Secularisation Flashcards
What are the 5 main explanations for secularisation?
Rationalisation Structural differentiation Social and cultural diversity Religious diversity Cultural defence and cultural transition
What is rationalisation?
The process by which rational ways of thinking and caring replace religious ones
Weber argues that western society has undergone a process of rationalisation in the last few centuries
What does Weber say about Rationalisation and secularisation?
He mentions the Protestant Reformation who replaced the worldwide view of the Middle Ages with a modern rational scientific outlook.
Disenchantment - the Protestant Reformation saw God as existing above and outside of the world, not intervening with it so events were no longer explained as the work of unpredictable supernatural beings, but as predictable workings of natural forces.
Through reason and science, humans could discover the laws of nature, and understand how the world works. Religious explanations were no longer needed
What is structural difference? (Parsons)
A process that occurs with industrialisation as many specialised institutions develop to carry out the different functions previously performed by a single institution such as the church
What does Parsons suggest about secularisation and structural differentiation?
Religion dominated preindustrial society, but industrialisation has caused a smaller society and more specialised institution.
Bruce agrees that religion has become seperated from wider society and privatised in the home and family. Religious beliefs are now largely a matter of personal choice while traditional rituals and symbols have lost meaning.
Church and the state are usually seperate in modern society, so the church looses political power (for example, teachings in educational institutions)
How has social and cultural diversity caused secularisation?
Wilson argues that in preindustrial society, local communities shared religious rituals that expressed their shared values, but industrialisation destroys these stable local communities and so destroys religious base.
Bruce sees industrialisation creating larger, impersonal, loose knit urban centres with diverse beliefs, values and lifestyles. The diversity undermines the believability of religion
The rise of individualism leads to a decline in community based religious beliefs and practices
How does Religious diversity cause secularisation?
In Middle Ages, the Catholic Church held an absolute monopoly with no challengers. Sine the Protestant Revolution In 16th century, the number and variety of religious organisations has grown, each with their own versions of truth.
Berger also argues that this undermines people’s “plavisibility structure” (its believability) and the variety of religions and choose erodes the absolute truth of traditional religion.
Bruce sees religion diversity as the MAIN reason and cause of secularisation as this difficult to live in a world containing a large number of incompatible beliefs without concluding that none of them is wholly true
How has cultural defence and transition caused secularisation (Bruce)?
Cultural defence - religion provides a focus for the defence of national or ethnic group identity in a struggle against an external force eg, Catholicism in Poland before the fall of communism
Cultural transition - religion provides a sense of community for ethnic groups living in different countries and cultures
What 3 sources of evidence does Bruce use to support his claim that America is becoming increasingly secular?
1 - declining church attendance (statistics may be an exaggeration - polls 83% higher than true numbers counted)
2 - secularisation from within (religions purpose has changed from glorifying god and seeking salvation in heaven to seeking personal develop,ent in this world)
3 -religious diversity and relativism - people accept that others are entitled to hold beliefs different to ones own. Lynd and Lynd found in 1924 that 94% of church goers said “Christianity is the one true religion, compared to 41% in 1977
In 1851, what percentage of the adult population attended church?
40%
This led some sociologists to claim that the 19th century was the ‘golden age’ of religiosity
What is secularisation?
The process whereby religious thinking practice and institutions loose social significance
What percentage of adults attend church today (2005)?
6%, halving since 1960s
