Topic 5 Secularisation Debate

Question 1

Define Secularisation

Answer 1

-Decline in religion
-Process whereby religious beliefs lose social significance

Question 2

What are the possible ways to measure secularisation?

Answer 2

-Popularity - Religious Participation
-Plausibility - Religious Belief
-Power -Disengagement

Question 3

Evidence for secularisation to be happening (Popularity)

Answer 3

-church attendance
1851 census showed 40% of the population attended
2005 it dropped 6.3%
religion has symbolic meaning
attendance for ceremonies such as baptism have fallen
2005 church marriages dropped down 33%

Question 4

A03 for Popularity

Answer 4

religion is a private experience and cannot be scientifically measured

Question 5

Evidence for secularisation Happening (Plausibility)

Answer 5

-over 60 years more people claim they have -religious beliefs than actually going to church
church attendance and religious beliefs are declining
-100 national surverys shows decline in belief and traditional teachings

Question 6

A03 for Plausibility

Answer 6

Christocentric - Those decended from white christians are less religious compared to EMs that remain in strong belief

Question 7

Evidence why secularisation is happening (power)

Answer 7

-Wilson argues church is no long involved in important areas such as politics
-politicians dont need the approval of religious leaders
-Bruce argues churches have reduced status

Question 8

A03 Power

Answer 8

-Religion is still a major provider of education
- Increase in Faith schools

Question 9

Explanations FOR why secularisation happened

Answer 9

• Rationalisation
  -Structural Differentiation
• social and cultural diversity
• religious Diversity

Question 10

Define Rationalisation

Answer 10

Process where logical ways of thinking have replaced religious ones

Question 11

What was the protestant Reformation

Answer 11

Religious worldview has been replaced with the modern scientific view

Question 12

Which sociologist found Disenchantment

Answer 12

Weber

Question 13

Define disenchantment

Answer 13

Magical element of religion disappeared and people have stopped believing in magical figures like angels

Question 14

Which sociologist stated science and technology have replaced religious explanations for why things happen?

Answer 14

Bruce

Question 15

A03 for Rationalisation

Answer 15

Religious explanations are used in places where science is less developed

Question 16

Which sociologist found Structural Differentiation

Answer 16

Parsons

Question 17

Define Structural Differentiation

Answer 17

Process of specialisation that occurs with the development of industrial society

Question 18

According to Parsons what does structural differentiation lead to…

Answer 18

Disengagement of religion from society

example: Church has lost the influence it once has on education

Question 19

Bruce Agrees that religion has become _____ from wider society and has lost its ______ functions

Answer 19

Religion has become separated from wider society and has lost many of its former functions

Question 20

What functions does religion continue to perform

Answer 20

Education or social welfare

Question 21

Social and cultural Diversity

Answer 21

Diversity of cultures and lifestyles undermines religion

Question 22

Who argues that In pre-industrialised society, local communities shared religious rituals and shared their values

Answer 22

Wilson

Question 23

What did Wilson argue in Social and cultural diversity

Answer 23

In a pre industrialised society, local communities shared their values and religious rituals

Industrialisation destroyed these communities and destroyed the base of religion

Question 24

What does Bruce see Industrialisation is doing?
(Social and cultural Diversity)

Answer 24

Industrialisation is creating large urban areas with diverse beliefs and lifestyles

Question 25

what is the rise of individualism leading to?

Answer 25

A decline in community based religious beliefs and practise

Question 26

Explainations AGAINST secularisation

Answer 26

-Cultural defence and Transition
-Fundementalism
- Religious Market Theory
- Existential Security Theory

Question 27

Define Cultural Defence

Answer 27

Religion helps some ethnic minority groups preserve a unique sense of cultural identity in the face of an unwelcoming and hostile mainstream culture

Question 28

Define Cultural Transition

Answer 28

Religion provides support and a sense of community for ethnic groups such as migrants to a different country and culture

Question 29

Who identified the two counter trends that go against the secularisation theory

Answer 29

Bruce

Question 30

What are the two counter trends that go against the secularisation theory

Answer 30

Cultural Defence
Cultural Transition

Question 31

A03 for cultural Defence and transition

Answer 31

Bruce argues that religion survives because its a focus for group identity

Question 32

What did almond et al identify about the growth of fundamentalism

Answer 32

Found that conservative religious groups have grown massively in the recent years

Question 33

How does Fundamentalism go against the ideas of secularisation

Answer 33

Increase in numbers of people who are traditionally religious showing that religion is not declining

Question 34

A03 for fundamentalism

Answer 34

Bruce Questions the significance of the growth of the New Christian Right

Question 35

Who argued against the idea that secularisation is ethnocentric

Answer 35

Stark and Bainbridge

Question 36

What is the Religious Market Theory

Answer 36

Religion meets the universal needs and religion remains constant as there are different types
of religions

Question 37

According to Stark and Bainbridge what do churches Operate like

Answer 37

Operate like companies selling goods in a market

Question 38

what is spiritual shopping

Answer 38

religion is individualised
consumerism replaced collective tradition
choice as consumerism of religion

Question 39

Cultural amnesia

Answer 39

parents are no longer teaching their children about religion