Topic 3 - Secularisation

Question 1

How many attended church in 1851 in Britain vs by the 1960s? [uk]

Answer 1

1851: 40% or more
1960s: 10-15%

Question 2

By 2015 how many attended Church on Sundays? [uk]

Answer 2

5%

Question 3

What has occurred with religious belief? [UK]

Answer 3

It’s declining along with church attendance and membership e.g. surveys show significant decline in belief of afterlife

Question 4

Evidence that UK religious institutions have lost their influence [uk] [3]

Answer 4

• State has taken over many of the functions church used to perform, more confined to private sphere now
• ‘Faith schools’ exist but are mainly state-funded and must conform to state regulations
• No. of Catholic Priests fell by 1/3 betw. 1965 and 2011

Question 5

What does Bruce predict will happen to COE and Methodism by 2030? [UK]

Answer 5

• Methodist Church will fold by 2030

- Church of England will be a small voluntary org. with a large amount of heritage property

Question 6

Explanations of Secularisation [uk] [3]

Answer 6

Rationalisation:
Max Weber argued Protestant Reformation began a process of rationalisation, replaced with science in modern society

Decline of community:
Move from pre-industrial to industrial society contributed to decline in religion as lack of shared values

Religious Diversity:
No longer a ‘sacred canopy’ of religion with Catholic Church holding monopoly

Question 7

Secularisation in the USA [3]

Answer 7

Decline in church attendance - opinion poll of consistent attendance at 40% doesn’t match church attendance stats

Secularisation from within - the emphasis on traditional Christian beliefs in churches declined e.g. more social now

Religious diversity - erosion of absolutism means we live in a society with different beliefs, may undermine own