Religion
Bournemouth contains places of worship for many Christian denominations and some other faiths.
- Churches
The town has several examples of Victorian church architecture. These include St Stephen's Church, which was designed for services under the influence of the Oxford Movement and was finished in 1898. St Stephen's Church was the place of the marriage between Ebba Munck af Fulkila and Prince Oscar of Sweden in 1888. Another is St Augustin's church, Wimborne Road, which Henry Twells commissioned; he was 'priest-in-charge' there until 1900. Also included is the Richmond Hill St Andrew's Church, part of the United Reformed Church. The church was built in 1865 and enlarged in 1891. Another town centre church, St. Andrew's on Exeter Road, has now become a popular entertainment venue. There are many Evangelical churches, both established and free churches, some with large congregations, and they have a long tradition of mutual co-operation in Christian activities.
- Judaism and Islam
The town is also home to a large Jewish community with three synagogues. Chabad-Lubavitch of Bournemouth is a branch of the worldwide movement. The Bournemouth Reform Synagogue, formerly known as Bournemouth New Synagogue, is a Reform Jewish synagogue with over 700 members. There is also the architecturally notable Bournemouth Hebrew Congregation.
The Islamic community in the town is served by Bournemouth Islamic Centre in St Stephen's Road, also a mosque and the Winton Mosque.
- Humanists
Humanists and atheists in Bournemouth are supported by the Dorset Humanists, affiliated to the British Humanist Association, who meet at the Moordown Community Centre.
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Famous quotes containing the word religion:
“Religion is an attempt to get an irrefragably safe investment, and this cannot be got, no matter how low the interest, which in the case of religion is about as low as it can be.”
—Samuel Butler (1835–1902)
“That, upon the whole, we may conclude that the Christian religion not only was at first attended with miracles, but even at this day cannot be believed by any reasonable person without one. Mere reason is insufficient to convince us of its veracity: And whoever is moved by Faith to assent to it, is conscious of a continued miracle in his own person, which subverts all the principles of his understanding, and gives him a determination to believe what is most contrary to custom and experience.”
—David Hume (1711–1776)