secularisation Flashcards
what does secularisation mean
refers to the decline in importance of religion
what does religiosity mean
how religious a person is
what evidence is there to suggest secularisation in Britain is occurring
- the number of catholic priests fell by third between 1965 and 2011
- ‘bogus baptisms’ - a number of baptisms that take place today are not for religious reasons may be to get into school
- number of clergy
what arguments are there that religion is not declining
you could argue that religion is not declining today as new Christian religious movements are growing. Even though some religious movements are declining not all such as Pentecostal churches
what did Crockett say about secularisation in Britain
huge decline of worshippers in church on a sunday in the uk
what does an increase in the average age of churchgoers suggest
new generation is secularised . There is a generation effect: people become more religious near the end of their life
what does holistic millieu
millennium new practice eg yoga, crystal healing
what is said about secularisation
- there is a huge decline in the number of worshippers in Church on Sunday in the UK since 1988(Crockett)
- there are fewer baptisms and church weddings
- Wilson 1966 argues that western societies had been undergoing a long term process secularisation
what is the evidence to favour secularisation in the UK
- Beliefs in God declined since 1991, as the belief in Jesus as the son of God and Christian teachings about the afterlife
- proportion of people who identify themselves as Anglican dropped sharply from 65%-20% a fall from 10%-2% of their population
- Huge increase of numbers who say they have no religion (1400% increase)
what church does religious institutions have
the role of the church has dramatically changed since the 19th century. Whilst it used to have a very influential role of society nowadays many of the church’s functions are carried out by the state. eg education
what are the four main explanations of secularisation
- rationalisation
- structural differentiation
- social diversity
- religious diversity
what is modernisation
a common theme of in explaining secularisation. The decline of tradition and its replacement with more rational and scientific ways of thinking tend to undermine religion
How is rationalisation an explanation of secularisation
Weber - refers to the process by which rational ways of thinking and acting come to replace religious ones. Weber also argues that the protenant reformation begun to Martin Luther in the 16th century started a process of rationalisation of life in the west. catholic view was spiritual and included angels and daemons
what is the A03 for rationalisation
technological changes have had more of an impact. Brought about more rational ways of thinking
what is argued about disenchantment in terms of secularisation
Protestantism saw God as being transcendent (exists beyond this world) whereas Catholics saw God as being interventionists God ( able to act in this world)
saw God as being a watch maker who created the watch ie the world and did not intervene but left it to its own devices
How is structural differentiation an explanation for secularisation
parsons argues the process of specialisation that occurs with the development of an industrial society or industrialisation. This means religion became less significant as society became more industrial. Parsons argues that SD leads to disengagement of religion. Bruce argues that religion has become privatised and separate from society
How is social + cultural diversity an explanation of secularisation
- decline of community- pre industrial to industrial society brought about a decline in the community
- industrialisation- Bruce says it undermines consensus of of religious beliefs
- diversity of occupations, cultures and lifestyles undermines religion - plausibility of religion is undermined by diversity of beliefs
what is the A03 for social and cultural diversity
some religious communities are imagined communities ie online global communities
religion can be a source of identity
what is cultural defence and transition
Bruce identifies 2 counter trends that against secularisation theory
- cultural defence= religion acts as a focal point of defence of national ethnic .. struggle against external force
- cultural transition= provides support for those who live in a different country on their own.
what are the criticisms of secularisation
- berger has changed his views and now argues that diversity + choice can actually stimulate participation in religion
- Beckford: opposing views can have the effect of strengthening a religious groups commitment to its existing beliefs rather than undermining it
what is secularisation like in America
one society that appears to contradict the secularisation theory is the USA
- 40% of adult population regularly attend church
- 90% claim to believe in God
- only 2% claim to be atheists
what is argued about religiosity in America and social desirability
opinion poll research suggests that attendance at church as been stable of about 40% since the 1940. Hadaway found that attendance did not match statistics. Bruce argued that this may be due to social desirability
what did Bruce argue about secularisation from within
He argues that American religion has adjusted to the modern world by secularising from within. This means that the traditional Christian beliefs have declined and religion has been turned into a type of therpy or has become psychologised. The purpose of religion has changed from seeking salvation and to seeking personal improvement
what is religious diversity
The growth of religious diversity has also contributed to secularisation from within. Churchgoers are becoming is dogmatic in their views Bruce identifies a trend towards practical relativism among American Christians ( a view where others are entitled to hold other beliefs that different to ones own)
what is the counterpart to practical relativism
PR is a view where others are entitled to hold their own beliefs different to ones own. Erosion of absolutism is when we now live in a society where many people hold beliefs different to our own and undermines our assumption that our owns views are absolutely true
what are the criticisms of secularisation theory
- religion is not declining its changing form
- secularisation theory ignores the growth of new religions
- ignores people who believe but dont go to church
- religion has not declined globally maybe just in Europe
- the past was not a golden age of religion and the future will not be the age of atheism
