#i don't know how common this kind of irreverance is in the uk

[cleonard-ricsummerinenglandblog]

Religious Matters

I wasn’t sure what to write about in regards to a unique cultural experience, given that, by and large, I found England to be so incredibly similar to the USA that the only obvious differences were small ones like the prevalence of chocolate + orange candies. 

But then I remembered our visit to Westminster Abbey. For one, the use of such a location for tourism is something I wouldn’t have considered. Certainly the USA has historic and beautiful churches, and I did briefly stop inside Trinity Church in Boston while I was there. But the sheer touristic nature of Westminster Abbey was not something I expected. It makes sense, given the historic value of the church, but still.

Then, there was our guide. Now, in the USA, I would say religious talk that isn’t pro-Christian is pretty rare, and definitely taboo. So I found it notable that our guide for such a holy building didn’t seem to mind at all mentioning how nonsensical he found theological concepts like Purgatory, intercession of the Saints, or the Last Judgment to be. He was critical, dismissive, and otherwise irreverent of the faith. The only time he seemed to show genuine respect is when the clergymen called for a moment of silence. 

In the US, this would have been very controversial, and I could see him losing his job over talk like that. But he felt quite confident in it.