YR2 BELIEFS: religion, renewal & change

Question 1

what theory is RENEWAL + CHANGE a counterargument to ?

Answer 1

secularisation theory

Question 2

name the 4 groups / theories of renewal & change of religion

Answer 2

• post modern theory of religion (+ Spiritual Revolution)
  -Religious market theory
• Existential Security theory

Question 3

name the 3 key POST MODERNISTS regarding religion, renewal and change.

Answer 3

• Davies (2013)
• Hervieu-Leger (2006)
• Lyon (2000)

Question 4

what is Davies’ post modern theory of religion called?

Answer 4

BELIEF WITHOUT BELONGING

Question 5

name the analogy that Davies uses in his belief without belonging theory.

Answer 5

the iceberg analogy

Question 6

summarise Davies’ belief without belonging theory.

Answer 6

-religion is no longer forced upon us, where the Church forces you to attend, religion not inherited as much.
-religion is now a matter of personal choice. People go to Church cuz they WANT to.
-religion isn’t declining, just changing form + becoming more PRIVATISED
-people more reluctant to belong to organisations (church) but still hold the beliefs.
-VICARIOUS RELIGION

Question 7

What did Davies mean by vicarious religion?

Answer 7

religion being practiced by an active minority on behalf of a great majority, who experience religion second hand.

Question 8

explain Davies’ iceberg analogy - belief without belonging

Answer 8

the top of the iceberg - visible to everyone above water = the active minority that still attend church / religious organisations.
however underneath is a mass of people who hold the religious beliefs but do not attend church.

Question 9

where does Davies believe his belief without belonging theory applies to?

Answer 9

Britain

Question 10

explain 1 criticism of Davies’ post modern theory of belief without belonging

Answer 10

-Voas & Crockett (2005): gathered evidence from 5700 respondents which showed that both Church attendance + belief in God were declining at the same rate
-Day (2007): interviewed people who identified as Christian, but very few of them mentioned God. Suggested that their reasons for identifying themselves as Christian was in order to also identify as White British

Question 11

What is Hervieu-Leger’s postmodern renewal and change theory called?

Answer 11

SPIRITUAL SHOPPING

Question 12

summarise Hervieu-Leger’s spiritual shopping theory

Answer 12

-fewer + fewer people are attending Church - partly due to ‘cultural amnesia’ : a loss of collective memory
-we have now lost the religious belief that used to be handed down by older generations. collective tradition has been replaced by individual consumerism.
-we now have a choice of religion as consumers - ‘spiritual shoppers’
-DIY beliefs. that match our own interests. we choose our own elements of religions to believe in - spiritual journey

Question 13

what 2 religious types does Hervieu-Leger’s theory of spiritual shopping create?

Answer 13

1) PILGRIMS - follow an individual path for self discovery
2) CONVERTS - join a religious group for a sense of strong belonging

Question 14

give 1 criticism of Hervieu-Leger’s spiritual shopping theory

Answer 14

-important to question whether or not people USE the choice they now have and if they are still involved in religion to the extent that Leger believes

Question 15

what is Lyon’s postmodern theory of religion, renewal and change called?

Answer 15

RE-ENCHANTEMENT.

Question 16

summarise Lyon’s postmodern theory of re-enchantment

Answer 16

-traditional religion is giving way to a variety of new forms
-post modern society has key characteristics that are changing the nature of religion: globalisation, growth of consumerism, importance of media / communications
-led to religion becoming disembbeded from physical Churches to different forms.
-for example, the ‘electronic Church’ + ‘televangelism’ relocate
religion

Question 17

what is a ‘spiritual revolution’ ?

Answer 17

where traditional Christianity is being replaced by a ‘holistic spirituality’ / New Age of spiritual beliefs. Spiritual Revolution emphasises personal development + subjective experience

Question 18

give 1 criticism of Lyon’s postmodern theory of re-enchantment

Answer 18

-Hoover et al (2004): online religion isn’t the new radical alternative to traditional religion. For most users, online religion is a supplement to an individual’s Church-based activities, rather than a substitute for them. People are adding to the traditional ways in which they already practice

Question 19

NAME the case study that investigated the ‘spiritual revolution’ + sociologists

Answer 19

Heelas and Woodhead (2005) the KENDAL PROJECT

Question 20

what 2 groups did Heelas and Woodhead identify + investigate for the Kendal project?

Answer 20

congregational domain - traditional religion
holistic milieu - spiritual / New Age religion

Question 21

what methods did Heelas and Woodhead use? Kendal project

Answer 21

• congregational questionnaire
• holistic questionnaire
• mapping (observing Church services)
• street surveys, semi structured interviews

Question 22

summarise Heelas and Woodhead’s findings of the Kendal project

Answer 22

• the new age is not yet replacing traditional religion because: the rise in the new age was not equal to the decline of tradition.
  -growth of spiritual movements

Question 23

What sociologists argue for the religious market theory?

Answer 23

STARK AND BAINBRIDGE (1985)

Question 24

What is the main point argued by religious market theory?

Answer 24

that religion is in a continuous cycle of decline and renewal.

Question 25

what two assumptions is religious market theory based on?

Answer 25

• people are naturally religious
• it is human nature to seek rewards + avoid consequences

Question 26

How do Stark & Bainbridge explain how / why religion actually renews?

Answer 26

-religious organisations operate like companies
-when they face competition from other ideologies they improve the quality of their goods to attract more believers. Renews people’s interests

Question 27

give an example of how a religion may improve their services to prevent decline and renew peoples’ interests.

Answer 27

MEGA-CHURCHES
can hold 2000 + people. lavish resources. offer extra services such as cafes, book shops, nurseries etc to meet customers’ needs
Lakewood Church (Texas) has 43,500 weekly attendance. + their services are watched on TV by 7million people

Question 28

give 2 criticisms of religious market theory

Answer 28

1)assumes people are naturally religious
2)diversity doesn’t necessarily lead to increased demand (Europe has religious diversity but secularisation)
3)some countries with little diversity still have high demand

Question 29

What sociologists argue for the existential security theory?

Answer 29

NORRIS AND INGLEHART (2004)

Question 30

what is meant by existential security?

Answer 30

refers to feeling secure about your survival.
high existential security = feel secure about survival

Question 31

what does existential security theory argue?

Answer 31

religion makes people feel secure, therefore areas of low existential security have high levels of religiosity.

Question 32

give some examples of areas / groups that may have low existential security

Answer 32

• areas of poverty
• oppressed groups
• war torn areas eg Ukraine, Palestine
• areas prone to natural disasters
• areas of high crime rate

Question 33

Using existential security theory, why is Western Europe becoming increasingly secular?

Answer 33

• the societies are amongst the most equal + secure in the world
• well developed welfare states offering comprehensive healthcare, pensions etc. reduces poverty + protects those at the bottom. higher existential security

Question 34

Using existential security theory, why does America still have high levels of religion?

Answer 34

• USA = the most unequal of the rich societies
• inadequate welfare safety net
  individualistic ‘dog eat dog’ values
• creates high levels of poverty + insecurity

Question 35

how does Gill and Lundegaarde support Norris and Inglehart’s existential security theory

Answer 35

found that the more a country spends on welfare, the lower the levels of religious participation
the state now provides welfare for the poor instead of religion

Question 36

who mainly criticises existential security theory?

Answer 36

VASQUEZ (2007)

Question 37

give 2 of Vasquez’s criticisms of existential security theory

Answer 37

1) relies on quantitative data
2) only sees religion as a negative response
3) ignores positive reasons people may turn to religion
4) doesn’t examine individual ideas of existential security