarch cannot, by law, be a Catholic. Despite the atmosphere of tolerance and the separation of religion and politics, it is in Britain that we find the church which is, by law, the official religion of the country. It is the case of the Church of England and the monarch is its official head. However, the privileged position of the Church of England is not, in modern times, a political issue. Surveys show that the vast majority of people in Britain believe in God but at the same time many of them do not regu- larly attend religious services. The general picture is the follow- ing — though most people are not active participants in orga- nised religion, they seem to be glad it is there.