The Process of Secularisation in the development and extent of belief systems within Australia Flashcards
what is secularisation?
refers to the historical process in which modernisation impacts on how religion loses social and cultural significance.
what has modern societies become due to secularisation?
restricted
In secular societies what is seen?
faith lacks cultural authority, religious organisations have little social power and public life proceeds without reference to the supernatural
In western societies, secularisation receives
increasing institutional support ie separation of church and state.
what contribute to limit the role religion
Increased level of education, democratisation, economic freedom and globalisation
A secular nation was embodied into the Australia constitution in
1901
yet a series of PM (e.g. John Howard) have identified
Australian values with Christian values
. So, a society can be secular in a sense while
while still having relatively high rates of religious practices
Evidence of secularisation in Australia can be seen with
*the disappearance of Jesus and the use of Santa as the idol of Xmas, *the bilby gradually replacing the Easter Bunny, *Instead if ‘freedom of religion’, institutions are working towards ‘freedom from religion’.
Modern day Australia is by definition a secularised society, due to?
Individual may participate in religious and spiritual customs, but this has increasingly become a private personal pursuit. Institutionalised churches no longer play an absolute central role as they once did in education, welfare and politics. There is evidence in society that modern values of consumerism are now replacing beliefs about salvation.
Also, many people who held religious beliefs did not
regularly attend services at church or take part in public ceremonies
Many of those that do attend church do so because
it is expected of them in their community e.g. christening, church wedding or funerals.
The decline of religion in modern society is viewed as
an unintended consequence of a variety of complex social changes that is modernisation.
Secularisation of society is evidenced by
*a decline in religious practice and *a move from a society where the belief in God is unchallenged to one that is understood to be one option among others.
Over the past 50 years more societies have defined themselves as
‘secular’, or sometimes ‘multifaith’.
