Christianity and the challenge of secularisation Flashcards
1
Q
Challenge of secularisation
Britain as a secular society
A
- In pre-Reformation Europe, peoples lives and thinking were strongly influenced by the Church
- To a certain extent this continued in Tudor and Stuart England after the Reformation- the monarch dictated the official religion and those who dissented were liable to torture and death
- However, the Reformation encouraged a more individualist approach- by encouraging people to study the Bible and interpret its meaning in the light of conscience, religion became more personal and less of something that was imposed by authority
- In the 18th century the emphasis on reason, evidence and scientific thought further encouraged a more individualistic approach to religion
- Now possible to be openly atheist or agnostic
- The 19th century laws that permitted greater religious freedom, the horrors of the 2 world wars in the 20th century and the challenge to authority experienced in the 1960s decreased further the numbers of those who attended church and who regarded themselves as ‘practising christians’
- From the late 20th century, scandals within the Church have led to growing disollusionment with traditional Christianity
2
Q
Challenge of secularisation
The replacement of religion as a source of truth and moral values
A
- Secular: concerned with the affairs of this world, not with spiritual/reigious matters
- Humanism: Belief that people can leave good lives without holding religious beliefs
- Traditionally, the ideas of right and wrong were closely linked to religion
- Many Christians, if asked for the source of norality would say the Bible- right and wrong are still seen by many Christians as objective
- However, the development of social sciences has weakened the notion of objective morality and its links with religion
- Anthropologists saw the concepts of right and wrong as affected by culture
- Karl Marx regarded religion as ‘the opiate of the people’- social and political tool wielded by those in power to control the masses
- Sigmund Freud claimed that it satisfied a psychological need
- Modern secular humanism includes the belief that people can live morally good lives without religion
3
Q
Challenge of secularisation
Relegation of religion to the personal sphere
A
- Increasing secularisation has meant that faith is seen as an entirely personal choice and a private matter for the individual
- People no longer feel that they must declare alleigance to Christianity as Britain’s traditional and national religion
- However, Christianity still plays a significant role in Britain- The CofE is the established Church in England and in Scotland it is the Church of Scotland. The nationally anthem is also essentially religious with the opening word being ‘God’
4
Q
Rise of Militant Atheism
Militant Atheism
A
- Refers to the view that all religion is a bad thing that must be actively fought against
- Militant atheism reall came into its own in the late 20th century with writings and interviews from people such as Richard Dawkins and Stephen Fry
- They all agree that religion is a dangerous phenomenon that should be annihilated on the grounds that it is irrational and shows a lack of intelligence
5
Q
The Rise of Militant Atheism
Richard Dawkins: the God delusion
A
- Dawkins attacks religion in a number of ways:
1. The God hypothesis (belief in a supernatural being, miracles, life after death etc) is irrational and contrary to good science
2. Religion is primitive, harmful and has spread like a virus
3. Religion encourages discrimination and is a major cause of conflict
4. Teaching religion to children, either at home, church or school is a form of mental abuse that threatens their development
5. People can be morally good without religion
Dawkins presuppositions:
1. materialism: the belief that the limits of reality are the same as the limits of what can be known by scientific experiment
2. evolution: all complex life exists as a result of evolutionary mechanisms
Dawkins key argument against God:
1. God is a highly complex being
2. A highly complex being would require a great deal of time to evolve
3. Therefore this highly complex being- God- cannot be placed at the beginning of the universe to start it off
4. God does not exist
6
Q
Rise of Militant Atheism
McGrath’s defence of Christianity: the Dawkins Delusion
A
- McGrath is calling for a less dogmatic more reasoned approach to reality- one where you admit your assumptions and create an openess to potential evidence for meaning
- He claims that Dawkins is wrong in his assumption that good science is bound to result in atheism (cognitive bias). McGrath cites examples such as Francis Collins (director of the Human Genome project and Christian) to prove his point
- He challenges Dawkins’ view that science disproves religion by discussing the relationship between the two. He claims that science and religion are ‘partially overlapping magisteria’, they come at the world from two different but equally valid perspectives which can be mutually enriching
- He criticises Dawkins’ assumption that all Christians adopt fundamentalist views of God and the Bible which are only held by the minority- limited understanding of Christianity
- He accuses Dawkins of fundamentalism in his unquestioning acceptance of some atheist views
- Dawkins is biased in supporting evidence that agrees with his approach- a very unscientific approach. Dawkins is guilty of ‘scientism’- answering ultimate philosophical questions using scientific conclusions
7
Q
Responses to materialistic secular values
Materialism
A
- The world view that regards material possessions, wealth and personal comfort as more important than any spiritual beliefs or practices
- Materialism is a key feature of a modern, secular lifestyle but its roots lie in the 16th century
- It is also seen as being in absolute opposition to the values of Christianity but modern Christian attitudes to wealth and possessions are complex
8
Q
Responses to materialistic secular values
New Testament attitudes to wealth
A
- At the time of Jesus, wealth was regarded as a good thing, it was a sign of God’s approval
- This explains Peter’s bewilderment when in response to Jesus’ comment about it being hard for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of God he said ‘then who can be saved?’
- Jesus teaching challenged this: he told the rich man that is he wished to gain eternal life he must give everything he has to the poor
- His parable of the rich man and Lazarus contained a warning of dire consequences for those who enjoyed great wealth but ignored the needs of the poor
- Acts 2- the earliest Christian community gave up all material wealth- selling possessions, giving to the poor and living communally. This is a challenging ideal- how far should modern Christians follow the same pattern?
The rest of the NT adopts a similar attitude:
* In the very early days of Christianity, people shared everything
* When there was famine in Jerusalem, Christians in Syria collected money to send to those in need
* The possession of wealth was not seen as wrong in itself, it was the attitude to it that mattered. Because wealth provides security it can be replace God and become a spiritually debilitating idolatry
9
Q
Responses to materialistic secular values
The Growth of materialism
A
- Post reformation views on the value of family life led to a reassessment of attitudes to wealth and possessions: secure fanily life depended on possessing wordly goods and enough money to pay for them
- The expansion of Britains power in Africa, the Americas and the Far East created trading opportunities that led to the development of capitalism
- Capitalism was reinforced in the 19th century by the industrial revolution. Great wealth was created in banking, businesses and trading. This led to terrible financial poverty and apalling living conditions for those who flocked to towns and cities to work in factories
- This inequality was challenged by the ideology of communism promoted by Karl Marx but it went unheeded by British society as a whole
- Materialism is now seen at every level of British society
- Those who are wealthy tend to see their continued wellbeing as dependent on acquiring even greater wealth
- Those who are poor see the acqusition of money and possessions as the key to happiness
- Material possessions are seen as more important than spiritual qualities
10
Q
Relationship between Christian belief and wealth in modern society
Bruderhof
A
- This is an evangelical Christian movement whose members live in communities and have given up all personal properity
- A minority of Christians have adopted for themselves the teachings and practices of Jesus and the early Christian church, setting up communities that mirror the life of the early Jerusalem communtiy
- The Bruderhof was set up in the early 20th century and its communities are now found in a number of countries
- Members of the Bruderhof see materialism as one of the main reasons for the problems facing the world today
- They live in communities without any personal property- one of their vows is to live simply
11
Q
Relationship between Christian belief and wealth in modern society
Properity Gospel
A
- Form of evangelical Christianity that views wealth, power and status as rewards from God for strong faith and good works
- This thinking developed in the mid 20th century in the US within the Pentecostal tradition and is now an international movement
- Despite various scandals implicating some of their leaders, many Churches have been set up attracting thousands of adherents
- It teaches that Christian beliefs and practices will be rewarded by God in terms of material prosperity and physical wellbeing
- Members are expected to give generously to evangelistic work and some churches are involved in social prokects
- Most Christians see prosperity gospel as corrupt and inconsistent- the result of Western individualism and American dream unhealthily influencing Christianity
12
Q
Relationship between Christian belief and wealth in modern society
Mainstream Christians denounce Prosperity Theology but do not adopt the Bruderhof approach to wealth
A
- They think that there is nothing intrinsically wrong in having wealth but possession of it entails great responsibility
- This follows the example set by 19th century Christian industrialists e.g. George and Richard Cadbury who built good housing for their employers, paid reasonable wages and provided medical care and a pension scheme
- Christians are to be responsible stewards of their wealth, sharing it with those in need (10% of their income)
- Many churches are involved in the running of foodbanks and encourage their members to become involved in projects that care for the homeless
- Some of the voluntary aid programmes that are working to end global poverty have a Christian foundation e.g. cafod and tearfund
13
Q
Emergence of new forms of Christian expression
Fresh Expressions
A
- This movement was set up in the Church of England as a result of a 2004 report and has now been adopted by other Churches
- The movement has an evangelical aim in seeking to share Christian thinking but it is not aimed at drawing people into traditional Church communities
- It works alongside traditional churches, not replacing them but supplementing them
- It shares with those who have no contact with church communities what it means to live in a secular society so it starts from where people are
- It is about listening to the life experiences of ordinary people in their everyday situations and considering how the life and attitudes of Jesus might give meaning to those experiences, rather than preaching traditional beliefs
14
Q
Emergence of new forms of Christian expression
The House Church movement
A
- This movement views secularisation as largely hostile to the Church and sees a parallel in the circumstances of Christianity in the first 3 centuries of its existence when it suffered persecution by state authorities and Roman societies generally
- In those early days of the Church, Christians met in private houses- the House Church movement sees to replicate this practice
- The House Church movement is a movement away from meeting in conventional church buildings with all the formality of worship associated with them, but especially typical of evangelical and charismatic traditions
- The approach to the Bible is often fundamentalist
- Those who belong to the House Church movement focus on their individual experience of God calling them to a particular lifestyle or form of worship
- The House Church movement has had a tendency to split, creating the British New Church development- charismatic movement modelled on early church worship e.g. prophecy, healing and glossolalia
15
Q
Emphasis on the social relevance of Christianity
Christianity’s continuing relevance to a secular society
A
- To some extent, despite the declining numbers of regular worshippers, it can be claimed that British society itself still views religion as socially relevant
- In times of major disasters, people often turn to the Church to express grief, find comfort and perhaps make sense of it
- More logically, the Church plays a significant part in helping local communities come to terms with tragedy e.g. murder of a child
- Social involvement demonstrates how the teachings of Christianity are socially and politically relevant in the modern world
- Jesus himself put caring for those in need above religious rules (good samaritan) and Christians today reflect Jesus’ teaching in their belief that the Church is the body of Christ on Earth
- It has a theological basis in the doctrine of the incarnation: In Jesus, God is immanent and fully involved in the world
