Religion Flashcards
Why is religion unpopular?
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
How do we measure religious involvement?
Affiliation - current or past identification
Practice - attendance to religious services
Belief - God, doctrine
Religion and Age
There is a generational decline in religion as each birth cohort is less religious than the last, long term decline in Europe
What is secularisation?
Gradual process whereby religion becomes less significant. Not the conversion of the religious into the unreligious, people become indifferent.
Fuzzy fidelity
- identify with denomination
- attend church weddings, funerals
Unreligious
religion is unimportant in their life
The secularisation thesis
- believing without belonging
- alternative spirituality is on the rise
- the supply of religion needs to be revitalised
- immigration and ethnic change influence religious landscape
Secular
an absence of religious motivation or content (e.g. secular ceremonies, morality, art)
Secularism
an ideology that opposes religious privilege or religion itself
Secularity
implies that religion is weak, but secularism may also be weak
Secularisation
is about the decline of religion and the growth of the secular (not secularism)
Process of secularisation
- modern life creates problems for religion
- religion becomes less socially significant
- religion becomes less important to individuals
Value change
has undermined religious practice and belief
Believing without belonging
most Europeans continue to be Christian believers, despite not going to church
belief in the supernatural outlasts active religious participation
Persistence of the Sacred
Not merely continued existence – suggestion is that religious feelings remain strong.
Resurgence of religion
“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
Spiritual Revolution
Alternative spirituality is taking over. ‘new Age’ is not sufficient to replace the losses from church. Beliefs and practices are varied
Contemporary Relativism
‘probable’ rather than ‘definite’ belief is increasing among younger generations
Religious Markets
People everywhere will always want what only religion can promise to provide, and therefore they will always want religion
Generational Change
Possible explanation: parents have become less committed to conformity in their children
Why are many immigrants especially religious?
Social context in countries of origin
Residential concentration
Support from religious communities
Endogamy, spousal migration, families
Family Transmission
Most religious socialisation occurs at home; the family is the most important influence on the religiosity of (adult) children
