Fact Sheets
Fact sheets are written by academics, journalists and commentators to explain the context and background of stories and current religious issues.
Browse all Fact Sheets…
Basic Guide to Good Friday
By Helen Bond, Professor in Christian origins at the University…
A Basic Guide to Passover
By Rabbi Alex Goldberg OVERVIEW Passover (Pesach in Hebrew) is…
A Basic Guide to Vaisakhi
By Dr Jasjit Singh WHAT IS VAISAKHI? Vaisakhi is a…
Brunei and same-sex persecution
Brunei, a Muslim-majority former British protectorate in south-east Asia with…
Islam and LGBT
Comment and context on Muslim parents’ protests at LGBT+ teaching…
Basic Guide to Baha’i New Year
by Sophie Gregory Naw-Rúz, 21 March, is the first day of…
Church of England campaign against payday lenders
BACKGROUND The 2008 financial crisis was followed by rapid growth…
25 years of Women as Priests in the Church of England
This year marks the quarter-century since women were first ordained…
Women bishops in the Anglican Communion
It is 30 years since the first woman was appointed…
Vatican Sex abuse summit 21-24 February 2019
OVERVIEW The Vatican will host a summit on the Protection…
Sikhs and the Police
SIKHS AND THE POLICE A UK-wide organisation to represent rank…
What are Blasphemy laws?
WHAT IS BLASPHEMY? Blasphemy is the act of insulting or…
Faith schools in the UK
Historically faith and education have been closely linked. The Roman…
Guide to Women and Islam
By Remona Aly, journalist and broadcaster WHAT THE KORAN SAYS…
Guide to Women and the Church
THEOLOGY Theological argument is considerable around the meanings of key…
Guide on Antisemitism
By Ben Rich What is antisemitism? By Ben Rich Different…
Commission on Religious Education Report 2018
In England, Religious Education is governed by the Education Act…
Pope in Ireland 2018
THE POPE VISITS IRELAND The Pope will make a flying…
Guide to Hajj
What is Hajj? Hajj (sometimes Haj) is an annual pilgrimage…
Guide to Christian Festivals
Alongside Britain’s traditional music festivals, gatherings with an unapologetically Christian…
Who are the ‘non-religious’?
by Dr Lois Lee Who are the nonreligious? The nonreligious…
Guide to the Abortion Referendum in Ireland
by Hugh Turpin, Post Doctoral Researcher in the Anthropology of…
Guide to Fasting for Ramadan
Dr Carool Kersten Basic facts Ramadan refers to the ninth…
Guide to Paganism
Jennifer Uzzell General Points Everything in this sheet is a…
Sexuality, Same-Sex Marriage and the Church of England
Dr Susannah Cornwall, Senior Lecturer in Constructive Theologies, University of…
Guide to the Ridvan Festival
21st April – 2nd May The time that Baha’u’llah spent…
Branches of Judaism
Dr Keith Kahn-Harris sociologist, senior lecturer at Leo Baeck College,…
Guide to the Catholic Church
By CATHERINE PEPINSTER, journalist, broadcaster and commentator on religion The…
Death and Funeral Rituals in World Religions
by Jennifer Uzell, University of Durham General Points The purpose…
Guide to Christianity in Britain
by Rev George Pitcher Overview Christians are followers (disciples) of…
Guide to Secularisation in Britain
By Dr Clive Field – Co-director British Religion in Numbers…
Guide to Islam in Britain
By Dr Abdul Azim Ahmed Population More than half of…
Guide to Judaism in the UK
Population statistics (1) There are 263,346 Jews in England and…
Guide to the Sikh Tradition
Dr Jasjit Singh, University of Leeds Fast Facts: According to…
Guide to Hinduism in the UK
Population There are 816,633 Hindus in England and Wales (1.5% of…
Guide to the Bahá’í Faith UK & Worldwide
(Global) There are more than 5 million Bahá’ís around the world. The…