十九世紀前期英國宗教寬容政策與英國國教的重新定位

Abstract

宗教與政治的關係在近代以前甚為密切，宗教可以作為立國精神以維護社會綱紀，或為當政者合理化其權力來源的基礎，亦可為迫害其他宗教信仰者之工具，上古至中古時代不乏其例。宗教改革者主張聖經至上與人人皆為牧師的要求，信徒必須自己解經並向他人傳教，而提出了個人信仰的主張，但是宗教被政權所利用的情形並未消失，羅馬教會雖失其獨霸之勢，但同時各地王侯的權力亦乘隙獲得伸張，英國國教的建立即為顯著之例。在英國，伴隨一國一教的原則之下，非國教徒的權力遭到許多限制，宗教亦為往後英國歷史中的一大問題，清教徒革命時查理一世（Charles I, r. 1625-1649）被處死，以及查理二世（Charles II, r. 1660-1685）復辟後國會通過限制公職人員信仰的地方公職法（Corporation Act, 1661）與檢覈法（Test Act, 1673），皆屬此類的重要事件。啟蒙運動以後，宗教寬容的精神開始被發揚，並於光榮革命時初步落實。此後，非國教徒（不包括天主教徒）大致獲得合法的地位，此外1726年後幾乎每年通過的豁免法（Indemnity Acts）則放寬了地方公職法與檢覈法的規定。在這樣的發展之下出現了更進一步廢止的訴求， 1828年檢覈法與地方公職法廢除一案（Test and Corporation Acts Repeal Act）通過，然其內容實際上與豁免法無異，信仰自由的落實程度實甚有限。非國教徒之外的重要問題即愛爾蘭天主教問題，因為英國國教的立場與天主教之間存在著強烈的緊張關係，所以這使得此一問題顯得較為複雜。十八世紀晚期的對外戰爭使得英國國會通過一些解除天主教徒限制的法案，再加上聯合法案（Act of Union, 1801）的通過給與愛爾蘭人的期望，天主教徒遂提出更進一步的政治訴求。在歐肯內爾（Daniel O’Connell, 1775-1847）所領導的政治運動之下，威靈頓（1st Duke of Wellington, 1769-1852）政府不得不對愛爾蘭天主教徒讓步，遂於1829年通過允許天主教徒擔任議員與大部分官職的天主教解放法案（Roman Catholic Relief Act），至此宗教寬容原則大致奠定，宗教信仰不再是限制政治權力與施政的重要因素，於此可知宗教寬容之發展實際上反映了民主化的進展。此外，地方公職法與檢覈法的廢止與天主教解放法案皆建立於效忠英國君主與英國國教的前提之上，這亦暗示著信仰屈居政治之下的主張。上述寬容法案通過後，英國國教失其獨霸之勢，而隨後政府對於宗教事務的介入，更激起了教會人士的擔憂。因而教會人士之中有人開始提倡教會的改革，也有人重申教會的自主地位，後者即牛津運動（Oxford Movement）。牛津運動透過對於教會的精神性角色（而非世俗性地位）的強調，試圖捍衛教會的權威，並主張教會始終是引領人民在信仰與真理探尋上的重要角色，經此發展，教會逐漸與世俗事務無涉，並調整其於現代社會中的定位，政教關係至此邁入政教分離的階段。

This thesis aims to discuss the development of religious toleration in 19th-century England and the subsequent transformation of Anglicanism. The main issues include the Corporation and Test Acts Repeal Act of 1828, the Roman Catholic Relief Act in the next year and the Oxford Movement in the following period. From the ancient times, kings or rulers had tended to bring religious affairs under control, thus making their rule more solid and their state well-ordered. However, the predominance of the papacy in the high middle ages threatened the secular powers, so during the Reformation many kings and princes seized the opportunity to gain back their power. After the Anglican Church was founded, Nonconformists and Catholics had had few citizen rights, and since then some severe politic storms had arisen, e. g. the Civil War, and the party system had emerged as well. The Whigs tended to be sympathetic towards the Dissenters and the Catholics, while the Tories were the advocates of the Anglican Church. During the seventeenth century, the idea of toleration developed, and most dissenters were allowed to worship after the Glorious Revolution. In the next century, a series of Indemnity acts were passed to loosen the Corporation and Test Acts, which demanded those who will hold public offices take the sacraments in the Anglican Church. Most of the Whigs adhered to liberalism and tried to repeal the Corporation and Test Acts and to pass the Roman Catholic Bill, whereas some conservative Tories stood in their path. The ‘ultra-Tories’ opposed toleration very firmly, but others like Sir Robert Peel and the Duke of Wellington, who had voted against those bills at first, prepared to compromise. The foregoing bills passed with a premise that those who will be officials should promise not to injury or weaken the Anglican Church. Although the Establishment system was preserved, the Church of England was not in the ascendant anymore and its privileges were also going to be deprived; thus its relationship with the state became more irrelevant. Under such circumstances, churchmen such as C. J. Blomfield, one of the most important figures of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, and the Oxford theologians tried to emphasize the spiritual role of the Church, the latter stating that the Anglican Church derived its authority from the primitive church and clergymen were the teachers leading the Christians to comprehend the religious doctrines and the truth. Therefore, the unity of the state and the church began to disintegrate.