Postmodernity and Religion Flashcards
How does Davie argue against secularisation?
Religion is taking a more privatised form. For example, people no longer go to church because they feel they have to. Thus, church attendance has declined because attendance is now a matter of personal choice not obligation.
Therefore, we now have believing without belonging - people hold religious beliefs but don’t go to church. Therefore the decline of traditional religion is matched by the growth of a new form of religion.
What does Davie note about ‘vicarious religion’?
Notes there is a trend towards vicarious religion; where a small number of professional clergy practice religion on behalf of a much larger number of people. In societies like Britain, despite low attendance, many people still use the church for rites of passage such as baptisms, weddings and funeral
How does Bibby’s findings support Davie?
Canadian survey in 1993 found only 25% of Canadians attended church regularly. However, 80% said they had religious beliefs, identified positively with religious traditions and turned to religion for rites of passage.
Therefore supporting Davie’s theory that although they seldom went to church, they continued to be interested in the supernatural.
Why does Davie reject the secularisation theory that assumes that modernisation affects every society in the same way?
She argues there are multiple modernities, eg. Britain and America are both modern societies but with very different patterns of religion (in relation to church attendance) - high church attendance in america, low in Britain but accompanied by believing without belonging. Therefore, Davie rejects the view that religion will simply be replaced by science. Her view is that they will continue to coexist.
Why does Voas and Crockett not accept Davie’s claim that there is more believing than belonging?
Evidence from British Social Attitudes survey from 1983 to 2000 shows that both church attendance and belief in God are declining. If Davie were right, we would expect to see higher levels of belief.
Why does Bruce also disagree with Davie?
He states that if people are not willing to invest time in going to church, this just reflects the declining strength of their beliefs. When people no longer believe, they no longer wish to belong, and so their involvement in religion diminishes.
What themes does Hervieu-Leger continue/support?
The theme of personal choice and believing without belonging. She agrees that there has been a dramatic decline in institutional religion in Europe, with fewer and fewer people attending church in most countries.
How does Hervieu-Leger describe ‘cultural amnesia’?
A loss of collective memory; people have lost the religion that used to be handed down from generation to generation through family and church.
How does Hervieu-Leger argue that social equality has impacted religion?
Social equality has undermined the traditional power of the Church to impose religion on people from above, so young people no longer inherit a fixed religious identity.
What does Hervieu-Leger now identify about religion?
However, while traditional insitutional religion has declined, religion continues through individual consumerism. People have become spiritual shoppers. Religion is now individualised - we now develop our own ‘do it yourself’ beliefs
Hervieu-Leger argues that two new religions are emerging:
Pilgrims - follow an individual path in a search for self discovery eg. New Age or through individual ‘therapy’. The demand is created by today’s emphasis on personal development.
Converts - join religious groups that offer a strong sense of belonging. This re-creates a sense of community eg, evangelical and ethnic minority churches
However, Hervieu-Leger notes that religion does continue to have some influence on society’s values. How does he do this?
She argues the values, such as equality and human rights have their roots in religion. Such values can be a source of shared cultural identity and social solidarity, even for those who are not actively involved in religion.
What does Lyon argue about postmodern society?
He argues that postmodern society has several features that are changing the nature of religion, eg. globalisation, the increased importance of the media and consumerism, and the growth of consumerism. As a result, traditional religion is giving way to new religious forms that demonstrate its continuing strength.
What does Lyon argue is the result of globalisation?
As a result of globalisation, there has been an increased movement of religious ideas across national boundaries.
The media now saturates us with images and messages from around the globe, giving us instant access to the ideas of previously remote religions.
These ideas have become disembedded as the media lifts them out of their local context and moves them to a different place and time. eg. televangelism relocates religion to the internet and TV allowing believers to express their beliefs without attending church.
so religion becomes de-institutionalised - its signs and images become detached from their place in religious insitutions, multiplying on TV and in cyber space, a cultural resource which individuals can adapt for their own purposes.
Explain religious consumerism
In postmodern society there is a growth of consumerism and this involvesthat idea that we can now construct our own ideas through what we consume. Hervieu-Leger argues that members of society have become spiritual shoppers, where they can choose religious beliefs and practices to meet their own individual needs. We no longer have to sign up to one religious tradition: We can pick and mix elements of different faiths to suit our tastes and make them part of our identity.
