“无信仰时代”:十八世纪英格兰的世俗化

• 作 者: 佩内洛普·科菲尔德 刘翔鹏
• 机 构: 伦敦大学皇家霍洛威学院,纽卡斯尔大学,英国18世纪研究学会,伦敦大学高等研究院历史研究所,
• 出 处: 英国研究
• 发表日期: 2015年00期
• 关键词: 信仰 世俗化倾向 宗教活动 威尔 安立甘宗 天主教徒 复兴运动 基督教传统 那种 典型例证

日益增长的世俗化倾向和如火如荼的宗教复兴运动绝不是极端对立的。相反,后者通常都是前者的反应,典型例证就是18世纪的英格兰和威尔士。这并不是说那里的一切都在这一时段有所改变,很明显,有组织的宗教活动保存了下来。而是说,在这个较长的时期内,像十八世纪众多亲历者与宗教改革家所看到的那样,教会与外界社会的平衡发生了明显的变化。在那持续但缓缓衰弱的基督教传统下,英国的社会观念变的世俗化,或者说现世化,迥然不同于之前那种神圣的、精神的、超脱的观念。

The growing tendency toward secularization and the revivalist movement in full swing are by no means extreme. On the contrary, the latter is usually the former reaction, the 18th century England and Wales are typical examples. This does not mean that everything there has changed during this period, it is clear that organized religious activities have been preserved. Instead, during this long period of time, as seen by many experienced witnesses and religious reformers in the 18th century, there has been a marked change in the balance between the church and the outside world. Under the continuing but slowly debilitating Christian tradition, the British secularization, or the secularization of society, is very different from the sacred, spiritual, detached conception of the past.