Secularisation

Question 1

Wilson (1966)

Answer 1

Secularisation is the process whereby religious thinking, practice and institutions lose social significance

Question 2

Religious thought

Answer 2

The influence that religion has on a persons beliefs and values

Question 3

Religious practice

Answer 3

The things people do in order to show their religious commitment

Question 4

Religious institutions

Answer 4

The extent to which religious institutions have retained their influence on the day to day running of society

Question 5

Problems with measuring secularisation

Answer 5

-Definitions
-Validity
-Reliability
-Representativeness

Question 6

Problems with measuring secularisation: definitions

Answer 6

Very little consensus on what is meant by the term religion and being religious

Question 7

Problems with measuring secularisation: validity

Answer 7

Difficult to determine the validity of any research that is conducted

Question 8

Problems with measuring secularisation: reliability

Answer 8

Historical documents may not meet contemporary standards of reliability

Question 9

Problems with measuring secularisation: representativeness

Answer 9

Can results that are obtained on religion be generalised to the rest of the population

Question 10

Woodhead and Heelas (2000)

Answer 10

View of secularisation

Question 11

Disappearance thesis

Answer 11

Modernity has brought on the death of religion
Religion has lost significance for both the individual and society

Question 12

Differentiation thesis

Answer 12

Religion is in social decline but not individual decline

Question 13

Causes of secularisation

Answer 13

-Old fashioned
-Loss of status
-Loss of functions
-Growth of science
-Changing leisure patterns