Secularisation Flashcards
Wilson
(Britain)
Western societies have undergone long-term process of secularisation
^ 10-15% of adults attended churches in 1960s
Woodhood
Not enough members in the church to keep it going in Britain
^ E.g: Catholic priests have halved between 1965-2020
Wilson
(USA)
Found 45% of Americans attended church in 1962 - more expression of ‘American Way’ than religious beliefs
Bruce
(USA)
Secularisation from within
. Come from American religion adjusting to modern world
^ religion becoming ‘psychologised’
Hadaway
Opinion poll research = church attendance stable at 40% since 1940s
. Figure didn’t match church records, studied attendance in church in Ohio
^ head counts and then interviews - attendance claimed 83% high than research estimates
Lynd and Lynd
Study in 1924 = 94% of churchgoing young people agreed Christianity is only religion
1977 = only 4%
Parsons
Structural differentiation occurs with development of industrial society
. Disengagement = functions transferred to other institutions becomes disconnected from wider society
Bruce
(privatisation)
Religion is now confined to private sphere of family and now a personal choice
Wilson
(Social/Cultural Diversity)
Due to industrialisation shared values (religion) lost its basis in stable local communities
Aldridge
Religion can be source of identity on a worldwide scale
Bruce
(Eval of Secularisation)
- Cultural Defence = religion provides focal point for defence of national/ethnic identity
- Cultural Transition = religion provides support/sense of community for ethnic groups such as migrants
Berger
Religious diversity creates crisis of credibility - undermines plausability structure and erodes absolute certainties of trad religion
. Changed his views and diversity stimulates interest
Weber
(rationalisation)
Protestant reformation led to disenchantment
^ God is transcendent and events now explained by natural forces - power of reason
