Religious Participation - Age Flashcards
What age is most likely to describe themselves as religious vs the least religious?
most religious - Older people
least - Younger people
What are some statistics about the number of people attending church?
- Children under the age of 15 are most likely to attend church due to their parents taking them
- Only 10% of 16 to 24 yr olds say they belong to a religion
Why do world rejecting sects tend to attract young adults?
1) Young adults have more freedom from social and economic ties and are free to join groups that withdraw from the world
2) Young may experience anomie or ethical deprivation and the sects may offer them moral guidance/sense of community
What movements are the middle aged and middle class most likely to be involved with?
- Conversionist sects egg jehovahs witnesses as they are experiencing status deprivation
- Cults make promises to their clients more successfully in terms of their goals and they also have the funds to be able to afford their services
What are the three explanations for age differences in religious belief and practice?
1) The ageing Effect - This is the view that as we get older we turn to religion as we naturally become more concerned about spiritual matters and the after life
2) Disengagement - The view that as we get older we detach ourselves from the integrating mechanisms of society e.g. work which they then may compensate with religious organisations
3) The generational Effect - The view that as society becomes more secular, each generation is less religious than before. Gill notes most children are no longer experiencing religious socialisation as they are brought up and are less likely to become church goers later in life
What are some explanations for young peoples apparent lack of religious belief?
1) Decline in attraction - 87% saw religion as boring,repetative and out of touch with young people
2) Expanded spiritual market - Existence of an ‘expanded spiritual market place’ exposes young people to a wider diversity of ideas which allows them to express themselves away from religion
3) Decline in religious education - no loner plays role meaning majority dont get socialised into it
What are some explanations for young peoples apparent lack of religious belief? 4&5&6
4) The privatisation of belief - May believe their beliefs are private so ‘believe without belonging’
5) Decline of mete narratives - Younger people are more likely to be disenchanted with the world due to higher education so may believe religion has lost power to explain the world to them
6) Pragmatic reasons - People have more demands and interesting things to do
