Language and Religion Research Paper

Language and Religion

I visited the Anglican Church in my community, who congregates every Sunday at 10am. To gain access, I telephoned the Secretary of the church, who explained to me that services were open to any members of the public. She indicated that I would be most welcome and she sounded very friendly as well. She invited me to also speak to the Reverend and gave me his number. I followed her advice and telephoned the Reverend with my request and the reasons for wanting to attend the assembly. Like the Secretary, the Reverend was extremely friendly and open to my request. He asked a few questions about my research as well, and seemed interested in what I had to say. He struck me as a very warm person who truly believed in what he was doing. So, the following Sunday, as decided, I woke up early, dressed according to the fairly informal code of the congregation, and traveled to the Anglican church.

The church was a white building with a traditional clock tower and stained glass window.Large wooden doors took up most of the wall facing the street, and I joined members of the congregation to enter. They all seemed very friendly, greeting each other and me before they entered. One woman mentioned that she had not seen me before and asked me if I was new to the congregation. I got the feeling that many of the congregation members knew each other, although I do not think they could all have been acquaintances. I estimated about 300-400 congregation members.

The meeting space was large, with traditional wooden pews forming 30-40 rows of seats. The pews were lined with cushions, which made for a comfortable seating experience. The congregation members took their seats to the music of a large organ situated on a gallery at the back of the building. Although the type of music was rather "heavy," I found it quite beautiful.

Once everyone was seated, the Reverend entered and began the service. I noticed several things about the language and format of the ritual. The opening part….....