Secularisation

Question 1

What patterns show that the influance of the church has declined?

Answer 1

Less people go to church
Increase in average age of church goers
Fewer church weddings
Greater diversity in religion

Question 2

What does Wilson argue about Western societies?

Answer 2

They are unergoing a long-term process of secularisation where religious institutions lose social significance

Question 3

What percentage of the adult population attend church today?

Answer 3

5%

Question 4

What trends can be found in declining church attendance?

Answer 4

Church attendance has more than halved since the 60s
The attendance of big institutions has fallen more than smller churches which have remained stable
Less baptisims and weddings take place in churches

Question 5

What percentage of weddings were in a church in 1971?

Answer 5

60%

Question 6

What percentage of modern weddings are heald in churches?

Answer 6

30%

Question 7

What are bogus baptisims?

Answer 7

An increase in older children being baptised so that they qualify to attend religious schools which are often better.

Question 8

Why has the number of Catholics increased slightly?

Answer 8

Eastern European Immigration

Question 9

Why has the church lost influance over public life?

Answer 9

The state has taken over many of the functions that the church used to perform such as educations so religion is confined to the private sphere of the family and individual.

Question 10

What pattern is seen with the clergy?

Answer 10

Ageing workforce

Declining members

Question 11

What percentage of the clergy in the anglican church are below 40?

Answer 11

12%

Question 12

Wha are some explanations for the decline of religion?

Answer 12

Rationalisation and disenchantment (Weber)
Disenchantment
Structural differentiation (Parsons)
Disengagement
Privitisation (Bruce)

Question 13

What explanation for secularisation did Weber give?

Answer 13

Rationalisation where rational ways of thinking replace religious ones and we can prove that religious beleifs are wrong which undermines them.
This leads to disenchantment where we can explain things with science instead of magic so there is no need for a religious explanation.

Question 14

What does Bruce say about rationalisation?

Answer 14

Although science doesn’t challenge religion directly, it reduces the scope for religious explanations

Question 15

What explanation for secularisation did Parsons give?

Answer 15

Structural differentiation: The church has become more specialised as institutions now perform functions that used to be performed by the church. This means the only reason for belonging to the church is religion. This means religion is disconnected from wider society

Question 16

How does Bruce argue that privitisation causes secularisation?

Answer 16

Religion is only in the home and family and when it performs function in society, it must conform to the rules of the state.

Question 17

How has industrial society led to a decline in religion?

Answer 17

Decline in community and shared values so less consensus. Indistrial society is more diverse which undemines the idea that religion is the absolute truth.

Question 18

What are the critisicms of the idea that industrialisation causes secularisation?

Answer 18

Aldridge: Community doesn’t have to be geographical and the religious community can be through the internet and be a source of identity on a worldwide scale

Question 19

How does religious diversity cause secularisation?

Answer 19

It undermines the plausability of religion as everyone has different beliefs so none of them can be completely true. People then don’t believe in any

Question 20

What is the sacred canopy?

Answer 20

The idea that if there is a religious monopoly then society is unite under the one religion which is thought to the the absolute truth.

Question 21

Who came up with cultural defence and transition?

Answer 21

Bruce

Question 22

What are cultural defence and transition?

Answer 22

Two counter trends that go against secularisation theory and are associated with high levels of religion

Question 23

What is cultural defence theory?

Answer 23

When religion is the focal point for defence of a national or ethnic identity against an external force such as a foreign power. Its a source of unity and strength

Question 24

What is cultural transition theory?

Answer 24

Religion provides a sense of support and community for people that move cultures such as migrants and can help them intergrate into the host culture

Question 25

What are the criticisms of the idea that diversity leads to secularisation?

Answer 25

Berger now thinks diversity stimulates religions as there is more choice.
Opposing views can strengthen religion rather than undermining it

Question 26

Why are surveys on religious participation in the US unreliable?

Answer 26

Attending chruch is seen as socially desirable so people lie

Question 27

What did Hadaway find about religious participation in the US?

Answer 27

Surveys didn’t match the record of the church so church attendance is falling

Question 28

How is the US church secularising from within?

Answer 28

They’re less focused on paraising God and now focus on personal improvement so has become superficial and more like therapy. They have had to relax their beleifs in order to remain relevant.

Question 29

What are the general criticisms of secularisation?

Answer 29

Religion is not declining but changing form
It ignores religious revivals
It ignores that some people are religious but do not attend church