Religion

Question 1

Why is religion unpopular?

Answer 1

Because it is seen as private, with public display being inappropriate.
Only 20% of respondents said that most or all of their neighbours shared their religious views

Question 2

How do we measure religious involvement?

Answer 2

Affiliation - current or past identification
Practice - attendance to religious services
Belief - God, doctrine

Question 3

Religion and Age

Answer 3

There is a generational decline in religion as each birth cohort is less religious than the last, long term decline in Europe

Question 4

What is secularisation?

Answer 4

Gradual process whereby religion becomes less significant. Not the conversion of the religious into the unreligious, people become indifferent.

Question 5

Fuzzy fidelity

Answer 5

• identify with denomination

- attend church weddings, funerals

Question 6

Unreligious

Answer 6

religion is unimportant in their life

Question 7

The secularisation thesis

Answer 7

• believing without belonging
• alternative spirituality is on the rise
• the supply of religion needs to be revitalised
• immigration and ethnic change influence religious landscape

Question 8

Secular

Answer 8

an absence of religious motivation or content (e.g. secular ceremonies, morality, art)

Question 9

Secularism

Answer 9

an ideology that opposes religious privilege or religion itself

Question 10

Secularity

Answer 10

implies that religion is weak, but secularism may also be weak

Question 11

Secularisation

Answer 11

is about the decline of religion and the growth of the secular (not secularism)

Question 12

Process of secularisation

Answer 12

• modern life creates problems for religion
• religion becomes less socially significant
• religion becomes less important to individuals

Question 13

Value change

Answer 13

has undermined religious practice and belief

Question 14

Believing without belonging

Answer 14

most Europeans continue to be Christian believers, despite not going to church
belief in the supernatural outlasts active religious participation

Question 15

Persistence of the Sacred

Answer 15

Not merely continued existence – suggestion is that religious feelings remain strong.

Question 16

Resurgence of religion

Answer 16

“Religion is back on the agenda, not because of a resurgence in spirituality in our consumerist society, but because of the excesses it inspires in extremists of all faiths. ”

	- Ruth Gledhill

Question 17

Spiritual Revolution

Answer 17

Alternative spirituality is taking over. ‘new Age’ is not sufficient to replace the losses from church. Beliefs and practices are varied

Question 18

Contemporary Relativism

Answer 18

‘probable’ rather than ‘definite’ belief is increasing among younger generations

Question 19

Religious Markets

Answer 19

People everywhere will always want what only religion can promise to provide, and therefore they will always want religion

Question 20

Generational Change

Answer 20

Possible explanation: parents have become less committed to conformity in their children

Question 21

Why are many immigrants especially religious?

Answer 21

Social context in countries of origin
Residential concentration
Support from religious communities
Endogamy, spousal migration, families

Question 22

Family Transmission

Answer 22

Most religious socialisation occurs at home; the family is the most important influence on the religiosity of (adult) children