topic four - religion renewal and choice Flashcards
what do some sociologists argue instead of secularisation theory
- while some aspects of religion is declining, new forms are emerging as a result of social change such as greater individualism, increased choice and more consumerism
who argues we are seeing a major change to religion in today’s – society
Davie argues that in today’s late modern society we are seeing a majour change in religion
what is the change in religion
DAVIE:
- religion is moving away from obligation and towards consumptions or choice
- e.g. the Church of Enlgand could ‘oblige people to go to church, to believe certain things and to behave in certain ways’ but this is no longer the case
instead how is religion changing and what is beliving wihtout belonging
Davie argues religion is becoming less of a matter of the public sphere and so now is changing into a more privatised form
e.g. people place less value onto belonging to religious organisations but still hold religious beliefs which Davie calls believeing without belonging
what else is emerging
Davie notes a trend towards ‘vicarious religion’
- religion is practised by an active minority suhc as professional clergy so the rest of soc who still hold religious beleifs experience religion second hand
- this is common in Britain and Northern Europe
how do majour national churches serge in Europe
as a ‘Spiritual Health Service’ similar to the NHS, which is publically available
therefore what does Davie conclude
secularisation theory is wrong for assuming decline in attendance = sec
- instead he points vicarious religions and compares it to the tip of an iceberg: beneath the surface of what appears to be a small collective actively participating in religion lies a much wider commitment
- even if church attendance is declining, it is because individuals know they can turn to the church during times of need which evidences that there is more believing than belonging
who disagree with Davie and why
- Voas and Crockett: do not accept that there is ‘more believing than belonging’ as evidence from 5750 respondents show that both church attendance AND bleief in God are declining
- Bruce futher responds by: if people are not willing to invest time into regularly going to church, it refelcts the declining strength of their beliefs which is translated in their involvement
- Day’s interviews show that eventhough 72% of people identified as Christian (Census data), it is more of a way of saying they belonged to a ‘WHite English’ ethnic group
what is HL’s view
- Hervieu- Leger: traditional decline in religion in Europe has occured due to cultural amnesia
what is cultural amnesia
- religion used to be taught in the extended family so children were raised to believe
- in today’ society, few paretns teach their children about religion and let them decide for themselves
- religion has also lost its influence in society
- therefore, children become ignorant of traditional religions and become to not know or gorget about it
eventhough cultural amnesia is occuring, why does HL still deny secularisation theory
HERVIEU LEGER:
- religion is becoming a matter of the private sphere which is focused on individual choice
- this means consumerism to meet individual needs has replaced traditional religion so individuals become spiritual shoppers
as a result of consumerism what is arising
Hervieu Leger argues two new groups are emerging:
- pilgrims
- converts
pilgrims
those who follow an individual path in a search for self-discovery e.g. exploring New Age spirituality by joining groups
converts
- join religious groups that provide a sense of belongingbased on a shared ethnic background or religious doctrine
what is the result of the trends HL has identified
Hervieu Leger:
- religion no longer acts as a source of collective identity but:
- they also point out how religion continues to have a certain degree of influence on society e.g. values of equality and human rights are closely tied to religion
what postmodernist agrees with Davie and why
- Lyon
- believing without belonging is increasingly popular as new religious forms are arising
why does religion change in a post modern society
features of a postmod society such as glovalisation, the increased importance of the media and communications and the increased growth of consumerism
how has globalisation influenced religion (key term beginning with d)
- the media has a central role in saturating us and broadcasting knowledge from around the globe giving us access to a wide range of information including religion
- religion therefore is ‘disembedded’ from physical institutions to the interent e.g. televangelism
what are the two kinds of religion emerging from increased internet use according to H
Helland identifies
- religion online
- online religion
religion online
an electronic version of the traditional, hirearchal communication of churches to their members
online religion
- a form of ‘cyber religion’ that may even have no existence outside of the internet such as the Pagans studied by Cowan who gsined a sense of self
- worth from feeling they belonged to a global network
how is the postmodern view criticised
Hoover argues that online religions are not replacing religion but rather is a supplement to their church based activities
how does HL futher explain spiritual shopping
- individuals can ‘pick and mix’ elements of different faiths to meet their own personal needs
- e.g. Sheilaism is an example of a self-religion were Bellah interviews a nurse on their religious beliefs who said : ‘I believe in God, I’m not a religious fanatic’ and essentially explained that her faith carried her a long way and shapes her morals even if she has not attended church in a long time
- Bellah goes onto say people may have religious beliefs without ever practising religion which is another supportive stance for spiritual shopping
