Lesson 1

Question 1

Capitalism

Answer 1

Political and economic system which and oppressed, and then uses the gospel as a way to challenge the causes of their poverty and allows wealth to be controlled by individuals and businesses for private profit.

Question 2

Communism

Answer 2

A political system in which power, wealth and status are equally shared by all in the community, region or state.

Question 3

Materialism

Answer 3

A world view that sees material possessions, money and personal comfort as more important than spiritual beliefs and practices.

Question 4

Humanism

Answer 4

The belief that people can live good lives without religious or superstitious beliefs.

Question 5

Prosperity Gospel

Answer 5

A form of Christianity which sees wealth, status and privilege as rewards from God for strong faith and good works.

Question 6

Irrational

Answer 6

Adjective meaning ‘without reason’ which has a generally negative meaning.

Question 7

Liberationist

Answer 7

An approach to theology that starts with an analysis of the situation of the poor and oppressed and then use the gospel as a way to challenge the causes of their poverty and oppression.

Question 8

Secular

Answer 8

Concerned with affairs of the world so not concerned with religious or spiritual matters.

Question 9

Why has Britain become more secular

Answer 9

Christianity is losing its authority in society
OR
Christian moral values have become so much part of everyone’s thinking that there is no longer any need for a specific religious reference.

Question 10

Society becoming more secular means many things

Answer 10

fewer people attend acts of worship
fewer people claimed to belong to a religion
more people claim to be atheist
most people reject supernatural beliefs based on reason and evidence more people rejecting religious authority
fewer features of life organised by religion
political and legal decisions are made without reference to religious ideas
human rights people are free to believe or not to believe

Question 11

What is secularisation and where has it come from

Answer 11

Secular is being focused on worldly affairs, not religious or spiritual. Secularisation is when society does not include religion in the public sphere – it is focused on worldly ideas/approaches

-This has developed in the UK from the Enlightenment when people were encouraged to use their reason, science and evidence, rather than the Bible/religious leaders when making a decision.

-This shift in thinking has increased with fewer people attending church regularly and the impact of religion on the population decreasing.

Question 12

Pre 16th century

Answer 12

Pre 16th Century – the Church claimed authority over people’s spiritual lives, and over nations and societies. Had authority over religious and secular affairs.

Question 13

Reformation

Answer 13

– the authority of the Church was challenged by the reformers. Joining the Church became a matter of personal choice.

Question 14

Enlightenment

Answer 14

development of science, reason and evidence challenged older religious traditions. David Hume took this new secular viewpoint.

Question 15

Between countries

Answer 15

–Catholic countries clashes with the new emphasis on reason and evidence. Protestant countries welcomed this new emphasis.

Question 16

19th and 20th centuries

Answer 16

– people gained increasing freedom of belief, and many chose not to follow religion at all. Phenomenon of secularisation.

Question 17

Grace Davie – Believing without belonging

Answer 17

-People don’t go to church on a regular basis, but they do want and expect religion to be there for when they need it e.g. weddings, baptisms and funerals.

-Vicarious Religion – people expect religious institutions to do things on behalf of the population.
Example of the Hillsborough disaster.

-This shows the secularisation of the UK – people don’t expect religion to have a strong public role, but its presence and position is still important

Question 18

Atheism

Answer 18

-People are now free to describe themselves as atheist.

-They may, for example, affirm that they will tell the truth if they give evidence in court, rather than swearing to tell the truth with a hand on a Bible.

-But this acceptance of atheism has only gradually come about since the end of the eighteenth century

Question 19

What is secularisation seen as

Answer 19

-Alongside the political and legal aspects of belief, secularisation is seen particularly in the way in which particular spheres of life have been increasingly less religious.

-At one time, education and health care were largely carried out by the Church.

-Although religion still has influence over aspects of education (for example faith schools), the way education is organised and funded is largely secular.

Question 20

With reference to Christianity what might secularisation apply

Answer 20

1 Christianity is losing its authority in society, and secular organisations are taking traditional church roles, so Christianity has failed to persuade people of its beliefs or moral values.

2 Christian moral values and attitudes have now become so much part of everyone’s thinking that there is no longer any need for a specific religious reference.

Question 21

Before the protestant reformation

Answer 21

-Until the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century, the Church claimed authority both over people’s spiritual lives, and over nations and societies.

-The distinction between religious and secular was not a matter of personal belief or lack of it.

-Things were religious if they were related to the Church with its sacraments and hierarchy of leaders.

-Things were secular if they were concerned with social and political order. But the Church had authority over both religious and secular affairs.

Question 22

Two major social changes at the reformation

Answer 22

-The authority of the Church was challenged by the reformers, and new Churches were formed in which individuals were encouraged to study the scriptures for themselves.

-Joining the Church became a matter of a personal choice, rather than a routine rite of passage for everyone

Question 23

What happened after the enlightenment

Answer 23

-Following the Enlightenment and the development of science, reason and evidence became key to knowledge, and older religious traditions were challenged.

-For the first time, people could claim to be atheists, or to have no interest in religion. David Hume was a philosopher who took up this very new position, challenging religion from the standpoint of secular reason.

Question 24

Clash between countries

Answer 24

-The situation was also different between countries.

-In Catholic countries, the Church clashed with the new emphasis on reason and evidence.

-In Protestant countries, the new emphasis on reason and evidence was welcomed as strengthening everyone’s right to think through and understand their faith.

Question 25

nineteenth and twentieth centuries

Answer 25

-people gained increasing freedom of belief and religious practice, and many chose not to follow religion at all.

-This led to fewer people attending organised worship, particularly following the World Wars, and again in the 1960s. This is described as the phenomenon of secularisation.