2.1 Secularisation

Question 1

what did Freud say about religion?

Answer 1

• religion is the cause of neuroses and at some point in the future science will be able to answer all the key questions
• religion is wish fulfilment, it is just a reflection of our subconscious projecting into our conscious minds
• it is an infantile result of the Oedipus complex, the moment a boy realises he cannot possess his mother this resentment is repressed into the subconscious mind and projected onto the idea of God, the ultimate father figure
• religion is unhealthy and the cause of many of society’s conflicts

Question 2

what did Dawkins say about religion?

Answer 2

• rejected the need for a creator given the evidence of evolution and our increased understanding of scientific principles
• unanswered questions should not be filled with an unsubstantiated belief in God but rather with trust that science is on the way to finding answers
• religion causes war and conflict
• it is a form of child abuse because parents label their children before they can think for themselves
• the most problematic christians are the ones who deny science for what is in the bible such as taking the story of genesis literally

Question 3

what do secular humanists believe?

Answer 3

that humans can live good, positive lives without religion

Question 4

what are arguments in favour of faith schools?

Answer 4

• only a third of schools in the UK are faith schools meaning families still have a choice
• church attendance is dropping but those who are religious should still be allowed to reflect this in their educational choices, it reflects diversity and tolerance which are fundamental British values

Question 5

what are arguments against faith schools?

Answer 5

• it is labelling children from too young an age and not letting them decide for themselves
• faith should be something that is only taught by parents and religious communities
• we fundamentally separate church and state and if the state pays for schools then this breaks that
• if the government funds one faith’s schools they should fund all faith’s schools

Question 6

what is an issue with the secularisation of the state?

Answer 6

• it can lead to the censorship of certain approaches in favour of a different, non-religious ideology which is still itself an ideology
• this censorship has led to extreme ideologies in the past such as communism

Question 7

what are arguments against the case that Christianity is a major cause of personal and social problems and replies to these?

Answer 7

• christians would argue that they are always striving to be like Jesus but they are inevitably human who will fall short of God’s perfection
• this defence works for wider church issues such as people’s abuse of church positions (child abuse and evangelists for money) but not what is actually written in the bible
• some fundamentalist christians would argue that the world needs absolute morals else morality is just whatever society makes it to be
• again, the issue of meta-ethics, just because something is uncomfortable doesn’t make it less true

Question 8

what are arguments that Christianity is a major cause of personal and social problems?

Answer 8

• christianity has been the cause of warfare when it has tried to gain supremacy over other religions/communities or in other religious wars
• evangelism has destroyed cultures and identities across the world such as south america and today throughout Africa
• some Christian ethical stances do not match with modern society such as views about homosexuality, marriage and abortion
• the bible seems outdated, condoning practices like slavery and emphasising things such as sanctity of life over quality of life
• christianity is patriarchal and oppresses women.

Question 9

what is the argument that secularisation is an opportunity for Christians?

Answer 9

• Christianity has had to change and evolve over the years in the same way it had to respond to the reformation
• it needs to find a way to reconcile its organised religion with the pace of change in scientific understanding, the results of the brutalities of 20th century violence and 21st century extremism
• however some Christians might argue that no more than ever is the time for Christians to stand up for the truth, resist the movement towards change and focus on the more traditional aspects of the religion

Question 10

are spiritual values just human values?

Answer 10

• the full list of humanist values can be found in the Amsterdam declaration 2002
• its seven core values such as ethics, human rights and rationality all seem very similar to spiritual values
• in the same way the ten commandments has many ethical rules one can follow even if you are not religious
• however some christian values do differ such as the sanctity of life and loving your enemies
• is there even such a thing as human values?

Question 11

what are the arguments that Christianity should be a significant contributor to society’s culture and values?

Answer 11

• britain today would not be the country it is without christianity
• our artistic heritage such as art, architecture, literature and music owes much to christianity
• christianity can contribute without being entirely dominant

Question 12

what are the arguments that Christianity should not be a significant contributor to society’s culture and values?

Answer 12

• Britain today and tomorrow is much more multi-cultural than fifty years ago
• all religious voices need to be moved away from in order to move forward in society

Question 13

what two scholars believe secularisation to be necessary?

Answer 13

• Max Weber, German sociologist: the process of rationalisation and modernisation causes traditional religious beliefs to lose their influence over individuals and society, secularisation is natural
• Peter Berger, Austrian-American sociologist: secularisation is necessary and irreversible, it allows the emergence of religious pluralism as faith is privatised allowing for greater religious freedom and diversity

Question 14

what three scholars are against secularisation/think it is not inevitable?

Answer 14

• Tom Holland: not necessarily against secularisation but has that theory where most principles in the west are based upon Christianity, it is not so easy just to move past this
• Grace Davie: popularised the concept of ‘believing without belonging’, there is a decline in institutional religious participation in the west but individual spirituality remains widespread, religion manifests in different forms like spirituality
• Peter Berger in his later writings argued that religion remains a significant force in the modern world and may experience revitalization in response to social and cultural changes