Beliefs - Religion, Renewal & Choice - 5.4 Flashcards
New Forms of Religion - Rejection of Secularisation (Key Studies)
> Davie (Believing without Belonging, Vicarious Religion, Differences in Impact of Modernisation)
> Leger (Cultural Amnesia & Spiritual Shopping)
> Lyon (Postmodern Religion & Globalisation & Consumerism, Re-Enchantment)
> Ammerman (Postmodern Religion & Consumerism)
> Lyotard (Monopoly of Truth)
> Hellend (Internet & Religion)
> Hoover et al (Rejection of Online Religion as evidence of a religious revival)
Davie - Believing w/out Belonging
> People now express belief in privatised way, church attendance increased in past due to social pressure - that no longer exists
> People still use it for special events e.g. Spiritual Health Service - available when needed
> e.g. death of Princess Diana
Davie - Vicarious Religion
> Decreased number of religious leaders practice religion on behalf of an increased number of absent people
> People now happy not attending - aware someone’s doing rituals on their behalf
Davie - Differences in Impact of Modernisation
> Doesn’t affect all nations - some groups e.g Islam & Hinduism have increases in membership
> Differences between the UK & US with high church membership in US vs low membership in UK - existence of multiple modernities
A03 - Criticisms of Davie (Key study)
> Voas & Crockett
Bruce
Bibby
Voas & Crockett - Criticisms of Davie
> British Social Attitudes Survey: church attendance & belief in god are declining, if Davie were right we would see increasing levels of belief
Bruce - Criticisms of Davie
> People not willing to go church reflects low strength of beliefs
> When people don’t believe, they don’t wish to belong, so less involvement with religion does not equal a religious revival
Bibby - Support of Davie
Researched Canada & found only 25% attend church regularly, but 80% said they hold religious belief
Hervieu-Leger - Cultural Amnesia
> Loss of collective memory in west e.g. kids use to be taught religion in extended family & Church
> Parents don’t teach kids about religion so no longer inherit fixed religious identity
> Still influences equality & human rights
Hervieu-Leger - Spiritual Shopping
> Religion still alive due to individual consumerism
> Now spirituals shoppers with increased choice. More elements we want to explore & groups we want to join.
Hervieu-Leger - Two religious types as result of Spiritual Shopping
> Pilgrims
> Converts
Pilgrims - Hervieu-Leger
> Follow own path for self-discovery
> Due to emphasis on personal development
Converts - Hervieu-Leger
> Join religious groups with a strong sense of belonging/community
> e.g. evangelical movements or Black, Asian and minority ethnic churches.
Lyon - Postmodern Religion & Globalisation
> Religion now disembedded e.g. electronic churches, relocate onto internet
> Allowing us to express faith without going church.
> So deinstitutionalised & removed from original location.
Lyon - Postmodern Religion & Consumerism
> We haven’t rejected religion but become religious consumers.
> Pick & Mix parts of religion suiting us & make them part of our identity.
> Religions work harder to attract & retain members
Bruce - Criticisms of Lyon - PM Religion & Consumerism
> New consumerist reg is weak - little effects on our lives
>
- of secularisation, not continuation of reg.
Ammerman - Postmodern Religion & Consumerism
> People access services from a number of churches with no loyalty to any
> e.g. 1 family went to methodist church, used counselling at a baptist church & took children to another for daycare.
Lyotard - Monopoly of Truth
> Loss of faith in metanarratives & absolute truths people now sceptical about truths of religious beliefs
> Mainstream churches losing authority, but religion not disappearing
> Evolving into new forms, we can try new forms of religion - fits with a postmodern society
Hellend - Internet & Religion
> Can be religious without going to place of worship, internet changed the way people interact with the religious community
> So religious belief now disembedded.
Two Forms of Internet & Religion - Hellend
> Religion Online
> Online Religion
Religion Online - Hellend
> Religious organisations use internet to communicate message to followers
> No feedback or dialogue
Online Religion - Hellend
> Like-minded people interact in forums & discuss beliefs in unstructured format
> Allows for social solidarity & mutual support
Hoover et al - Rejection of Online Religion as evidence of a religious revival
For most users it’s addition to church-based activities, not a substitute.
Lyon - Re-Enchantment
> Rejection of Weber, increase of unconventional beliefs & practices
> New period of increased religiosity
Spiritual Revolution in Traditional Christianity
> Increase of spiritual market e.g. books on self-development
> Practitioners offer therapies e.g. meditation & crystal healing
Self Religions & New Age - (Key Study)
> Heelas & Woodhead (Spiritual Revolution) (decline of traditional religions & compensation through spirituality)
Congregational Domain - Heelas & Woodhead
Traditional Churches & Evangelical Christianity
Holistic Milieu (HM) - Heelas & Woodhead
Spirituality & the New Age
Heelas & Woodhead - Spiritual Revolution (Decline of Traditional Religion & Compensation through Spirituality)
> Traditional churches lost support, (increasing people are part of the holistic milieu, due to move to focus on exploring inner self - decline in belief in God)
> Evangelical churches increasing success over the traditional churches due to focus on spiritual healing & revitalisation
> Winners in spiritual marketplace, appeal to a personal experience over the traditional rules associated with the traditional churches
Criticisms of Heelas & Woodhead
Doesn’t mean spiritual revolution taken place, small increase in people making up the holistic milieu doesn’t account for the larger decline of traditional religion.
General Criticisms of the New Age
> Socialisation of next generation
> Structural weaknesses
Socialisation of next generation - General Criticisms of the New Age
> Only minority of New Age children shared parents belief in the holistic milieu, increasing numbers of people involved in the New Age are likely to be childless
> Belief system not passed to next generation
Structural Weakness - General Criticisms of New Age
> New Age spirituality causes secularisation due to individualism
> Lacks cohesion - free to believe whatever - people not joined together.
Criticisms of New Age - Weak Commitment (Bruce)
Though many took part in meditation, astrology etc, proper commitment to New Age beliefs was rare.
Religious Market Theory (Key Studies)
> Stark & Bainbridge (Cycle of Renewal, Competition, US v UK)
> Finke (Impact of Asian Immigration on Competition in US)
> Lyon (Jesus in Disneyland)
Why do Stark & Bainbridge criticise Secularisation Theory?
> Distorted view of past & future, no golden age of religion & we won’t all be atheist in the future
> Eurocentric - ignores continuing vitality of religion in US
Two Assumptions based on Religious Market Theory
> People are naturally religious and religion meets their needs
> People make rational choices based on the numbers of religious options available to them
How do the two assumptions make Religious Market Theory attractive?
> Gives supernatural compensators when real rewards aren’t possible
> e.g. immortality unobtainable, compensates offering afterlife
> Believing religion has decreasing costs with increasing rewards
Cycle of Renewal - Stark and Bainbridge
> Historical cycle of religious decline, revival & renewal,
> Decreasing numbers of churches leave gap in market for new sects and cults to attract followers.
> Religion is changing, not disappearing.
Competition - Stark and Bainbridge
> Leads to improvement in quality of religious goods on offer
> Churches making products attractive will attract increasing customers
US v UK - Stark and Bainbridge
> UK is dominated by one religion, lack of choice results in decline in religion
> US has many religious groups to choose from and these groups compete for survival
> These groups want to give the best religious experience - healthy competition means religion thrives
Finke - Impact of Asian Immigration on Competition in America
Allowed Asian religion to set up permanently in US, becoming popular with consumers in a religious marketplace.
Jesus in Disneyland - Lyon
> Denominations hold service in theme parks - this attracts followers
> Spiritual shoppers are looking for a magical experience, which was lost after the enlightenment (growth in scientific thinking)
A03 - Criticisms of Religious Market Theory (Key thinkers)
> Bruce
Norris & Ingelhart
Beckford
Bruce - Criticisms of Religious Market Theory
> Statistics show religious diversity is accompanied with religious decline in Europe & US
Norris & Ingelhart - Criticisms of Religious Market Theory
> Increased levels of religious participation only exist in countries with a church with a monopoly (one main church) e.g. Venezuela
> Countries with religious pluralism (many religions) have lower levels of participation e.g. Australia
Beckford - Criticisms of Religious Market Theory
Unsociological, assumes people are naturally religious, doesn’t explain why they make choices they do.
Existential Security Theory (Key Study)
> Norris & Ingelhart (Distinguish between poor & rich Societies, EU vs US
> Gill & Lundegaarde (Relationship with welfare & religion)
Existential Security
Feeling survival is secure so can be taken for granted, religion meets need of security
Norris & Ingelhart (Distinguishment vs Poor & Rich Societies)
> Poor: Life threatening risks e.g. famine & disease equal lower levels of security, but increased levels of religiosity. Therefore, poor people in rich societies face insecurity
> Rich: Higher standard of living, less risk so more security, so lower levels of religiosity.
Norris & Ingelhart (EU vs America)
> EU increasingly secular as societies have welfare so the working class feel more secure
> US inadequate welfare & individualism poverty & insecurity therefore increasing need for religion
Gill & Lundegaarde - Relationship with welfare & religion
> The more a country spends on welfare means lower levels of religious participation
> But religion doesn’t die as it has answers to ultimate questions.
Criticisms of Existential Security Theory (Key Study)
> Vasquez (Problems with Quantitative Data & Religion as a response to deprivation)
Vasquez - Criticisms of Existential Security Theory
Uses only quantitative data on income levels doesn’t look people’s own definitions of existential security, need for more qualitative research
Vasquez - Criticisms of Existential Security Theories
Ignores positive reasons people have religious participation & the appeal some religions have for the wealthy.
