Kryachkov 2!indd

religion as they spend quarrelling about it.
5. The government has passed a law abolishing prayer in public schools.
6. Survivors of the disaster lit candles and chanted prayers for the dead.
7. 
In Serbia, every Christian family has a patron saint which they pray to for protection.
8. Some 
people 
come to faith very gradually over a long period of time… Others come to faith 
almost in an instant.
9. In the Middle Ages, Christian societies used force to uphold faith: “Believe it or else”.

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Английский язык для магистратуры
F
aith T
oday
10. You don’t need religion to keep faith alive.
11. British Airways is facing legal action and calls for a boycott by Christians after it ruled an em-
ployee could not display a crucifix the size of a five pence piece on her necklace.
12. In the late 3rd century the pagan philosopher Porphyry stated that promising any criminal 
that he would be absolved of his sins and enter paradise as long as he was baptized before 
he died undermined the very foundations of a society of decent human beings.
Ex. 14. Explain the difference (if any) between the words below. 
Illustrate their use in sentences of your own.
1. 
to christen — to baptize;
2. faith — church (as in Catholic church) — sect — cult;
3. church — temple — mosque — synagogue;
4. religious — holy — spiritual — sacred — divine
Ex. 15. Suggest English equivalents for the following words. Use them in sentences 
of your own.
верующий, служба, подавать милостыню, конфессия, неверный (сущ.), заповедь, мусульманин, 
православный, многоконфессиональный (многоконфессиональность), иудей, буддист, паства. 
Ex. 16. Below is a list of words and phrases related to religion. Think of collocations 
they can form; use the internet or consult a dictionary of collocations where 
necessary.
faith, sin, belief, religion, church, separation of church and state, religiosity, secularization
Ex. 17. Below is a list of phrases related to the separation of church and state. 
Translate them. Use in sentences of your own.
tight bonds between …
to restrict the activities of
to dictate (sth) to …
to advance a religion 
equality before the law
low/high state interference
to inhibit a religion
to be engaged in discriminatory practices
to protect religion from the coercive power of government
to keep superstition out of the government
to promote particular religious beliefs
to favor one religion over another
to raise a denomination to the status of an official religion
to be free of inter-religious strife 
to control organized religious bodies
Ex. 18. Make up your own list of topic-related vocabulary necessary to discuss the 
issue and share it with the class.