Secularisation Flashcards
Secularisation
The process whereby religious thinking, practices and institutions lose social significance (Wilson 1966)
Secularisation in Britain
Crockett (1981) estimates that in 1981, 40% or more of the adult population of Britain attended church on Sundays. Today this is much lower:
A decline in the population going to church or belonging to one.
An increase in the average age of churchgoers.
Fewer baptisms and church weddings
A decline in the numbers holding traditional Christian beliefs.
Greater diversity, including more non-Christian religions!
Church attendance today
By 2015, about 5% of the adult population attended church on Sunday.
Church attendance has therefore more than halved since the 60’s!
Sunday attendance in the Church of England fell from 1.6 million in 1960 to under 0.8 million in 2013.
Sunday school attendance how now dropped!
Bogus baptisms
Although infant baptisms have fallen, those of older children have increased. Faith schools tend to be higher performing and baptism becomes an ‘entry ticket’ rather than a sign of commitment.
Therefore, people were getting baptised just to get in to a good school!
Religious belief today
E.G: Surveys show a significant decline in belief in a personal God, in Jesus as the son of God and in the afterlife and the bible!
Religious institutions today
Whilst the church has some influence on public life (there are 26 C of E bishops in the House of Lords where they have some influence on lawmaking), this has significantly declined since the 19th century!
The state has taken over many of the functions previously held by the church. E.G The church provided education. Although there are faith schools now, they are still funded by the state and have to therefore adhere to their regulations!
The clergy: During the 20th century, the number of clergy has fallen from 45,000 to 34,000. If it kept in line with population growth it should be at 80,000.
There is also an ageing workforce: only 12% of the Anglican clergy are under 40!
Bruce predicts
that if current trends continue, the Methodist church will fold by 2030 and by then the Church of England will be merely a small voluntary organisation with large amount of heritage property!
Rationalisation
(Max Weber)
Individuals seek the ‘ultimate truths’ from elsewhere- EG: Science, media, education
People are more likely to seek logic and rationality in the way they cope with life e.g health concerns
Enlightenment
Disengagement
Religious organisations such as the Church of England have become disconnected from the state. They have lost some power and significance!
The Church is no longer responsible for education/ discipline
Religious pluralism
Plural = more than one!
The rise of spiritual ‘shopping’
Religious groups/organisations have become more diverse. We are encouraged to pick and mix our faith!
Think of school league tables: Religions can be seen to compete with one another for prestige and membership. As they compete, we lose a clearer definition of any ultimate ‘truth’.
Disenchantment
‘Believing without belonging’ (Davie)
Church attendance figures have decreased over time- no more Sunday service!
We now worship other things:
Celebrities, sports teams, fashion, karma
A technological world view
Bruce (2008): Religious beliefs have now been replaced by a technological worldview. This leaves little room for religious explanations.
It has not made people atheists, but it has meant people take religion less seriously.
E.G: In a plane crash, we are unlikely to see it as the work of ‘evil spirits’ or punishment from God, but instead a technological problem or a scientific one.
Evaluation for technological world view
EVALUATION: Bruce does however accept that when science fails, we do turn back to religion!
Reasons for secularisation
Rationalisations & disengagement
Technological world view
Structural differentiation
Social and cultural diversity
Industrialisation
Religious diversity
Nature of the clergy
Parsons: structural differentiation
Parson’s described structural differentiation as the process by which there are a greater range of institutions carrying out more specialist tasks.
Parson’s believed that in preindustrial society religion had many functions , however, industrialisation saw religion (like the family) loose many of those functions. For example, the church lost its influence in education and law!
Disengagement and privatisation
In pre-industrial society religion dominated; however, after industrialisation it became smaller and a more specialised institution. This occurred in two ways:
Disengagement: The functions of religion are transferred to other institutions such as the state and it becomes disengaged from wider society. E.G: the church loses the influence it once had on education, social welfare and the law.
Privatisation: Bruce backs this up by suggesting that religion has become confined to the private spheres of the home and family. Beliefs are now more a matter of personal choice.
Social and cultural diversity
Decline of community: In pre industrial times: strong sense of community.
In industrial times: this gets ‘lost’ and leads to a decline in religion.
Wilson argues that in pre-industrial society shared values were demonstrated through collective religious rituals that integrated individuals.
As these communities disappeared so did the hold of religion over its members. Why might we be able to use this point to evaluate Durkheim?
Diversity of occupations cultures and lifestyles
Individuals not only hold their own religious beliefs but they are also aware of the differing views around them.
Bruce argues that the believability of beliefs is undermined by these alternatives. This coupled with individualism can lead to a decline in religious belief and practice.
Industrialisation
Bruce: It undermines the consensus of religious beliefs that hold small communities together.
HOW? When smaller communities get broken up to become loose- knit, larger urban communities with diverse beliefs and values, social and geographical mobility breaks communities . It also brings together individuals from varying backgrounds, thus increasing diversity!
Religious diversity: Berger
BERGER: THE SACRED CANOPY-
Middle ages: Catholic church held an absolute monopoly of the truth- a single, ‘scared canopy’ which went unquestioned.
During the Protestant Reformation when Protestant churches and sects broke away, the number of different organisations grew, each with a different view of the truth. WHY WOULD THIS BE A PROBLEM?
It creates a plurality of life worlds- there are different interpretations of the truth!
Plausibility structure
BERGER ARGUES THIS CREATES A CRISIS OF CREDIBILITY AND UNDERMINES RELIGION’S ‘PLAUSABILITY STRUCTURE’- THE REASONS WHY PEOPLE FIND IT BELIEVABLE!
Religious beliefs become relative rather than absolute. They become nothing more than personal opinion.
Bruce sees the trend towards religious diversity as the most important cause of secularisation.
Secularisation in America
Wilson (1962): found that 45% of Americans attended church on Sundays. However he argued that churchgoing in America was more of an expression of the ‘American way of life’ than of deeply held religious beliefs.
He claimed that America was a secular society, not because people had abandoned the churches, but because religion has become superficial in America.
Bruce (2002; 2011) shares this view. He uses three sources of evidence to support the claim that America is becoming more secular:
Declining church attendance
‘Secularisation from within’
A trend towards religious diversity and relativism
Declining church attendance in America
Opinion poll research suggests that church attendance has been stable at 40% of the population since 1940.
Hadaway (1993) : Worked with a team of researchers employed by major churches and found that this figure did not match the churches’ on attendance statistics.
They studied church attendance in Ohio conducting headcounts and then interviews asking people if they attended church. They found that the interviewees overestimated their attendance by 83%.
Masking a decline
Bruce concluded that a stable rate of self-reported attendance of about 40% has masked a decline in actual church attendance in America. This could be due to the fact that it is still seen as socially desirable to attend church.
Secularisation from within
Bruce argues that American religion has adjusted to the modern world.
There has been a decline in traditional Christian beliefs and glorifying God; religion in America has become ‘psychologised’ or turned into a form of therapy.
The purpose of religion has changed from seeking salvation in heaven to seeking personal improvement in this world.
BASICALLY, American religion has remained popular by becoming less religious!
Religious diversity: you can have your own beliefs and eat them!
Bruce identifies a trend towards practical relativism; the acceptance that others are entitled to hold differing beliefs to one’s own.
This erodes ‘absolutism’, the idea that OUR own views are the best, and only!
Lynd and Lynd (1929): in 1929 94% of churchgoing young people agreed with the statement ‘Christianity is the one true religion and all people should convert to it’. By 1977 only 41% agreed with this.
Evaluation
Religion is not decking just changing
Secularisation theory is one sided- it focuses on decline ignoring religious revivals and growth
Believing without belonging
Secularisation has not happened globally
Religious diversity actually makes people more religious
