Owenite Socialism in Religious Context

Abstract

The early nineteenth century was a period of pervasive religiosity, with intense debates as to whether orthodox belief should be a requirement for full citizenship, theological considerations influencing public policy, and such extensive scriptural literacy that the British have been described as a ‘people of one book’. An understanding of the religious context is therefore necessary for one to comprehend any movement in the early nineteenth century. This is especially so in the case of Owenite socialists, many of whom were engaged in critical reflection on religious questions and who participated in debates with Christian clerics. This chapter will identify some key features of the religious world which they encountered, which shaped their views, which they critiqued, and from which they borrowed. This chapter will perform two functions. The first function is to identify those features of the religious context, of the dominant theology, of the activities of religious institutions, and of denominational division and antipathy, against which Owenites were reacting. The second function is to identify some sources of the Owenite account of religion described in Chap. 3 , locating the materials which Owenites were using in constructing their own response to the challenges which they understood themselves to face.