secularisation

Question 1

what is secularisation

Answer 1

It refers to the declining importance of religion

Question 2

census

Answer 2

Religion in the United Kingdom (2021 census):
* Christianity (46.2%)
* No religion (37.2%)
* Islam (6.5%)
* Hinduism (1.7%)

Question 3

attendance

Answer 3

Crockett (1998)
* 1851 – 40% attended church on Sunday
* 1960 – 10% attended church on Sunday
* 2015 – 5% attended church on Sunday

Question 4

wilson

Answer 4

He argues that britian has become a secular society.
* Baptism’s declining - 120,000, 2016 - 106,000, 2017
*Increase in Bogus baptisms – children baptised to get them into a school rather than a sign of christain committment
* Christian Marriages - 45,000 in 2016 - 41,000 in 2017

Question 5

religious affiliation

Answer 5

There is always a downward trend in Religious Affiliation. This refers to a persons membership or identification with religion. According to British Social Attitudes Survey btw 1983 and 2018, the proportion of adults with no religion rose to over half

Question 6

religious institutions

Answer 6

The social influence of religion has declined in British Society despite the Church of England having 26 bishops in the House of Lords, where they have some influence in law-making. Religion has been privatised, the state has taken over the collective functions that the church used to perform. For example, until the mid 19th century churches provided education but since then it has been provided mainly by the state. Although there are still faith schools, they are mainly state-funded and comply with state regulations. Religion has been confined to the individual and the family.

Question 7

Problems with Secularisation Data

Answer 7

How can sociologists measure:
* Loss some of its function?
* Internal secularisation of religious institutions?
* The level of secular ‘mindsets’?
* Disengagement from religion?
* Problems with quantitative measurements of secularisation
* Church attendance/participation:
* Under-estimates of participation
* Over-estimates of participation
* Problems with self-collected data
* Different definitions of membership and attendance
* Historical participation data is unverifiable
* Some religious organisations do not keep records
* Opinion poll evidence about beliefs
* Measuring abstract ‘belief’ is problematic
* Interpretation of questions varies
* Meaning of responses
* How far do beliefs influence behaviour?

Question 8

sociological explanations of secularisation

Answer 8

Rationalism
Structural Differentiation
Social and Cultural Diversity
Religious Diversity

Question 9

sociologist behind rationalism

Answer 9

weber
bruce

Question 10

rationalism

Answer 10

Weber argues that people have developed logical ways of thinking which have replaced religious ways of thinking. Medieval society saw the world as an enchanted garden with spiritual beings being active in the world with supernatural powers and humans could try and influence those beings. However, the protestant reformation brought a new worldview and disenchanted people to the medieval catholic one. Protestantism saw God as transcendent - existing outside this world and did not interfere. This means that there was no need for a religious explanation of the world since the world was no longer an enchanted garden. All that was needed to understand the world was rationality. Using reason and science, humans could discover and understand and control the world, this enables science to thrive and further undermines the religious worldview. Bruce takes this further and argues that the growth of technological worldview has largely replaced religious explanations of why things happen. EG when a plane crashes, we are unlikely to regard it as God’s punishment instead we look for scientific explanations this leaves little room for religious explanations and has made people take religion less seriously

Question 11

sociologist behind structural diffrenciation

Answer 11

Parsons
bruce

Question 12

structural differentiation

Answer 12

SD is a process whereby separate specialised institutions develop to carry out functions that were previously performed by a single institution due to industrialisation. This according to Parsons has led to the disengagement of religion. The state has taken over many functions of religion where religion does provide these services it had to follow the rules of the state - religion loses its influence as it no longer plays an active part in public everyday life. Bruce takes this further and argues that religion has become privatised and confined to the family and the individual as a result tradition and rituals have lost its meaning

Question 13

socioloist behind - social and cultural diversity

Answer 13

wilson
bruce

Question 14

social and cultural diversity

Answer 14

The move from pre-industrialisation to industrial society has led to the decline in community and this contributes to the decline of religion. Wilson argues that in PI communities shared values were expressed through collective religious rituals that integrated individuals and regulated their behaviour but when religion lost its standing in local communities it lost its usefulness and hold over individuals. Similarly, Bruce sees industrialisation as undermining the consensus of religious beliefs that hold small communities together. Social and geographical mobility breaks up communities, brings people together from many different backgrounds and creates diversity in religious views which undermines a clear cut religion. Even when people continue to hold religious beliefs, they are aware of different views around them which undermines religion even more as the presence of different beliefs raises questions of which one is the true one

Question 15

sociologist behind religious diverisyt -

Answer 15

berger

Question 16

religious diversity

Answer 16

According to Berger, another cause of secularisation is religious diversity, where instead of there being only one religious organisation and interpretation of the faith there are many. In the middle ages, the European Catholic Church held a monopoly as a result everyone lived under a single shared sacred canopy or set of beliefs shared by all. This gave these beliefs greater plausibility because the church’s version of the truth was unquestioned. This all changed with the protestant reformation. Since then, the number and variety of religious organisations have continued to grow, each with their own version of the truth this led to religious diversity which meant that no church can now claim an unchallenged monopoly of the truth, there are now different versions of the truth. Berger argues that this creates a crisis of credibility for religion, it undermines the reasons why people find it believable as there are different alternatives to choose from, and people begin to question all of them - leading to a decline in religion

Question 17

eval of social and cultural diversity

Answer 17

Decline of physical community =/= decline of religion. Aldridge argues that some religious communities are imagined communities that operate online. Pentecostal and other religious groups thrive in impersonal urban areas. Berger argues that increased diversity and choice actually stimulate interests and participation in religion. For example, the growth of evangelicalism in Latin America and the New Christian Right in the USA point to the continuing vitality of religion not its decline. Beckford agrees with the idea that religious diversity will lead some to question or abandon their beliefs but opposing views can have the effect of strengthening a religious groups commitment to its existing beliefs rather than undermining them.

Question 18

some other trends that go against secularisation theory

Answer 18

Cultural Defence
Cultural Transition

Question 19

cultural defence

Answer 19

Religion provides a focal point for the defence of national, ethnic, local or group identity in a struggle against an external force such as a hostile foreign power. EG the popularity of Catholicism in Poland before the fall of communism.

Question 20

cultural transition

Answer 20

Religion provides support and a sense of community for ethnic groups such as migrants to a different country and culture

Question 21

eval of cultural defence and transition

Answer 21

Bruce argues that religion survives in such situations only because it is a focus for group identity. These examples do not disprove secularisation but show that religion is most likely to survive where it performs functions other than relating individuals to the supernatural. Religion loses importance for migrants once they are integrated into their new society.

Question 22

secularisation from within

Answer 22

Bruce argues that religion itself has become more secular to maintain relevance in the modern world. The emphasis on Traditional Christain beliefs has declined and religion has turned to a form of therapy to fit in which secular society. Religion has become less religious to remain popular. 2021- pope Francis - evolution and big bang is real

Question 23

evals

Answer 23

Religion is not declining but simply changing form - NRM, secularisation is one-sided and ignores the growth of new religions
Religion may have declined in Europe but not globally
Religious Diversity increases participation because it offers choice.
Measuring church attendance ignores people who believe but do not attend.