Resource Pack : Religion

Methodist Church Hall Meeting

Victorian values, pride in the home and family bonds were all connected to religion and Christianity was accepted at all levels of society, even by those families who never went to church. Such statements as "Cleanliness is next to Godliness" would be found in the Victorian home and the government reinforced the religious message by keeping shops and entertainments closed on Sundays. Many children were sent to Sunday school. Despite this enthusiasm for religion however, the 1851 census showed that 40% of the population never went to church and Charles Darwin's theory of evolution seriously rocked the religious establishment. Religious fervour began to subside after 1870.

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