Religion, Renewal And Choice Flashcards
Three main alternatives it secularisation
THEORIES OF LATE MODERNITY AND POSTMODERNITY: These argue that religion is not declining but merely changing as society develops.
RELIGIOUS MARKET THEORY: The view that secularisation is just one stage of a constant cycle of secularisation, revival and renewal.
SECULARISATION AND SECURITY: The view that religion has declined in richer countries because they are more economically secure.
What’s it all about
It’s a topic which questions the true extent of secularisation whilst criticising the idea that greater religious diversity and choice is undermining religion. It generally sets out the idea that perhaps religion is just changing rather than disappearing
THE EUROBAROMETER POLL 2005:
40% of uk believe in some sort of spirit or life force (E-2005)
Brown tells us that around 90% of funerals involve a religious ceremony
America has a growing number of mega churches to cater for numbers of worshippers
Strong traditional beliefs are also still very much present with Hinduism, Sikhism and Islam (2021 census, Islam growing by 5%)
Evangelical Christianity
Believe that the Bible is the literal word of God & should be followed strictly.
Followers believe in sin, possessions, the second coming of Christ, faith healing & miracles. Evangelical Christianity cannot be accused of being ‘watered-down’ and is an example of strong, traditional beliefs being present in the world.
Strong, traditional beliefs are also present with Hinduism, Sikhism & Islam.
(Late modernity) DAVIE: BELIVING WITHOUT BELONGING
‘From obligation to consumption’…
There is a major change in religion away from obligation and towards consumption and choice. Religion is no longer inherited or imposed but a matter of personal choice.
E.G: baptisms were once seen as an obligatory rite of passage whereas now only a minority of babies are baptised.
Davie argues religion is not declining but taking a more privatised form. Individuals still hold religious beliefs but are reluctant to belong to organisations.
Davie: vicarious religion
Vicarious religion is where the minority such as professional clergy worship on behalf of the majority. This is typical in Britain and Northern Europe.
In Europe, the major national churches are considered to be public utilities – a bit like the NHS-there to be used whenever needed. E.G: churches are still used for rites of passage such as baptisms, weddings and funerals.
Davie believes that this is believing without belonging and describes it as only the tip of the iceberg. Despite demonstrating a lack of belief, people still have much wider commitment.
Evaluation of Davie
Voas and Crockett (2005): reject Davie’s claim that there is more believing than belonging. Evidence from 5,750 respondents found a decline in both church attendance and belief in God. If Davie was correct there should have been higher levels of belief.
Bruce (2011) – we have to belong to believe. We must to show commitment to show we actually believe
Leger: spiritual shopping & cultural amnesia
Leger: continues the theme of personal choice and religion. She agrees that in Europe there has been a decline in people attending church.
We no longer pass on our religious beliefs to our children and instead allow them to make their own judgments (CULTURAL AMNESIA).
Growth in greater social equality =impacted the power of the traditional church. As a result of this the younger generation do not inherit a religious identity and are ignorant of the traditional religions.
Evaluation of spiritual shopping
Leger does note that religion does continue to have some influence on societies values. E.g. the value of equality and human rights have their roots in religion. This still binds people together even today
Postmodern arguments (Bauman)
The concept of choice
In a state of post modernity, periphery are less willing to accept ‘universal truths’ or anybody holding authority over them. In a postmodern society, choice is key. Without a generally accepted set of moral codes, individuals are free to create their own. We do not need to adhere to religious ideals of our parents
Lyon: the re enchantment of the world
Again, postmodern society is all about choice and this includes god
Lyon rejects the rationalisation argument made in the topic of secularisation arguing that whilst traditional religion may have declined in western societies, a range of non traditional religions have emerged in its place! He calls this the process of re enchantment- evaluation for Weber
Postmodernity has seen a rise in three key things
Globalisation
Growth of information technology
Consumerism and consumer choice
The globalisation element
Lyon argues that religious ideas have become disembedded- the media lift them out of physical churches into a different place and time. E.g the electronic church and televangelism which takes place online. Religion becomes a cultural resource that we can adapt to suit our own needs
The growth of information technology element: Helland 2000 religion online and online religion
Helland distinguishes between two types of internet activity:
Religion online is a form of top down communication where a religious organisation uses the internet to address memevers and potential converts. There is no feedback or dialogue between the parties. This is an electronic form of communication of traditional ideas
Online religion is a form of cyber religion that may have no existence outside of the internet. It is a many to many form of communication, allowing a sense of community and the ability to visit virtual workshops or mediation spaces
Evaluation for Helland
Hoover 2004: for most users of online religion, it is just a supplement to their church based activities rather than a substitute for them
The religious consumerism element
According to Lyon, religion has relocated to the ‘peered of consumption’:
The decline of churches does not mean the end of religion as new religious movements are now springing up from which personal belief systems can be constructed
E.G: American Christian fundamentalists in Ammermans study made use of a number of churches without giving loyalty to them. One family attended services at a Methodist church and bereavement counselling at a Baptist church, while taking their children to another church for day care
A spiritual revolution: the Kendal project
Some sociologists argue that a spiritual revolution is taking place in which traditional Christianity is giving way to holistic spirituality or New Age beliefs. This is evidence in the growth of a spiritual Market through the sale of literature on self help and spirituality and the number of practitioners who offer consultations, courses and therapies
Heelas & woodhead
In their study of Kendal in Cumbria, they were interested in comparing the traditional domain of evangelical Christianity against the ‘holistic milieu’ of spirituality and the new age to see if spirituality was compensating fur decline in organised religion
In year 2000 in a typical week 7.9% if the population attended church and 1.6% took part in activities of the holistic milieu . Traditional churches weee losing support, Evangelicam churches were holding their own, but the holistic milieu was starting to grow because groups like NAMS demanded less commitment than traditional churches, and this fits with postmodern lifestyles
Evaluation of Heelas and woodhead
The problem of scale: even if new age firms of individualised religion are springing up, it is not on a large enough scale to fill the gap left by the decline of traditional religions
Socialisation of the next generation: for a belief system ti survive, it must be passed down. In Kendal on,y 32% of parents involved on the new age said their children shared their spiritual interests. Furthermore women in the holistic milieu are more likely to be child’s less which exacerbates their problem
Weak commitment: Glendinning and Bruce found that alothough many people dabbled in new age beliefs and practices there was rarely a serious commitment to them. Even in those that desired themselves as a spiritual, very few considered these practise to be an important part of their lives
