secularisation Flashcards
(37 cards)
1
Q
what are the church attendance statistics
A
- in 1851 – 40% went to church
- in 2015 – 5%
2
Q
statistics on churches and ministers
A
- 1995 – 49,500 churches, 2005 – 47000
- 1995 – 35000 ministers, 2005 – 33500
3
Q
why might stats not be reliable
A
- data collection methods vary over time
- cant guarantee accuracy of stats
- some religious organisations do not keep records
4
Q
why might religious organisations distort their figures
A
- catholic church – underestimate the size of their congregation to pay less tax
- anglican church – overestimates participation to avoid church closures
5
Q
why might statistics not be valid
A
- questions about religion can be personal and sensitive
- might want to be viewed in a positive light
- religious surveys might not be taken seriously
- 2001 census 0.7% listed their religion as jedi
6
Q
what was Hadaways research
A
- church attendance
- telephone surveys showed higher attendance than actual participation
- socially desirable answer
7
Q
what does davie believe
A
- believing without belonging
- religion is becoming a private affair
8
Q
what does weber argue about secularisation
A
- disenchantment and rationalisation
- as a result of industrialisation, people look to science instead of religion
9
Q
what does bruce believe about a decline in religious thinking
A
- people only turn to religion when nothing else has worked
10
Q
stats that religion isnt in decline
A
- 78% of people have some sort of religiousity in their thinking
11
Q
what does heelas believe about the decline of religion
A
- growth of nrms could be seen as the resurgence of the sacred
- there is a spiritual revolution, people are getting more involved in new age mind body spirituality
- pick and mixing their religion
12
Q
what is davies vicarious religion argument
A
- the actions of the minority can speak for the majority
- although people aren’t attending church this doesnt mean they arent exposed to religion
13
Q
arguments against secularisation
A
- CofE remains official church in england and the monarch must be a member of the church of england
- roman catholic church has influence over several European countries
- many religious schools still
14
Q
how can other countries disprove secularisation
A
- 90% of americans believe in god
- 40% attend church regularly
15
Q
what did the eurobarometer poll in 2005 find
A
- 70% of people believe there is such thing as a soul and believe in sin
- 38% of people in the uk believe in god
- 40% of the uk believe in some sort of spiritual life force
- therefore 78% of people have some degree of religiousity/spirituality in their thinking
16
Q
what do evangelical Christians believe
A
- the bible is the literal word of god and should be followed strictly
- followers believe in sin, possessions, the second coming of Christ, faith healing and miracles
- evangelical christianity cannot be accused of being watered down
17
Q
what are some statistics showing religion is not on the decline
A
- 2005 eurobarometer poll shows that 4/5 EU citizens have religious or spiritual beliefs
- around 75% of people believe in a god in cyprus, greece, Portugal, poland, italy and ireland
- 95% of maltese citizens believe in god
- many individuals still show opposition to non traditional values
18
Q
what does heelas argue
A
- resacrilisation
- growth of NRMs could be seen as the resurgence of the sacred
- the world is going through a spiritual revolution
- people are getting more involved with ‘holistic milieu’ (mind body spirituality)
- people are pick and mixing religions
19
Q
what are the arguments why religious thinking and belief is NOT in decline
A
- eurobarometer poll
- traditional religious beliefs remain strong
- religion still forms the basis for many societies
- resacrilisation
20
Q
how does religion form the basis for many societies
A
- religion is so ingrained with many societies that it actually acts as the foundation for those societies and so will always be important
21
Q
what does davie argue
A
- believing without belonging and the privatisation of religious practice
- believing in god doesnt necessarily mean attending a religious institution or service
- people can express their beliefs and worship at home in a privatised manner, helped by tv, radio and the internet
22
Q
what is televangelism
A
- religious satellite tv/radio stations broadcasting religion 24 hours a day
23
Q
why might church attendance statistics be lower than they used to be
A
- there used to be a social pressure to attend if you wanted respectability
24
Q
what are some issues with statistics surrounding religion
A
- people may give socially desirable answers
- telephone surveys
- counting cars in a carpark
25
what did Browne find
- 90% of funerals involve a religious ceremony
26
what is vicarious religion and who came up with it
- Davie
- the actions of the minority can speak for the
majority
- minority -- active, rituals, practices
- majority -- inactive but approve of what the minority are doing
- this occurs particularly in times of 'interruption to normality'. for example, the ferry tragedy in estonia which killed 852 people led people to go to church to give speeches and pray
27
why are religious institutions not in decline
- the CofE remains the official church in england and the the british monarch must be a member of the CofE
- CofE bishops continue to have a seat in the house of lords
- there are still religious schools and religion is part of the national curriculum
28
what are the arguments why religious practice is not in decline
- believing without belonging
- televangelism
- incorrect statistics
- vicarious religion
29
what does warner believe
- religious economic theory
- although some see the sheer number of sects, denominations as religion losing its meaning, warner argues that this competition actually makes these institutions stronger and more powerful
30
what do stark and bainbridge argue
- the secularisation cycle
- secularisation isnt the end to religion but rather part of a cycle
- religion can never disappear or decline
- religion will always be needed to answer questions, moral guidance, rewards
- secularisation -> innovation -> renewal -> decline -> secularisation
31
what are the two definitions of religion
- exclusivist
- inclusivist
32
what is the exclusivist definition
- a narrow definition of what constitutes religion
33
what is the inclusivist definition
- much broader possibly including political movements and value systems like humanism
- the more broadly religion is defined, the less likely it is to be seen in decline
34
what is the inclusivist definition
- much broader possibly including political movements and value systems like humanism
- the more broadly religion is defined, the less likely it is to be seen in decline
35
arguments for secularisation
- there is declining membership in all major christian denominations in the UK
- in 2007, 2% of the population attended religious ceremonies on sundays compared with 40% in 1851
- fewer than 1/2 of all marriages in the UK involve a religious ceremony, less than 1/4 of all babies are now baptised compared to 2/3 in 1950s
- despite the growing numbers of NAMs and NRMs the growth is insignificant compared to the number of religious movements collapsing
36
what did Bruce find in relation to careers
- less people are opting for carers within the clergy
- 1900 -- 45000 British clerics
- 2000 -- 34000 British clerics
37
what is the argument that religious institutions are losing influence
- in the middle ages the church was a dominant social institution which had enormous wealth power and status which is not necessarily the case in contemporary society
- Bruce -- the church and religion is marginalised in todays world
