2.1.4 Beliefs in society: Religion, Renewal and choice Flashcards
New forms of religion
What does Davie argue about church attendance?
- declining due to religion becoming more privatised.
- ‘believing without belonging’
- people no longer feel obligated to go to church, but can choose to.
New forms of religion
What does Davie identify as a new form of religion?
- ‘vicarious religion’ - where an active minority practice religion on the behalf of a wider, less active majority.
New forms of religion
What does Davie compare the modern view of church to?
- The NHS
- Davie calls church the ‘Spiritual Health Service’ as it is available for use when people need it. e.g funerals, weddings…
New forms of religion
Why does Davie reject secularisation theory?
(Multiple modernities)
- Believes there are ‘multiple modernities’
- modernisation affects every society in different ways, creating different patterns of religion
New forms of religion
What does Hervieu-Leger mean by ‘cultural amnesia’?
- a loss of collective memory.
- People have lost the religion that used to be handed down from generation to generation.
New forms of religion
How does Hervieu-Leger believe that religion continues through individual consumerism?
- People have become ‘spiritual shoppers’ who have a ‘do it yourself’ attitude to religion.
New forms of religion
What are the two religious types that Hervieu-Leger identifies?
- Pilgrims - following an individual path in a search for self-discovery. E.g New Age.
- Converts - join religious groups that offer a strong sense of community and belonging
New forms of religion
What feature of postmodern society does Lyon focus on impacting religion?
- globalisation
New forms of religion
What does Lyon identify as the general trend of religion?
- Traditional religion is giving way to new religious forms, such as the New Age.
New forms of religion
What are the two types of internet religion according to Lyon?
- Religion online - a form of top down communication where a religious group uses the internet to reach its members.
- Online religion - a form of ‘cyber religion’ that doesn’t exist outside of the internet where many communicate to many, creating a sense of community.
New forms of religion
What has been the impact of globalisation on religion according to Lyon?
- increased movement of ideas across national boundaries.
- Religion has been de-institutionalised as they occupy online space.
New forms of religion
How does Lyon see religion as being located into the ‘sphere of consumption’?
- People have become religious consumers / ‘spiritual shoppers’ who ‘pick and mix’ their religious beliefs.
New forms of religion
What are the two types of religion identified by Heelas and Woodhead?
- The congregational domain of traditional and evangelical christian churches.
- The holistic milieu of spirituality and the New Age.
New forms of religion
What are the three main trends identified by Heelas and Woodhead?
- New Age spirituality has grown due to a shift in society’s culture to explore inner self, leading to a decline in traditional churches promoting obediance.
- Evangelical churches being more sucessful than traditional churches as they emphasise more subjective aspects e.g spiritual healing.
- In the spiritual marketplace, the winners are those who appeal to peronal experiences as the source of meaning rather than teaching or commands.
New forms of religion
In what way is the ‘spiritual market’ growing?
- the huge number of books around self-help and spirituality and many ‘therapies’ from meditation to crystal healing.