Secularisation Flashcards
Secularisation in America
Declining Church Attendance: polls show attendance was 40% since 1940.
- Hadaway= this doesn’t match churches’ own statistics.
- Hadaway et al= opinion polls exaggerate attendance. Since 1970s= the attendance gap has widened.
- Bruce= as church is seen as socially desirable.
Secularisation from within:
- Bruce= traditional christian beliefs glorifying God had declined. America= ‘psychologised’. Remained popular but changed due to seeking personal improvement, life style changes (1951= 98% view alcohol as wrong, 1982= 17%).
- Now people are less strict on traditional beliefs.
Religious Diversity: church goers are less dogmatic in views.
- Practical Relativism= acceptance of other views.
- Lynd and Lynd= 1924- 94% agree Christianity is the 1 true religion, 1977- 41%.
- Erosion of Absolutism= many views undermines assumptions of one truth.
Evaluation:
- Berger= religion is not declining, just changing its form.
this is a one sided theory, ignores religious revivals, growth of new religions.
- secularisation is not universal.
Secularisation in Britain
Church attendance today:
- Wilson= western societies undergoing long term secularisation.
Declined 1/2 since 1960s= decreased baptisms but Bogus Baptisms (older children) increased recently (EG: gives acceptance to good schools).
EVALUATION= churches can exaggerate statistics (over/under report).
Religious Affiliation Today:
- identification with religion.
- 1983- 2014= adults with no religion rose (1/3 to 1/2).
- Catholicism rose (eastern European immigration) BUT 2015= christianity decreased by 1/3.
- Increase of non-Christian religions (immigration / births).
Religious Institutions Today:
- decline since 19th century. Taken over by state to perform their functions (EG: education).
- Religion now kept private (EG inside the home).
EVALUATION= church still has some aspects of public life (EG: lawmaking).
Religious belief Today:
- 80years of surveys shows decreased religious beliefs, decreased attendance and memberships.
- Crockett= 1851= more than 40% attended church. This is lower today (EG: less baptisms, less church weddings, increased diversity (non-christian)).
Explanations of secularisation
Rationalisation:
-Weber= rational thinking overtakes religious thinking.
Protestant reformation begun by Martin Luther (16th Century) began this in the West.
Undermined worldview of middle ages - replaced thought with science.
Disenchantment:
- Weber= protestant reformation created a new worldview. God is transcendent - doesn’t intervene with earth, run by own laws of nature.
Events no longer explained by supernatural reasoning so began rationalisation.
Basis for technological advances.
A technological worldview:
- Bruce= growth of technological worldview replaced religious explanations (EG: plane crashes no longer due to evil spirits).
Little room left for religion so taken less seriously.
EVALUATION= we may pray for help (EG: a disease that has no cure)
Structural Differentiation:
- Parsons= process of specialisation in industrial areas.
DISENGAGEMENT: functions of religion given to other institutions (State) so disconnected from society (EG: church lost control of education / law).
PRIVATISATION: religion restricted to family, due to personal choice, rituals lost meaning.
Church and state separated as no longer identified to one religion.
