Religious Denominations

Discussion in 'General' started by AB64, Oct 14, 2019.

  1. AB64

    AB64 Senior Member

    A paybook I picked up recently prompted me to have a look through all my books to see the range of religions covered - Kings Regulations give a list of approved religions but with a note basically allowing anything requested by the soldier. I've got 27 covered (with another oddity at the end) - I'm not well up on religions so had to google some of these and there may be some overlap but using different names (Church of Scotland/Presbyterian/Protestant all seem similar things to me - I think I could describe myself as any of the 3). It does show the mix in the UK Forces

    Agnostic
    agnostic 766 collins (2).jpg

    Anglo-Catholic anglo catholic 1076 bond.jpg
    Baptist
    baptist 599 smothers.jpg
    Church of England
    church of england 3 randall.jpg
    Church of Ireland
    church of ireland 1650.jpg
    Church of Scotland
    church of scotland 31 taylor2.jpg
    Congregationalist
    congregationalist 33 ellis.jpg
    Elan Vital (originally Church of England in this case) not sure what this is, I can see it as a modern religion
    elan vital 19 young.jpg
    Episcopalian
    episcopalian 1164 ANDERSON.jpg
    Hindu
    hindu 651 khan.jpg
    Jewish
    jewish 193 bernstein.jpg
    Methodist
    methodist 18 merry.jpg
    Moravian
    moravian 932 sucksmith.jpg
    Non-Conformist
    non conformist 1029 butcher.jpg
    O.D - any suggestions? I have this in 2 separate books so it must mean something
    od 934 thomas (2).jpg
    Plymouth Brethren
    plymouth bretheryn 1542 PERRY.jpg
    Presbyterian
    presbyterian 394 mcdougall.jpg
    Protestant
    protestant 1360 rae.JPG
    Quaker
    quaker 1348 davison.JPG
    Roman Catholic
    roman catholic 32 farrell.jpg
    Salvation Army
    salvation army 991 ramsay.jpg
    Strict Baptist
    strict baptist 715 smalley.jpg
    U.B. - not sure what this is maybe something Baptist
    united bretherin 396 bailey.jpg
    United Methodist
    united methodist 359 armstrong.jpg
    Welsh Baptist
    welsh baptist 1412 humphreys.JPG
    Weslyan
    weslyan 501 watts.jpg

    Church of Christ (Scientist)
    church of christ 1259 white.jpg



    Below is the one that prompted me to start looking but its only as I went to post this I noticed it was against approved society rather than religion (religion is blank), so I guess this wasn't his religion (unless it was only open to Druids) - I did see other Druid societies but nor Normanton

    xdruids davies.jpg
     
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  2. Dave55

    Dave55 Atlanta, USA

    I was surprised that there were no Lutherans until I looked on wiki and saw only 11 congregations in UK.
     
  3. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    The Druids will definitely be the 'Friendly Society' that he was signed up to...I've read accounts that suggest some servicemen chose religions that they thought would either get them off church parades or alternatively get them onto them and out of some other duties...I'm amazed that they accepted élan vital as a religion..
     
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  4. Dave55

    Dave55 Atlanta, USA

    Mark Clark was required to specify a religion when he graduated from West Point. He found that there were more Episcopalian generals than any other religion and so that is what he picked.

    Not a great reason, in my opinion.
     
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  5. Robert-w

    Robert-w Banned

    Coming from a Church of Ireland background I can assure you that there are very definite differences with Presbyterian and the same would apply with Church of Scotland. Wars have been fought over less! However having spent a considerable chunk of my working life in places like Saudi such differences seem trivial.

    I'm reminded of the WW1 joke about the SM lining up everyone for church parade who finds a couple of lads declining and having a smoke. When challenged they answer
    "We're agnostics Sarnt Major"
    "Agnostics! Same as Church of England - get fell in"

    With regard to Druids. There have been a number of revivals of the druidic religion. As the original Druids forbade writing there is nothing to go on apart from some very partial accounts by Julius Caesar so the various revivals were largely based on speculative texts. The variety in favour during WW2 had a chief Druid called Rollo Morphling. There weren't very many but it was more than a friendly society. The movements were more successful in America where elements still exist - unfortunately they now have connections with White Suprematists
     
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  6. AB64

    AB64 Senior Member

    It doesn't seem totally clear but according to Wiki (not liked by lots of people but it is a good easy source) but Church of Scotland is down as being Presbyterian and is classified as Protestant, so I don't really see the difference in general terms - as I say from my example I belong to a Church of Scotland Kirk (but haven't been in years), am Protestant and if I had been a member of the forces in WW2 I'd have had PRES on my tags and in my AB64 - Kings Regs has Presbyterian as the denomination including Church of Scotland, Free Church of Scotland, Presbyterian Church of England, Presbyterian Church of Ireland, Presbyterian Church of Wales or Calvanist Methodist Church of Wales
     
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  7. tmac

    tmac Senior Member

    In an attempt to avoid church parade, an Army recruit put down his religion as ‘sun worshipper.’ At 4am next morning, as his comrades slept, he was hauled out of bed by the sergeant, who told him: ‘Right, you horrible little man, it’s just coming up – get out there and worship it.’
     
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  8. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    Definitely heard/read accounts of those not wishing to attend Church Parades being found something 'more productive' to do while in Barracks. Many must have defaulted to whatever on offer was closest to their preference. Much of Home diaries for IG show services were arranged for RC or Prods; two options. (No idea what arrangements were made eg for Jews serving in the Micks.)

    Although personnel might have stipulated otherwise in Books and forms, I don't think the Army itself was concerned much in differentiating between Protestant forms of worship.

    Likewise, special religious occasions at my school were at the nearby C of I cathedral and obligatory - no time for any objectors - despite having a relatively wide representation of all faiths. (Few outside NI are aware of/interested in the equally bitter history here behind Protestant denominations but, in my school the various 'evangelical' schisms were to be found seated separately (as per teacher's instructions) in RE classes only, with C of I majority rule and Ecumenism be damned.)

    As an aside I recall my (Presbyterian) father stating he held more respect for his battalion's RC Padre who, he observed, was often seen at the sharp end administering Last Rites and tending to the wounded. A good shepherd may know his own flock but this man knew them all: dishing out cigarettes, offering comfort, regardless of their denomination and swapping banter with his 'Orangemen'.
     
    Last edited: Oct 15, 2019
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  9. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    I recollect on my RAF induction,if any English entrant was not sure of his religious denomination, the result was "put him down as C of E" as quoted from the supervising NCO.
     
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  10. AB64

    AB64 Senior Member

  11. Tullybrone

    Tullybrone Senior Member

    Perhaps O D is simply Other Denomination?

    Steve
     
  12. Vishkar

    Vishkar Member

    I’ve seen other Christian religions like Presbyterian, Episcopal and Protestant. I also now Lutheran and Methodists. Before, I took interest in the Jehovah’s Witness because i was visited by a missionary(?) in my home. And i found it weird because their teaching says that Jesus is nailed on a stake instead of a cross.
     

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