Church of the Universal Bond

Church of the Universal Bond

The Church of the Universal Bond was a religious group founded in Britain in the early twentieth century by George Watson MacGregor Reid, promoting socialist revolution, anti-imperialism and sun worship.

Initially aligned with Zoroastrianism, by 1912, Reid was becoming more attracted to Druidry, especially as Stonehenge was at the time being seen as a solar temple. His church began holding rituals there and their worship was permitted to continue when the site was given to the state in 1918.

Although only commanding around 50 adherents in its early days, the church was instrumental in forming the link in the popular imagination between Stonehenge and Druids despite the efforts of archaeologists to discourage it.

In 1924, the Office of Works permitted the church to scatter the ashes of cremated former members at Stonehenge, something which drew significant protests from the Society of Antiquaries, the Wiltshire Archaeological Society, the Royal Archaeological Institute and famous archaeologists such as O. G. S. Crawford. The outcry persuaded the government to withdraw permission and in 1932 the Church officially moved its rites from the monument to Normanton Gorse nearby.

After the Second World War, Reid's son Robert took over leadership of the church and it was able to regain midsummer access to Stonehenge throughout the 1950s, 60s and 70s, to the dismay of many leading archaeologists.

When the growing Stonehenge free festival caused the monument to be closed at midsummer in 1985, the Church faded into obscurity but has maintained a presence at the re-opened solstice festivities since 2000.

Source

Hutton, R, From Universal Bond to Public Free For All, British Archaeology 83, July-August 2005 p11.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Bond — Bond, bonds, bonded, and bonding may refer to:Fiduciary bonds*Bond (finance), in finance, a debt security, issued by Issuer **Government bond, a bond issued by a national government ***Government bond register, a register of bonds issued by a… …   Wikipedia

  • The Church —     The Church     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Church     The term church (Anglo Saxon, cirice, circe; Modern German, Kirche; Sw., Kyrka) is the name employed in the Teutonic languages to render the Greek ekklesia (ecclesia), the term by which… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • The Byzantine Empire —     The Byzantine Empire     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Byzantine Empire     The ancient Roman Empire having been divided into two parts, an Eastern and a Western, the Eastern remained subject to successors of Constantine, whose capital was at …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Church History —     Ecclesiastical History     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► Ecclesiastical History     I. NATURE AND OFFICE     Ecclesiastical history is the scientific investigation and the methodical description of the temporal development of the Church… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • The Blessed Eucharist as a Sacrament —     The Blessed Eucharist as a Sacrament     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Blessed Eucharist as a Sacrament     Since Christ is present under the appearances of bread and wine in a sacramental way, the Blessed Eucharist is unquestionably a… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • The Roman Congregations —     The Roman Congregations     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Roman Congregations     Certain departments have been organized by the Holy See at various times to assist it in the transaction of those affairs which canonical discipline and the… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • The Age of Reason — The Age of Reason: Being an Investigation of True and Fabulous Theology , a deistic treatise written by eighteenth century British radical and American revolutionary Thomas Paine, critiques institutionalized religion and challenges the inerrancy… …   Wikipedia

  • The Blessed Virgin Mary —     The Blessed Virgin Mary     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Blessed Virgin Mary     The Blessed Virgin Mary is the mother of Jesus Christ, the mother of God.     In general, the theology and history of Mary the Mother of God follow the… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • The Salvation Army — Classification Protestant Orientation Holiness Leader Linda Bond Geographical areas Worldwide Headquarters …   Wikipedia

  • The Irish (in Countries Other Than Ireland) —     The Irish (in countries other than Ireland)     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Irish (in countries other than Ireland)     I. IN THE UNITED STATES     Who were the first Irish to land on the American continent and the time of their arrival are …   Catholic encyclopedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”