Georgian England: One State, Many Faiths

If religion was once neglected by historians, that state of affairs is fast being remedied. The subject has, rightly, become the focus for high calibre research. Its study after all raises a number of important comparative questions. 'Religion' covers a multitude of meanings. It can refer: to popular faith, to church attendance, to theology, to moral teachings, to the ministry or to church institutions. These are not all the same, and may at times have contrasting histories. Moreover, there may be – often are – rival faiths. 'Think not that I am come to send peace on earth; I came not to send peace, but a sword', warned Christ (Matthew: 10: 34). The history of religion is not always a comfortable one. Thus people in the past, as today, have faced the challenge of divisions between a plurality of faiths and rival churches.