Secularisation Flashcards

1
Q

What are the two forms of secularism? + Definition

A

Programmatic
- Religion has no place in public life, should be a private concept except from when in a religion building

Procedural
- Religion as part of the complex mixture of views citizens hold

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2
Q

Give statistic example of secularisation occurring in UK

A
  • Start of 20th Century 80% marriages solemnised by church, by end 20%
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3
Q

Consequences of Secularisation? (5)

A
  • Religion less influential on politics
  • Fewer people attend religious ceremonies
  • Moral choices based on rationality / harm principle rather than theological morality
  • Less understanding of religion
  • Increasing pessimism of supernatural / divine
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4
Q

Secularisation definition?

A

Religion becoming less important and less influential on society.

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5
Q

Reasons for Secularism

A

a) Sociological Evidence
Positives gained through focus on science
b) Religious Harm
- Harms caused by religion on society e.g. decreased religious based conflict

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6
Q

Problems with tracking secularism (3)

A
  • Hard to measure
    –> even if less church attendance doesn’t mean religion declining
    e.g. David Martin - religion doesn’t disappear just changed presentation
  • Influence
    –> Formal authority of church declining doesn’t decrease influence
  • Historical forced religion
    –> forced religion attendance means previously inflation numbers don’t correlate with true religion believers
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7
Q

Name 3 supporters of Procedural Secularism? + their views

A

Procedural
- Religion as part of the complex mixture of views citizens hold

  • Rowan Williams - Archbishop of canterbury
    –> Procedural allows religion + non-religion voices to be heard
    –> Programmatic assumes public religious expression is offensive + oppressive of non-religion views
  • Tony Blair
    –> Weather religious or not should respect God
    –> Alastair Campbell, “we don’t do religion”
  • King Charles III
    –> Defender of the faith -to- defender of faith
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8
Q

Name an example of Procedural Secularism in the UK?

A

Procedural
- Religion as part of the complex mixture of views citizens hold

Parliament
- House of Lords; Chief Rabbi, Duke of Norfolk (catholics), 26 Anglican bishops (protestant)

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9
Q

Name country with Programmatic views? + example

A

Programmatic
- Religion has no place in public life, should be a private concept except from when in a religion building

  • France
    –> 1905 French law separates church + state
    –> 2004 banned religion symbols in public spaced
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10
Q

Name Programmatic scholars. (5)

A

Programmatic
- Religion has no place in public life, should be a private concept except from when in a religion building

  • Auguste Comte
    –> As society develops, we move away from simplistic religious beliefs to scientific rational views (which rid society of false views)
  • Sigmond Freud
    –> Religion as infantile illusion belonging to early stage of human development which will be eliminated by science + reason
    –> Religion as neurosis + wish fulfilment resulting from human desire to be oppressed and due to human lack of control (from internal + external forces + longing for father figure)
  • Richard Dawkins
    –> Religion irrational - production of wishful thinking - all that should be trusted is science - religion leads to flase beliefs
    –> Religion as dangerous - cause of wars, misery (9/11) + prevents progress
    –> Religion as abuse - morally wrong for parents to bring children up as religious
    e.g. Hell houses
    –> pastor in Colorado - actors pretended to sin and then were punished (tortured)
  • Bertrand Russel
    –> Cannot disprove God, doesn’t make it practical / reasonable to assume e.g. God =Teapot revolving around sun
  • Nicolas Huphrey
    –> Religion as child abuse
    –> society has duty to protect children from ignorance of parents + crippling effect of religion on child’s mind
  • Karl Marx
    –> religion makes people satisfied with poverty + inequality
    –> religion, “the opium of the people”
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11
Q

Criticisms of Programmatic secularisation

A

Programmatic
- Religion has no place in public life, should be a private concept except from when in a religion building

  • Misery + Wars during secular times
    –> WW1+WW2 + Chernobyl in 20th century, caused by science
  • Atheist Immorality
    –> Stalin - atheism doesn’t guarantee rational morality
    –> Religion encourages morality e.g. ten commandments
  • Enlightenment - joining of Religion + Reason
    –> Intellectual + rational people apply rationality to religion e.g. Descartes
    –> Questions science unable to answer + contradictions within science e.g. physics
    –> ‘big bang’ developer Polkinghorn
  • Religion as wish fulfilment
    –> PoE - belief in God doesn’t solve anything
    –> Wish fulfilment doesn’t make it intrinsically bad
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12
Q

Explain Jo Marchant’s views on Secularism?

A
  • “Feeling part of something bigger may help us … defuse our deepest source of angst; knowledge of our own morality”
  • Doesn’t disagree with religion as wish fulfilment
  • Believes religion offers community aspect to help counter mental health + isolation

–> Ignores importance of individualism e.g. Jean Paul Satre

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13
Q

Name the 2 Legal case studies for Secularism?

A

Eweida V UK ECHR - 2006
- Nadia Ewedia worked for BA wore cross necklace, refused to take it off sued BA for double standards as hijabs were allowed
- BA decided they would allow employees to wear faith symbols

Lee V McArthur - 2016
- Gareth Lee ordered cake from bakery saying ‘support gay marriage’
- McArthurs thought it was sinful + refused
- Lee sued them + won

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14
Q

What are Rowan William’s views on Secularisation

A
  • Rowan Williams
    –> Archbishop of Canterbury,
    –> Programmatic secularism views, assumes public expression of faith offensive + an attempt to remove opposing beliefs
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15
Q

Explain key points of Secular Humanism.

A
  • Belief you can live good, noble life without need for religion
  • Humans can derive moral code from history, personal experience + reasoning
  • Programmatic views - religion removed from public life
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16
Q

Name the Scholar who Believes Secularism will lead to an ‘iron cage’?

A

Max Weber
- Secularism leads people to abandon traditional religious morality
- Workplace becomes’ iron cage’ - becomes dominated by rationality
–> people only valued for usefulness

17
Q

Explain David Martin’s views on secularism?

A
  • Religion doesnt disapear, just changes presentation
    –> one religion declines another takes its place
18
Q

Explain Peter Berger’s views on Secularism?

A
  • Secularism hasn’t happened
    –> world just as religion as it was before
  • Religion gaining influence western Europe the exception
    –> e.g. Evangelical Christians in Central + South America
19
Q

List the Wider Scholars for all of Secularism

A
  • David Martin
    –> religion doesn’t disappear just changes presentation
  • Peter Berger
    –> religion gaining influence just not in west e.g. central / south America
  • Max Weber
    –> Secularism leads to abandoning of morality and ‘iron cage’ people valued on usefulness
  • Jo Marchant
    –> religion helps us feel “part of something easier”, helps “defuse deepest source of angst” even if wish fulfilment
  • Rowan Williams
    –> Archbishop of Canterbury,
    –> Programmatic secularism views, assumes public expression of faith offensive + an attempt to remove opposing beliefs
  • Karl Marx
    –> religion as “opium of the people” makes people satisfied with poverty + inequality

Nicolas Huphrey
–> Society has duty to protect children from ignorance + abuse of religion

Richard Dawkins
–> religion as irrational, not compatible with science
–> religion as dangerous e.g. hell house + war
–> religion as oppressive e.g. Burka’s - dress codes

Auguste Comte
–> Society develops from simplistic religious views to scientific rational views

Sigmond Freud
–> Religion as infantile illusion + neuroses - will be eliminated by science
–> religion as wish fulfilment + longing for father figure and control

King Charles
–> Defender of Faith

20
Q

What is Secular Positivism?

A

Idea scientific reasoning will takeover from religion e.g. Freud, Dawkins